Photography going downhill with digital?
by eNoBlog on Oct.31, 2009, under Story-telling
Has the digital revolution reduced or improved the overall quality of photographs? The argument one often hears goes something like this: back in the old days, when people shot film (thump chest as needed), they took more time to consider a shot, but now with digital, people mindlessly click away with no concern for what they are capturing. In addition, digital has brought about a proliferation of photographers; now anyone (raise nose as needed) can take a photo, and this has led to an oversupply of particularly poor images that drown the few good ones some still manage to take.
As with all things, the above argument holds some merit. I have certainly found that in my own experience I tend to value each shutter click less, and thus have to constantly remind myself that the image I am snapping ought to be worth capturing. However, this cuts both ways. If I can be free from the 36-per-roll limitation, I will also try a greater variety of approaches to a subject. Whereas before I may have considered and pondered, then taken one or two photos of a statue, now I will move around and try different angles, zoom out, go wide, get low, zoom in to a certain feature. This process will lead to a more productive learning experience as I study a subject. In addition, the mere fact that I took 8 instead of 2 shots will improve the odds that one of them will be worth printing. And I don’t have to take any of them mindlessly and can still capture each image thoughtfully and purposefully.
Regarding the proliferation part of the argument, while it may be true that a greater number of less skilled photographers are snapping away and flooding the Web with their images, this too cuts both ways. Could it be that the uneducated masses are learning to take better photographs, even if they never read a book or apply “the rules”? I am often impressed by some of the images I see drifting by among the Web flood. I also notice that even folks with tiny P&S are kneeling down or climbing on ledges, instinctively seeking interesting perspectives even if they’ve never read about doing so in an article or book. Moreover, let’s not discount that this newly found ease for taking photographs will encourage many shutterbugs to seek advice on how to take better pictures. Finally, let’s also note the economical side of this situation. A greater quantity of shutterbugs means economies of scale for camera producers and greater competition among manufacturers, and this ultimately benefits all of us, regardless of where we stand along the photographic sophistication scale.
Ultimately, however, it all comes down to how we evaluate or, indeed, value, one photograph over another. A snapshot of your loved ones with the leaning tower of Pisa in the background as a nice memory of a family vacation, even if the tower is through superposition sticking out of someone’s head, is no less valid than a carefully constructed landscape shot at just the peak of golden hour lighting.
