Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/10/16

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Is digital photography necrophilia?
From: Adam Bridge <abridge@mac.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 20:01:13 -0700

Thank you, Dante, for an interesting and well-thought-out essay.

I'm going to disagree with you on one specific point.

I don't believe that digital has shifted the burden from the lab to the
photographer.

The primary job of the photojournalist is to first capture the image and have it
available for the folks who want to buy that image. Leaving aside the minor
details of being in the right place at the right time (phft - where's the skill
in THAT) the image is the product. A photographer carrying digital equipment
will KNOW if the image is properly exposed and approximately how good it is. No
lab can give that.

So the photog, leaving the field, will have a pretty good idea about what has
been shot and how good it is. No lab can mess up his images.

The rest of the story involves getting that image to the customer. Maybe the
journalist wants to do some editing - after all he CAN do that because he has
total access to the image. It's not a virtual image waiting for its chemistry,
processed somewhere outside his control or maybe (if we're selling black and
white somehow) in a hotel room lab.

But ultimately the journalist has to deliver that image: computer, cell phone,
satellite phone, what have you -- it's on its way in less time than it might
take to get a courier to run his rolls of (possibly well exposed) images to the
lab.

For the fine art photographer, as opposed to the photojournalist, there is no
shift as they have the same kind of control over their images. Maybe more
because they no longer have to worry about carrying around a bunch of different
kinds of films.

I have to say that digital has eliminated MY need to go have things printed -
unless I want them printed quite large. The current situation is the existing
media photo market looking for a way to save it's ass. They'll work hard at it.
But I can print really well right now on my Epson 2200. This isn't a failed
promise, it's one come true.

I see the digital as just beginning to explore its promise, after all it's still
an infant.

But we also need to demand better.

I'd like to point to an essay in this month's digital journalist that mirrors a
conversation or two that have been held here:

<http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0310/dhcommentary.html>

This message was brought to you by the number 2 and the letter B.

Adam Bridge
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