[Leica] A short walk from my house/Exposures V digi

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

After reading several posts about film / digi-frame use of which one post 
was mine, I thought I should clarify my point re: "more or less number of 
frames used film to digital era.?"

What I said: ...>>> DIGITAL ERA: Regardless of whomever, we all shoot far 
more frames with digital than we ever did on film. Does this make us better 
photographers? NOPE! Just means we shoot more frames and throw more away 
after looking on screen and asking ourselves the same old question?..."WHAT 
THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"<

This extra shooting means, when something catches our eye today with digital 
we are far more inclined to make an exposure simply because it caught our 
eye, so we shoot it. No extra costs involved. ERGO: we tend to shoot it 
simply because it caught our eye. But with film, even though "something 
caught our eye, unless it was something super smashing, we'd look at film 
counter to find we had 3 frames left? OOPS! Naw it's not that good with only 
three frames left forget it. And we move on.

Quite frankly I rarely if ever had concerns about how much film I was using 
during my documentaries or photo stories.  I just shot everything that 
turned me on or caught my eye in regard to what  "photographically told the 
story I was illustrating or documenting." 

Although there were times when "a shortage of film created great degrees of 
anxiety!" :-( But my main reason is.... "We only had 36 frames ... therefore 
we paid more attention to seeing the moment before tripping the shutter to 
capture the moment." Besides we had to buy film and that always was a cost 
factor to make us take our time, look harder, see the moment, CLICK!  
Digital? Hardly a thought. click! 

But there was always a feeling of... "You had to change film every 36 
exposures, therefore one kept a sharp eye on "how many frames were left on a 
roll, whether I was using one Leica or carrying 5 at a time!"

With digital I still never relate to how many frames are exposed. That 
doesn't mean I stand there and " MACHINE GUN THE SCENE!"  

HOWEVER! Amateurs and many of the new to the world of photography digital 
"exposure makers!"   ....... NOTICE !  I did not use the word 
photographer's! But it's the way they've learned or been taught how to use 
motor driven digi cameras and digital isn't like film. So they are 
taught............ "READY?" 

Shoot lots because it doesn't cost anything the more you take! So shoot away 
like crazy! Then you're sure to get one that works!   "WE" all know that 
does not work!  "NEVER HAPPENS!" The chances are you'll still miss the 
ultimate perfect moment because the "ART OF OBSERVATION!" in your minds eye 
is turned off or they never learned to see the ultimate moment because they 
just.... "Press here and twenty frames in a split second and you pick out a 
good one off the computer screen!"  "ONCE AGAIN.......... NEVER HAPPENS! "

Hopefully I'm not making this more confusing.... maybe one of those topics 
with a beer and the crew chatting it up! :-)
cheers,
Dr. ted