Digital Photography

This last year was the time I moved to digital photography. The first was buying my own computer (used at work for 20+ years), and I won't get into the PC versus Mac debate except to say mine's a G5. I will be spending years on the learning curve of scanning 38 years of slides (amazing how Kodachrome holds up too), Photoshop, and printing. I'm on my third generation photocards, produced in-house from film, with the next generation produced from my digital camera.

And that's the second part which I started in December and written about in my Canon 5D blog, and likely to get the many yawns and, "Ok, I knew that." responses. Ok, you're right, but we all have to learn and someone is always better and earlier than we are, so be a human being for a change and allow people to restate the obvious. Ok?

So after about a month with the camera, what have I learned? As on the Canon blog, it's a really cool camera, far more than anyone can use, but it can really expand your potential and capabilities. And with all the digital images available on a flash card, it's only limited by your imagination, and of course the obvious, batteries. At this point I can't say enough about it if you're an experienced enough photographer to appreciate the ergonomics.

I've also learned the other obvious difference. Film and digital images are different from the original. And like that's a new statement? No, just a learned personal observation. I've learned you don't really look at the images on the camera (lcd) except for the obvious shadows and highlights. Don't waste your time trying to see them in the preview mode, or use the histograph. Just set, check and then shoot away, and adjust the while balance or metering as you go. In short, be a photographer and not a camera operator.

So with a new (used) large format camera system, a new digital camera system, and my 38 year old film-based camera system, what's the plan? Whatever I feel like doing. After all I retired to do this, so where is time that important in doing things so fast?