Thursday, July 31, 2008

Digital Photography

Digital Photography
Gone are the days when images are created by the skills of the photographer and his ability to mix chemical to achieve the desire effects. With digitial photography, the image can be altered and filter added digitally. When deciding to purchase a DSLR, unless you are a sport photographer where the camera has to take rain, heat and occassional knocks, there is no incentive to purchase a super high end DSLR simply because a consumer level entry can take photographs that can be manipulated to one's imagination. The photographer can also take multiple shots and delete when he is not satisfy, something that a film photographer has disadvantage. Surely, out of a 1000 shots, 1 would be brilliant.

Anyone familiar with technology will know that technology will make a product obsolete over time. Imagine a DSLR in 2011(3 years from the date of this blog) that can offer 30 MPixels at full frame with ISO 6400 with low noise, 8 frames per sec at consumer entry price. The storage card by then will probably be 40 MB. This is technology. Again there is no incentive for a photographer to buy super high end DSLR.

Lastly, a professional photographer had told me that a skill in capturing the moments and the spirit of his subject were more important than the photographic gear that he used. With the skills to capture the spirit, the minor detail can be touch up by software. He qualified that if a photographer was so unskilled in capturing his subject out of focus, then the software might still be useless in rectifying his mistake, at least from current software technology.

Again don't be mislead by manufacturer's marketing strategy. Value is what you should look for. Elementary photography skill is important, capturing the spirit of the subject is even more important. Everything else is software and luck.

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