Being a photographer is the only reason of choosing this topic to write my first ever posting. This was in my mind since long.
I started photography in around 1990-91 and that time only film photography was possible in India. Digital photography was not at this matured state that time. I started with very low budget, bought one Film SLR. My dad and my brother gave me money for that. My first camera was Minolta XE with 35-70 zoom lens and few necessary filters. When I started, I had lot of budget constraints. I never used to afford to have multiple film roles in a bag, one roll in camera and another one in bag. Post production (color developing and printing) was also bit expensive. So using a camera was inviting lots of cost for me. Being a learner, I was willing to lots of experiments and see the results but budget used to keep me tied up. Developing and printing maximum 2 rolls of film of 36 exposures was possible in available budget.
When I used to do many experiments, results were available only after a processing the role, so I created one tracker to track the settings. I always use to note down the setting for each photograph. Then whenever I will see the prints, I used to crosscheck the initial visualization, settings and the results. Then based on that I will change the setting next time. It used to be very difficult. When you see the prints and realize the result is waste, I used to feel very bad from 2 angels. One I lost the moment, venue, object, lighting conditions and another angel my money gone waste.
In the same fashion I continued almost for 1 year. I got enough confidence over camera and photography. I learned black &white and color developing and printing too. Then I got my first assignment with my one friend’s reference. The location was too far from Pune. Being a beginner, client didn’t give me advance for travelling and material. I remember, I borrowed 2ks from my friend, bought 10 films in 1 k, few batteries for flash and remaining for travelling expenses. I reached at location, it was a manufacturing plant on electronic components like ICs, transistors, resisters, regulators etc. And my assignment was to shoot all these micro components. I was shooting for a whole day but with natural lights no flash or indoor lights. I came back and developed the 4 films I exposed. I was happy with results, again went back to that client and shown him the prints, he was amazed with the photos. He was very happy and immediately game me a cheque of Rs. 5000. THAT WAS MY FIRST EARNING.
I am sure, this must be the story of each and every photographer before digital cameras were available.
Now when I look at current scenario of digital photography, I feel very good that digital camera has given a lot of freedom to the user. You can check the result on the spot, if not satisfied, delete it, and click it again at no extra cost. Memory cards have done wonder. Cameras are now widely available in wide range of price. Almost every person has a camera in his hand. People are traveling, shooting photos. Some people go further and explore the settings, doing experiments, publishing the pictures on the very effective medium like internet. They are receiving lots of appreciation for their photography from community. THE WHOLE WORLD HAS CHANGED NOW, ISN’T IT?
Major reasons I feel behind the success of digital photography…
1. Cameras available everywhere at less price
2. Cheap cost of memory cards
3. Immediately see the preview if good keep else shoot one more
4. Fully automatic cameras with many shooting modes
Now, the hidden meanings behind each of these advantages are (mapped with the sequence above)
1. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can buy a camera. Now it is no more linked with a skill or creativity. Even if you don’t know the ABC of photography, still shoot photographs.
2. Click unlimited photos, so it is obvious that few of them will be called photos to KEEP. Remaining is waste but no money is wasted. So again any Tom, Dick and Harry can shoot nice photos accidently.
3. If preview is not as per expectations, click again, you won’t lose venue, object, location, lighting conditions. So no cost is gone in capturing the moment again.
4. Use camera in automatic mode just as point and shoot manner and camera does all the settings intelligently. No need of knowing settings and understand what to use when and what setting gives what effect. So again any T,D & H can be a photographer.
Now the effect of this is, finding actual photographer has become a difficult task. People don’t even know what is photography and winning competitions. People are using it even without bothering to know what camera is doing. People who travel a lot, the bag great photos but they don’t even realize that they have some great pictures with them. They don’t know, what aperture is, what shutter speed is, what effects are delivered with the setting done to aperture and shutter speed.
People are just speaking a language of Mega Pixels, Optical Zoom, Digital zoom, but nobody know what is depth of field, angle of view, focus, out of focus, composition, lighting etc.?
HATS OFF TO TECHNOLOGY, this is what I can say.
