I am not a “tech-head” or technologically- savvy to say the least. I am interested in visual communication and how new technological advances affect contemporary society. I enjoy studying how images and different media communicate. Growing up, I was the little kid analyzing cereal boxes. I wasn’t just playing the games on the backside of the box but looking at the use of font, color and overall composition to see how an image works. Recently, I have been interested in graphic design, layout, marketing and publication work.
The media technology that has impacted me the most would probably be the digital camera. I have always been fascinated by photography and have been shooting and developing my own photographs since middle school. In the beginning, I resisted using digital cameras but since then, I have crossed over into digital realm. The accuracy and immediacy of digital photography has opened up the medium to various usages that the traditional camera could not. When I worked at ABC Inc. this past summer, I realized the impact of digital photography on the entertainment and marketing/advertising worlds. For the LOST promotions shoot, photographers photographed models while editors digitally imported the actors’ heads into the shot. Through programs such as Photoshop, the photographic image and concept has drastically altered with the rise of new digital/technological advancements.
I really do love the digital camera… never again will you miss out on a perfect shot of the Eiffel Tower or sister’s graduation. And America is all about instant gratification these days. And I agree, it’s awesome to see exactly what you took seconds after the shutter clicks.
However, it takes a little of the spontaneity out of life. For the most part, gone are the days of pictures where you are making the most glorious unattractive face for the family Christmas card or making a facial expression that totally cancels out the flattering cut of your prom dress because you can immediately demand a retake. And I suppose it just feels like a lie sometimes: there are no do-overs in real life, man.
I have to agree and say, as much as I love black & white 35 mm film photography, I love my digital SLR even more. The excitement of developing film and discovering the outcome of each moment previously captured doesn’t match that of a better picture taken digitally and the potential that it has once it reaches the editing stage.
Also, what needs to come with a faster lifestyle is a faster and more efficient way of taking pictures. Like Melissa said, “it just feels like a lie” when using digital cameras, but in this day and age, film will sooner or later be fully ruled out.
As primitive a technology that film may seem to be, it dates all the way back to some original cameras in history, deeming it ready to be rid of. Sort of like in the future, when digital cameras will seem primitive due to the increasing abundance of new technology and technological methods.
-Steve
What do you feel is the impact of the photo editing that you mentioned in your post? Would you agree with the statement that “It takes less skill to be a photographer now” as opposed to 15 years ago when people couldn’t “clean up the photos” using a computer? I believe that it is easier for anyone to take a great looking picture because it can always be edited in post-production. However, I do think that there are fundamental skills, such as setting up and framing the shot, that cannot be corrected if the original photographer messed up.
-brian