Archive for April 22nd, 2009

The title of this article is a very common question that digital photographers get asked. While often an innocent question it’s rooted in the misconception that “digital photography is fake and that film is real.” Neither portion of that statement is inherently correct and there really isn’t any difference between the two. The tools and processes that photographers use in Photoshop (PS) are nearly all derived from darkroom techniques. The darkroom, both chemical and digital, is still an important part of the process.

Ansel Adams maintained that the negative was much like a musical score. It contains all of the information but requires an orchestra to complete the performance.  He considered the photographic print, to be the performance. Recently, I stumbled upon the following quote by him: “Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships.”  The goal of the fine art photographer is to deliver their own artistic vision of a scene to the viewer, using whatever tools are available.  A successful photograph instills the same emotions and feelings in both the photographer and the viewer.

In terms of recording the human experience, the camera is a very poor tool. Our eyes see a much wider range of light than the camera can capture. In addition to the visual limitation of the camera, all of our other senses help deliver on the moment. Wind, temperature, humidity, motion are all part of the original experience but not directly captured by the camera. It’s the job of the photographer to use the tools available to give you that sense of “being there.”  Ansel Adams didn’t take his film to the local pharmacy for development; neither should you.

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