Where's Photography Going, Anyway?

My friend T-, another photographer, agrees that what we've witnessed together over the past nine years is a momentous time in Photography. Less than 150 years after the art form of photography was invented, the very method by which it exists has been completely changed. We put a whole new capture medium behind the lens of most cameras sold in this country in less than ten years. (Imagine what we could do if market forces weren't centered on big, fast SUVs!)

I don't think it's as big a deal as most people make it, though. The digital shift changed the process of committing a moment, but digital hasn't really afforded us everyday images we couldn't have made otherwise. there are no x-ray digital cameras in common use, and there are no inexpensive cameras that can shoot in truly low light (like a starry night).

If anything, we've finally reached parity with film. I'm not going to embark on a film/digital debate - I am squarely in the "digital is good" camp, but film is extremely durable material compared to the memory chip on a camera - try immersing each one in vinegar for an hour, washing them off, and trying to make an image from each - the film will last - the card....probably not. There are many other examples of this durability...but film is chemical, after all. Enlargement requires absolute darkness, open trays of chemistry, and tons of patience. Digital requires tons of money, and tons of patience.

I'll write more about these ideas tomorrow.