Film Vs. Digital Photography Essay

Abbott finds that extensive post-processing often inhibits the creativity of photographers (182). Instead, creativity in photography lies in the selection of significant content, which differs between photographers (Abbott, 183). A good photograph should be a strong statement with direct connection to reality; otherwise it will be worthless regardless of its artistic merits. Thus photographers should strive to develop a keen perspective to pick relevant content. Good photographs are also good documents, as evidenced by earlier works that have survived (Abbott, 184).

It is a debate that has been going on for years and years, especially in the twenty first century, of which medium in photography is superior, Film or Digital, Personally I use both, I will be discussing the issue over the length of this paper. Going through positives and negatives around both the processes, and techniques associated with the forms of photography.

The photograph is a very powerful medium. The French painter Paul Delaroche exclaimed upon seeing an early photograph “from now on, painting is dead!” (Sayre, 2000). Many critics did not take photography seriously as a legitimate art form until the 20th century. With the

Ever since the camera was invented in 1839, the very nature of photography has been questioned. With the increasing advent of photographic technology, photography has become an egalitarian expression of society and community. With one press of a button, an image is captured for eternity, bringing to question the inherent artistic quality of photographs. If we can so quickly capture an image, can this be deemed art? Art is to promote fantasy, and dream, to incite anger and joy. Thus, surely photography is an art, as seen through its capturing of beautiful verdant landscapes, and the horrendous

(Bellis, 2009) Nevertheless, the main selling point of digital cameras was the convenient way that they could be stored. Every exposure is almost instantly saved to a removable disk drive, which remarkably expired the use of darkroom processing. It was convenient, less time was needed to produce an image, making it particularly appealing to journalism. The photograph has since then become an instant process. Combined with the invention of the Internet, and booming industry of personal computers, the newer technology would expire its predecessor. There are billions of photographs on the Internet, comprising the largest most diverse photo collection ever assembled. We have access to imagery from all over the world, using key words and hash tags to catalogue imagery and content; we can see what is happening without being there. The introduction of digital photography has enabled photographers to record terabits of imagery which can be stored in minute places, meaning the coverage that we have of the modern world is greater than ever. Unlike the formats that Henri Cartier-Bresson used, where each roll of film, or negative slide needed storing in a large physical place, under controlled conditions, an archive of objects. Automation came with digital photography, its combination of digital components allowed the camera to automatically detect light qualities, and

As early as mid-nineteenth century, astute observers were anticipating the consequences of the Graphic Revolution. Before the Civil War, a young Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote in The Atlantic Monthly that the advent of photography would separate form from reality. He said the “image would become more important than the object itself, and would in fact make the object disposable.”3

Furthermore, the “selfie” or digital image seeks to represent a moment of time or fun that does not prove to be an authentic representation of one self. Moreover, it can be eluded from the text that self portraits are the art and the selfie or “digital” image is the human need. The text elaborates this ideology, stating “…digital photography has

Photography has been a key in history. We know a lot about the looks of famous historical individuals all because of photography. With these images, people are able to see and feel how it was many years ago. This is a very interesting concept that many people do not think about whenever they hear the word “photography”. This wonderful invention and act has played a key role in the way people are able to view history as it was.

With images, words, and sounds been almost endlessly reproduced and distributed, various critics of modern culture suggest that traditional ideas about art and authenticity are no longer applicable. The problem is said to have been noticed back in the 1930s in the popular essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction that was concerned about what would happen to the “aura” of unique works of art when photography and other techniques if anybody could make unlimited copies of images. With the rise of digital technology, copying ability became vast and complex and hence the idea of originality is thrown into

Today, anyone can use a camera to capture a photo with a single click in a single second. However; this type of advanced camera was nonexistent during the renaissance when photographers were using camera obscuras to project inverted images of the things that were outside the of the obscura. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the development of the chemical needed to capture an actual image became available. Even though people were now able to photograph, the lengthy process that it took to register a single image made photography nearly impossible. For instance, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took more than 6 hours to capture the first photographs ever taken.

In “Why We Take Pictures,” Susan Sontag discusses the increase use of technology and its ability to impact the daily lives of mankind. Taking pictures is a form of self-evolution that slowly begins to shape past and present experiences into reality. Sontag argues how the use of photography is capable of surpassing our reality by helping us understand the concept of emotion, diversity, and by alleviating anxiety and becoming empowered. Moreover, according to her argument, people are able to construct a bond between the positive or negative moments in life to cognitively release stress through reminiscing. Therefore, Sontag claims that photography itself can help with reshaping individual’s perspectives of reality by being able to empathize with the emotions portrayed through an image. Thus, giving

Until recently, at least, it was possible to define photography as a process involving optics, light sensitive material and the chemical processing of this material to produce prints or slides. Today though, that definition is subject to change. Technological innovations…are shifting photography from its original chemical basis towards electronics… It is not overstating it to say that the advent of this new technology is changing the very nature of photography, as we have known it. (Bode and Wombell 1991)

The word photography originates from the Greek words “photos” (which means light) and “graphein” (meaning to draw). Although photography was being studied as early as 330 B.C., the first photograph wasn’t taken until 1827. In 1889, George Eastman invented film rolls. Today, however, most people use digital. (“Career Facts,” Lansing Community College). Digital cameras open a whole new world, making it easy to transfer photos electronically over to computers, hard drives, and other devices. When the picture is transferred to the computer, it can be modified in softwares such as photoshop. Photoshop is used frequently in advertising and by any photographer who desires a change in the

Since its inception, photography has been used to capture moments in time all around the world. This wonderful technology has existed since ancient times, and has only improved in recent history, changing society in the process.

Art critic Robert Hughes once said, “People inscribe their histories, beliefs, attitudes, desires and dreams in the images they make.” When discussing the mediums of photography and cinema, this belief of Hughes is not very hard to process and understand. Images, whether they be still or moving, can transform their audiences to places they have either never been before or which they long to return to. Images have been transporting audiences for centuries thanks to both the mediums of photography and cinema and together they gone through many changes and developments. When careful consideration is given to these two mediums, it is acceptable to say that they will forever be intertwined, and that they have been interrelated forms of