Dave brought up an interesting point in his most recent post: digital imaging. It IS here and it IS for real. In the not too distant future, we will look back at film like today's teenagers look back at vinyl LPs (of course, there will always be the stray Lenny Kravitz, listening to his vinyl on his tube amplifier, but most of us will be of the CD persuasion). Sure, you've heard all the digital imaging hype before, but I am telling you, a LOT of it is very real today.
Case in point: my own work. A few years ago, I did a lot of B&W work, as THAT was what was in demand by the fan mags. No longer. I really like B&W, but let's face it, there is NO demand for it in today's railfan scene. You can debate whether this is good or bad, but I would argue, it doesn't matter - this is simply the way things are now. When I was into B&W, I spent countless hours in the darkroom, fussing with one thing or another, constantly trying to get a better image on paper. To some degree, I enjoyed it, but mostly, it was a LOT of work. Today, my situation is MUCH different than a few years ago. Sure, I still shoot FILM, but that is the end of the analog chain for me. We're just not quite there yet in terms of portable digital cameras, but they ARE coming. When I get my film back, be it slides or negatives, the next step is the analog to digital conversion process. I currently use a Polaroid SprintScan 35 Plus to convert my 35mm images to digital files. Once the scan is done, everything else is taken care of on the computer, and oh what a joy that is compared to the darkroom. I've spent a good deal of time learning how to use Photoshop, the electronic equivalent of a darkroom. Though I'm far from an expert, I amaze myself with the things I can do to an image once it is in digital form. It's really MUCH easier than darkroom work, and FAR more powerful. So what do I get out of it? Digital images. What can you do with those? What CAN'T you do with those? For me, most of my images end up on my web page, but digital images can just as easily go anywhere you want to use them - print, display screen, video, etc. You'd be shocked at how good some of today's color printers are getting. I can print an 8 x 10 color print from the computer that you would be unable to distinguish from a real photo at normal viewing distance. I can dump a digital image to a linesetter and print it in the finest quality color publication. I can take a color image and make the best B&W conversion you've ever seen. Hell, I can even make Kodachrome look decent! I'm NOT trying to toot my own horn here. Anyone can do what I can, with a little training and experience. I'm just saying, look, I've SEEN the future, and it IS digital, and this is NOT a bad thing. In specialized markets like advertising, pretty much the whole shooting match is already digital. We're seeing conversion in the low end too, what with all the digital consumer 'toy' cameras. Nobody yet makes an acceptable 35mm professional digital camera that is affordable, but it IS coming. And when it does, I will be the first to throw my analog stuff in the trash. So one thing you all might want to think about is, where do you see things going? I guarantee you, they AIN'T gonna stay the same. As for me, I'm following my nose, and learning everything I can about digital imaging NOW, so that when it gets here, I'll be quite comfortable with it. WHY will we move to digital? Because it lets us do things we can't do now, and makes many aspects of photography a lot easier. I grant you, the present systems are still out of reach pricewise, and aren't quite up to snuff with K25, but things are getting better quite rapidly. I'm halfway spent, but this digital conversion WILL happen within my lifespan. Of course, you can get into some hellish arguments about the ethics of digital image manipulation, etc. However, you really need to think about your goal. For a professional photographer (which I am not), the goal is to please the customer. To this end, the ONLY thing that matters is obtaining the image the customer wants. If this means wholesale molestation of the image, so be it. Those of you who are especially attentive to detail MAY have seen some tomfoolery in a few of my images. Then again, I bet you didn't. Still don't like the BNSF 740 paint scheme? Let me turn it into CB&Q (red & gray) for you, electronically! ;) Jim Gilley [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.eesoft.com/rr --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
