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Pros And Cons Of Digital Photography, Part Oneby Stan P. Cox II

Summary: Digital photography has changed the world of the professional photographer in many ways. Hawaii photographer Stan P. Cox II shares his perspective on the effects, good and bad, that digital photography has on the photography profession.
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awaii Photographer Discusses Pros And Cons Of Digital Photography.

As a professional photographer for the past 31 years, I am acutely aware of the magnitude of the effect that the digital revolution has had on my profession. The vast majority of professional photographers who have kept up with the technology will agree that 'digital' is fantastic.

Of course, there are many professionals, while agreeing that digital is great, will moan that "digital has caused the loss of much business!" We'll get back to that in Part Two, but first I'd like to say that the advent and development of computers and programs like Photoshop, in my humble opinion, is cause enough for celebration!

I probably should admit at this point that I am in no way a computer "Geek", and that to me, Photoshop is magic! It amazes me every time I use it. I can't praise the makers of Photoshop enough. But I digress...

I have used film in my business for a long time. And I used medium format film which gave me beautiful, crisp images I could enlarge to 30x40 very nicely. I was in no hurry to "go digital" until I saw with my own eyes, and my own images that digital could produce the same quality I had been used to. I had never seen a 'digital' print that could fool me into thinking it was from film.

That day came in 2002. I saw what was being done with 6-mega pixel capture, and Epson Stylus Pro printers and I became a "believer".

Advantages Of Digital Photography

The obvious advantages, just about everybody knows: No film cost, no processing and proof costs, no prints you don't want, instant view-ability. Well, instant gratification and saving money. What's not to love? For a pro, the savings in film, processing and proofs is substantial. Also as a pro, instant view-ability has a marked positive influence on sales.

Deeper advantages include having complete control of your images with imaging software. (It's a given that you need to have a good computer and good imaging software..) With those tools you can correct color, add special effects, re-touch, crop, burn & dodge, sandwich images, all kinds of things! It's as good or better than having a chemical darkroom.

We'll take a look at the disadvantages in Part Two, and revisit the "loss of business" issue:

Pros And Cons Of Digital Photography, Part 2
About the Author Stan P. Cox II runs a Portrait and Commercial photography studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has been a professional Hawaii photographer for 31 years. His web address is: http://www.ParamountPhotography.com.

Call Of The Wild Photo Comments:

The advantages of digital photography are a real plus for product photography. You can start working on the image almost immediately. Don't like the shot grouping products together? Step back into the studio and shoot each one separately.

I haven't given up my film camera, though. I still prefer film for outdoor photography, including landscapes. Although I have to admit, I don't have a DSLR. Once I've saved up the $8,000.00 and purchase the high-end professional Canon camera body I really want, I may change my mind... -Anita