Photographers are lazy today?

13 years 3 months ago #8961 by JB
Now I just had interesting conversation I thought I would share with you. I usually always have my camera over my shoulder. So at the mall yesterday, a old timer stopped me to take a look at my camera. I think guy just wanted to talk about photography.

He had some interesting points on how technology has made photographers lazy and dependent these days. My arguement was not the case, considering that technology grants more ways to play around with photos. Which in turn requires a special understanding for photographic properties. Does that make sense?

What are your thoughts on this?


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13 years 3 months ago #8965 by Silver Fox
I really think that is a tough question. Only because it depends on the photographer in question. Some people I think technology does make them lazy, where others not. But I do agree there is a whole new breed of photographers today that have a strong technology back bone.


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13 years 3 months ago #8971 by FMVPhotography
Well for my moneys worth, I haven't been shooting for all that long (about 15 months) so came into photography once digital had already taken hold. Do I think it makes me lazy? Not in the slightest, perhaps I haven't had to learn the joys of the darkroom, perhaps I have benefited from instant digital viewing and being able to shoot as many shots as I like with no real constraint on the cost of film and developing, but I have never considered myself 'lazy'.

If anything it's taken a lot of time, effort and money for me to learn a small part of this fantastic art - the digital darkroom I would say is as complicated, if not more complicated a beast to learn. (if you want to post process your images - a whole different art I would say)

What people seem to forget is that the raw basics the photographer has to choose (composition, exposure, equipment, subject (with a bit of blind luck lol)) have not changed. If I'm in the right place at the right time and manage to see a shot I want, I still have to choose those four basic elements myself. No matter how good the sensor in my camera is, how much automated metering there is and how much space I have on my memory card, it cannot tell me to get up in the morning at 4am, drive to a specific area and shoot a scene that will result in a 'fantastic photograph'. The camera will never be able to understand what I see in my head (not yet anyway!).

Because that's the difference as far as I'm concerned.... anyone can take a photograph, but what makes it fantastic? Not what it's shot with, how it was 'developed' or what format it's in. Surely it's that the photographer has managed to convey to the viewer something special that captured the moment and hopefully someone who views its imagination....


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13 years 3 months ago #8973 by Screamin Scott
I think what he meant by the term "lazy" was that we let the camera do most if not all of the decision making for us, what with auto focus, auto exposure, zooms, etc...Used to be that each of those had to be determined by what we wanted to see in the final print. Nowadays, many but not all of course, people let the camera make those decisions for them, especially when you look at the point & shoot cameras, many of which have no manual override controls even if you wanted to do so.

Scott Ditzel Photography

www.flickr.com/photos/screaminscott/

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13 years 3 months ago #8975 by FMVPhotography
A good point, although you say 'we let' - which isn't always the case.... You CAN let the camera do those things if you wish, some do not. But I can't help thinking that even if I did let my camera choose my exposure settings and focus plus all the other technical gizmo's that modern cameras possess, it still wouldn't change the fact that I have positioned the camera at that point in time to capture what I want to convey. Surely it's the difference between someone taking a 'snap' of something and it being a great photo? Someone saying 'right, perhaps a slow shutter speed would make this fantastic, or if I had used a tighter crop....' makes them a better photographer.

Isn't that what critique is all about?

If I look at a good photo and think a different angle or camera setting would have been better I comment and say so, hopefully whoever took the pic (even if with a point and shoot) would be encouraged to have more control over the final image and see the possibilities of what they could achieve if they considered shutter speed/aperture/different lens.

There is no doubt that taking photographs has become a whole lot easier, but a truly GREAT photo as far as I'm concerned is still the photographers vision. I get the impression that the veterans almost want the digital era folk to 'suffer' for their art, in the way that they had to with blood sweat and tears.

Was it harder back then? YES! Did it take more thought at the time of capture? YES! Did some of the greats like Ansel Adams have a true gift? Of course. Yet the vision and conveyance of that vision remains. Hence why no-one will be buying Uncle Bob's photos of his garden, shot with a DSLR in 50 years.... If folk want to moan about modern technology, I would love them to show me a famous photographer in this day and age that has made it big by using their Fuji Finepix in Auto..... to the contrary, I think that the fact that there is sooooooo much more competition, from exactly the people you are referring to, is making the people that do consider all their cameras possibilities better photographers. It sure makes me want to separate my photos from 'Uncle Bob'!

by the way I love a good debate :lol:


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13 years 3 months ago #8976 by Moe
I think some things about photography have gotten much easier, and other things have just become more complex. All in a good way!


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13 years 3 months ago #8984 by kellimatz
:silly: Lazy is being confused with the technological advances that have given just about anyone the basic ability to take good pictures without the education, practice and time that really great photographers have invested so heavily in. I held out until 2008 to go digital and I really miss my beautiful 35 mm and the joy of developing the film and prints by hand. I got my first camera at the age of 8 and I studied photography in high school and college so I too can be a little condescending myself:woohoo: I know that it does take real talent and time invested to take really nice shots. I cannot wait for the digital SLR that will give me back the challenge and feeling of pride that comes with a terrific picture. I still shoot about 100 frames and only keep about 10 to 20 of them.

Everyone has a photographic memory, but most don't have film



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13 years 3 months ago #8993 by Solstar
While technology has made photography more accessible to more people it just means that there are that many more bad pictures/photographers out there. I think that technology has certainly increased the possibilities of successfully capturing an image but it still requires the photographer's vision to become a reality.
I for one was essentially shut out of photography when I was young due to the costs involved. My dad switched to digital when he added up all the money, gas and time he was spending on film only to turn around and scan it for a web site.
Digital allows us to fail...infinitely. That makes us better.


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13 years 3 months ago #9015 by Overread

kellimatz wrote: :silly: Lazy is being confused with the technological advances that have given just about anyone the basic ability to take good pictures without the education, practice and time that really great photographers have invested so heavily in. I held out until 2008 to go digital and I really miss my beautiful 35 mm and the joy of developing the film and prints by hand. I got my first camera at the age of 8 and I studied photography in high school and college so I too can be a little condescending myself:woohoo: I know that it does take real talent and time invested to take really nice shots. I cannot wait for the digital SLR that will give me back the challenge and feeling of pride that comes with a terrific picture. I still shoot about 100 frames and only keep about 10 to 20 of them.

Everyone has a photographic memory, but most don't have film


I agree! Well said.


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13 years 3 months ago #9019 by Simon Says
I'm just going to say, it depends on who is holding the camera! :whistle:


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13 years 3 months ago #9024 by Scotty
All digital did was make it easier to be amateur, and open up more possibilties to experts.

When the last candle has been blown out
and the last glass of champagne has been drunk
All that you are left with are the memories and the images-David Cooke.

Photo Comments
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13 years 3 months ago #9090 by iTravel

Scotty wrote: All digital did was make it easier to be amateur, and open up more possibilties to experts.


Spoken like you've been around the industry a lond time?


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13 years 3 months ago - 13 years 3 months ago #9091 by Scotty

iTravel wrote:

Scotty wrote: All digital did was make it easier to be amateur, and open up more possibilties to experts.


Spoken like you've been around the industry a lond time?


A very lond time. :woohoo:

Digital allows anybody with a decent checkbook to dabble into higher end gear. The availability of editing programs allows more access for experimenting. Not everybody could build a dark room, or anything of the such, anybody can spend a few hundred bucks and get lightroom.

A lot of the methods used in photoshop, were born in the dark room, dodge burning, sharpening, etc. By allowing virtual layering, and the ability to layer blend with ease, it allows more creativity.

You didn't see much of this.

www.davehillphoto.com

before digital.

When the last candle has been blown out
and the last glass of champagne has been drunk
All that you are left with are the memories and the images-David Cooke.

Photo Comments
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13 years 3 months ago #9248 by Simon Says

Scotty wrote:

iTravel wrote:

Scotty wrote: All digital did was make it easier to be amateur, and open up more possibilties to experts.


Spoken like you've been around the industry a lond time?


A very lond time. :woohoo:

Digital allows anybody with a decent checkbook to dabble into higher end gear. The availability of editing programs allows more access for experimenting. Not everybody could build a dark room, or anything of the such, anybody can spend a few hundred bucks and get lightroom.

A lot of the methods used in photoshop, were born in the dark room, dodge burning, sharpening, etc. By allowing virtual layering, and the ability to layer blend with ease, it allows more creativity.

You didn't see much of this.

www.davehillphoto.com

before digital.


So true, isn't that amazing something so hands on made simple with technology


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13 years 2 months ago #10919 by crystal

JB wrote: Now I just had interesting conversation I thought I would share with you. I usually always have my camera over my shoulder. So at the mall yesterday, a old timer stopped me to take a look at my camera. I think guy just wanted to talk about photography.

He had some interesting points on how technology has made photographers lazy and dependent these days. My arguement was not the case, considering that technology grants more ways to play around with photos. Which in turn requires a special understanding for photographic properties. Does that make sense?

What are your thoughts on this?


Sorry if what I am about to say been repeated. I didn't read everyone's answers yet.
I think some people especially the older generation think today's photographers are lazy because it's all digital. Barely anyone shoots film. Which everyone knows shooting film, needs to be developed. Which takes time, especially when you do your own. The older generation don't realize that in today's world of photography there is still the post processing it's just not he darkroom as they know it. But it's still a dark room, the digital dark room. Photoshop, lightroom we still need to process the image. Granted alot of people use the image SOOC.

Then there are all these cameras and phones that can take pictures and you can edit them with a simple touch of the button. No hard work done. Granted alot of people who do this are not pros. But the older generation only see's this new technology, the simple and quicker way to take a picture and add some nifty affect.

IMO, if we are actually talking about photographers and not teens/people with a camera who do crazy edits to their photos. Then no, today's photographers are not lazy. We have to post process the image too. It may not be exactly how it was with film (chemicals), but the world has changed. Any photo editing software has it's own "chemicals" we have to play with to create that beautiful photo.
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