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The state of photography and the gear I use
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_____ The State of Photography _____ The changes in photography the past few years have been remarkable. Digital photography has had a dramatic impact upon every facet of the photographic process. From the camera to the computer, from software to printing and from digital storage to visual presentation. The immediacy of seeing the picture as soon as it is taken to having a print in hand in minutes is remarkable. The learning potential is dramatically improved. But for all the changes, the core of photography is still the same. Quality of light, great composition, shutter speeds and f-stops, sensor sensitivity or better known as film speed in the film world, and getting to know your subject, are all still essentially the same. The quality of digital photography has now reached a point of matching or exceeding 35mm film depending on your budget, and your printing requirements. Film is still used by some professionals that shoot landscape photography and a few other areas that demand large gallery quality prints or specific film characteristics. Film will not disappear, but digital imaging has had a more dramatic impact faster than most thought it would. No matter what process you use, the thrill, and satisfaction is the same or potentially exceeded in digital photography because of the ability to control the process from beginning to end. But the old techniques still apply in the digital age. The process can be as simple or complex as you have the time and budget for. Getting into the how's and why's of the digital process can be very labor intensive. As far as digital camera's go, they have made significant strides in quality and price. Almost all camera's coming out now can make quality enlargements. The Canon 5d mark II, for example, has a 21 mega pixel full frame sensor that achieves amazing results. It has a price tag of abut $2700 but can make beautiful prints over 16x20. Digital SLR cameras are usually 6 to 22 megapixels, and can produce excellent enlargements especially if you use quality lenses and have some experience with Adobe Photoshop or other such software. Digital SLR cameras typically start at about $550 on up. The business of photography has been and is currently going through a serious transition phase. The stock image business has seen a new business model with the introduction of micro stock images. Demand for photography is higher than ever because of the internet, but prices for images are changing dramatically for the professional photographer. There are more photographers and in turn more images because of digital photography. How this plays out for the business of photography is still to be seen.
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