Who wants to master digital photography?

Analogue Photography

The 'old fashioned' medium still attracts fans from a broad range of photographers, perhaps even more so now due to the commercialisation of digital industries. Many fine art crowds agree that analogue is the preferred choice for wall art because of the colour texture of film print. Some even view digital photography as too sterilised and clean.

The primary advantage of film cameras is their lower initial cost and their effortless capture of dynamic range black and whites. Analogue is also more forgiving of focusing and exposure problems as the film is of a higher resolution. Images are crisper and of an unparalleled quality, due to the chemical reaction which occurs on the film when exposed to light; something which is harder to achieve with a digital camera.

Although the camera itself is cheaper than its digital counterpart, films can be an expensive continuing cost. Development of film is increasingly costly due to the explosion of cheap digital printing services, and photos cannot be viewed until the developing process has been completed. Analogue cameras are usually heavier than digital SLRs and coupled with the burden of carrying extra film, they can become a nuisance

Digital Photography

Imagine having to remove the memory card from your digital camera, carefully packaging it, sending it off, hoping it doesn't get lost in the post, waiting three weeks, paying an extortionate amount of money and only is it once you receive the prints you realise that you had your finger over the lens. Add to that the annoyance of not having enough pockets for spare film and praying the airport X-Ray machine doesn't destroy your images and we have just a few reasons why many people want to master digital photography.

Although the initial price tag is higher, beginners favour digital, as they are able to improve their technique without having to incur expensive development costs. There is also no need to fumble around with the installation of film, as a memory card is all that is required. In this way, photos are viewable instantly. Unwanted shots can be deleted to make room for more.

For more advanced photographers, a benefit is found in the encoding of each photo. Specifications such as aperture and exposure are stored as digital watermarks, making a repeat shot easier.

10 Megapixels is a high enough resolution even for very large canvas art.

Neither analogue nor digital photography should be written off in favour of the other, as they both represent different niches in the photography world and both are capable of taking quality images. It is up to you, the photographer to decide which is the best fit for your style and budget.