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Subscribe via EmailDigital Photography: It’s Photography First
by Aaron Hockley
Recently someone expressed disappointment on RailroadForums because his RAW converter couldn’t fix poor photos. I ended up going on a brief rant that I thought I would expand upon here.
Digital photography is photography first, and digital second.
Think about that a bit. It means that digital photography is more about photo techniques and skill than it is about digital manipulation and computers. It means one needs to spend more time thinking about composition and exposure than how to use the clone tool in Photoshop.
While it’s true that instead of recording an image on film in a traditional camera, a digital camera records an image on a sensor and then to a memory card, the “digital”portion of digital photography essentially replaces the darkroom and development processes of traditional slide or film photography. The most important thing remains the capturing of the image at the time the shutter is opened.
In the computer field, there’s a term called GIGO, meaning “Garbage in, garbage out”. Applying this to photography, the meaning is that if one starts with a poor photo, digital processing won’t be able to turn it into a great shot. It is far better to begin with a properly exposed and technically correct photo than it is to start out needing to “fix” things just to make the photo usable.
Where do you start? By learning about photography. The traditional elements of taking a photo haven’t changed just because the image is recorded onto a memory card instead of film. Here’s my advice to someone who wants to improve their photography:
Learn about exposure and shutter speeds. Learn about depth of field. Learn about white balance. Learn about what the ISO number means. Then learn about how your particular camera allows these items to be adjusted. Learn about the different shooting “modes” that exist on your camera. Learn what it means to use shutter-priority, aperture-priority, and manual modes, and when it’s appropriate to use each. Learn what a histogram is, and learn how to view an image histogram on your camera so that you can make adjustments “in the field”. Learn about composition, including the rule of thirds, framing, image balance, and the golden mean.
You’ll notice that not a single thing mentioned in the previous paragraph has anything to do with computers or Photoshop.
Photoshop can be used to polish up a photo and make slight adjustments after the fact, but nothing beats doing it right the first time in the field. Photography is photography and the elements of photography haven’t changed. A post today on the Philosophy of Photography forum at photo.net talks about the photographically illiterate and how it’s the same with traditional film or with digital.
I challenge all digital photographers to become better photographers foremost, and worry about digital less.
May 9th, 2006 at 9:51 am
Aaron, you forgot to plug GorgeRail in your rant. I will be going over this in my Photoshop presentation.
Paul
May 9th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Since I purchased my Digital Rebel XT a month ago, it’s been one constant reading session to learn both how to use the camera and its particular features and to re-learn the basics of SLR photographs. This is the first SLR camera that I’ve owned since buying a Petri 35mm SLR in the Western Pacific in 1972 while cruisin’ for Uncle Sam.
Every time I take a photo and return to the office or home, my mind hits me with a dozen points: Why did I use a setting that set the exposure to a low shutter speed? Don’t you know low shutter speeds and locomotives don’t go together (at noon on a sunny day, especially!)? Why didn’t I compose the shot so the parking lot in the background won’t be in the frame? You should’ve added exposure compensation in that last shot, not subtract.
I’ve had to develop a mental checklist that I run through each time I get the camera out of my daypack. And I’ve shot several hundred test pictures so I can test the result as I learn to adjust aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. Each afternoon on the bus home is dedicated to reading my Magic Lantern Guide on the DT 350D. I carry the camera back and forth to work many days. I sit on the bus and play with the camera as I study its features.
You’re right. You need to understand photography first. If you’re going to spend $800 on a camera (plus additional for lenses), you need to learn the photography craft first. Otherwise, you’re purchased a very expensive point-and-shoot camera.
May 13th, 2006 at 3:04 am
What Steven posted is very true, and I see it all the time.
Far too many people expect hardware and software to replace their eyes and brain, and are disappointed by their expensive reality-check.
(Not hacking on you, SCK. You’ve only had the cam for a month, have noticed all your/it’s mistakes, and are working hard to get up to speed. Wish everyone else was like you, sir. Can’t wait to see your results in a few months!)
Frankly, a good number of the entry-level DSLR crowd would have been better served by the EVF superzoom cameras like the Sony H1/H2/H5 and Panasonic’s Lumix series, among others.
Sure, they stink at high ISO due to the tiny sensors, but with 12x zoom, big LCDs and decent EVFs, and SHARP Zeiss or Leica lenses, these smaller cams pack amazing quality into their $400-$600 price range.
I have used an H1 and it was pretty darn good, with out-of-camera jpg quality in Program mode that could slay the results obtained by the average Rebel user.
(Note I said “average” Rebel user, and I include the Nikon D50/D70 hacks in this group)
Of course any of the budget DSLRs in the hands of an experienced photographer (likely with much more expensive lenses than those included in the kit) will have better results than any digicam owner could produce, but at what cost?
“Very expensive point and shoot” is a great summation, Steven!!
On the plus side, all of the people who mistakenly buy into the Rebel/D50 type cameras have a positive effect on the camera business.
The vast number of units sold will help underwrite future lens and sensor R&D and tooling as well as provide the used/pawnshop market with a flood of affordable hardware very soon.
Just my opinions, and I hope nobody read it wrong and gets their feathers ruffled.
Keith
May 13th, 2006 at 3:35 am
Oh, and to get back on-topic: Aaron makes a GREAT point with this post.
The number of people who expect RAW (of all features!) to ‘fix’ photographic ineptitude focuses attention on the myths and buzzwords and black magic that still surround digital photography.
“If RAW equals ‘better’ why do my photos still suck?”
The polite answer is that excellent photographs can be produced by anyone, using whatever camera they happen to have with them, including disposables and even Holgas and Polaroids.
IF they can recognize an interesting subject and capture it in a pleasing way.
May 13th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I get your point. You should tell people who can’t fix their photos with Photoshop that photography is about “photos” and not “graphic design”. There is a significant difference between the two focuses.
I have myself ran into the situation many times, and simply, people need to learn proper association of word, their concepts, and their core meaning. Without this one is liable to make poor comments such as “I can’t fix my photograph with my RAW filter” and appear as they are, unknowing (aka noobie or dumb).
May 17th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
[...] Photography Jam has a good article about the three basics: Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO. If you buy into my theory that you need to understand the basics before you go wild with Photoshop, this article is a good starting point. photography, tips, technique, tutorials [...]
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:07 am
Here, here, Aaron!! Get it right in the camera, and you won’t have to agonize over it on the computer. The only thing I use Photoshop for now is three main things - 1. Removing of the occasional sensor dust specks, 2. Printing, and 3. Resizing for the web. Otherwise, I do everything in Rawshooter Premium (my RAW developing choice - yours may differ), averaging less than a minute per image. Set white balance, curves, saturation, check sharpness, rotation, crop, etc. all takes a few seconds per image. Once I select what I want, I batch them out to either JPEG or TIFF, and I’m done.
You know, my grandfather had a saying that’s appropriate here - no matter how hard you try, you can’t polish a turd. Instead of blaming the equipment (or expecting a $1000 camera to take great pictures for you), take a photography course at your local community college, or at the very least, go to Border’s and get a book. There’s plenty of them out there. I’ve been lucky enough to have been taking pictures on and off for the last 20 or so years, so I’ve got a bit under my belt (other than the beer gut). Does every picture I take rock? Hell, no! I’ve got stinkers too, but do I post them everywhere? Nope. Instead I learn from them - figure out why they suck, and how I can prevent that from happening in the future.
February 24th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
[...] It doesn’t matter how hard you try playing around with photoshop - if you do not start with a decent image to start with you will never end up with a decent image. This is the crux of a post by Aaron Hockly on this DogCaught blog. [...]