Photography in Flux Essay -- Digital Photography Pictures Technology E

Photography in Flux It is no secret that digital photography is very rapidly finding a niche in modem society, in both the professional realm as well as in the home. The advent of newer, faster, and more embellished technologies have placed the power of photographic production in the hands of the common person. An art form that formerly was left to the charge of few skilled professionals has been forever changed by these technologies. Certainly, this evolution of sorts has its strengths as well as its drawbacks. What advantages does a photographer have with digital technology that he or she might not have with a traditional camera? What are the disadvantages? And what does this technology mean for the future of the photography trade? First, what exactly is the fundamental technological difference between digital photography and conventional film? In Tom Ang's The Art of Digital Photography, he says that "the key difference is the light-sensitive medium used to capture the image" (10). Okay. Well what does that mean? Images in traditional film are created when "silver salts suspended in the emulsion convert the amount of light falling on them into a latent image" (Ang 10). When film is developed, the chemical processes that occur magnify the changes to produce a viewable image. By contrast, digital cameras have an electronic sensor that converts the light falling on it into an electrical charge, which is then processed by electrical circuitry and turned into a code that can be stored, transported, copied, etc. Advantages Essentially, once an image exists in digital form, it can either be tweaked to adjust even its most indiscernible features or it can be entirely morphed into something altogether different. There ... ...exis.com>. Ippolito, Joseph A. Understanding Digital Photography. Clifton Park, NY: Thomas/Delmar Learning, 2003. Meyer, Pedro. "Traditional Photography vs. Digital Photography." ZoneZero: From Analog to Digital March 1, 2001. 14 Sept. 2004 <http://www.zonezero.com/ editorial/marzoO l /march. html>. Potts, Mary Anne. "Q&A: The Pixel Pro." National Geographic Adventure Magazine June/July 2003. 15 Sept. 2004 <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/ 0306/gn_a.html>. Sand, Michael L. "Metamorphoses: Photography in the Electronic Age." Aperture 136 (1994): 3. Smurthwaite, Nick. "Faking It." Design Week April 1998: 17-19. LexisNexis Academic. Parks Library, Iowa State U. 15 Sept. 2004 <http://www. lexisnexis.com> Ziegler, Katleen and Nick Greco. Digital Focus: The New Media of Photography. Southampton, Pa.: Dimensional Illustrators, 1997.