Digital puts shutter on film?

Digital photography has become an international phenomenon over the last few years. Locally, however, its reception has been slower, not because of lack of awareness, but due to limited options. Ever so slowly though the digital bug is creeping into our society, dazzling those with the reality  of taking the perfect photo with no effort. Even with its dizzying array of options, local professional photographers say they are trying to limit their dependence on it. Garth Murrell, owner of Personal Image Photo Studio (PIPS) in Diego Martin, who has done work for top local advertising agencies and banks, says film photography is not becoming obsolete, but people are slowly realising that the industry needs a combination of both to survive. While 30 percent of his clients have been requesting digital photography, this figure is now dwindling because forking up the cash to go digital is more than they bargained for. Those attempting to create their photos at home, also end up biting off more than they can chew.

A professional digital camera can cost around $5,000 for the most advanced version. But once the cameras are imported, the price automatically goes up and this is not something everyone can afford. Added to this, the apparatus needed for printing the photos can run over $15,000.  The owner of the camera needs to have a computer, a printer and the right type of ink and paper to create prints of his photos. Professional ink for this purpose generally costs about $3,000 but  many print their photos using ordinary printer ink. More often than not the quality is less than they would expect. “Amateur photographers believe that the quality of their photos represent the quality of digital photography. They shy away from letting professional do digital photography for them. What they fail to realise is professional digital is on a different level from amateurs,” said Murrell.

He said people fail to realise the technical aspects of digital photography and what it should be used for. Film photography takes a longer time to develop, said Murrell. The film goes through three stages before it reaches the final print stages, whereas with digital there are only two stages. While this is considered a time saving development in professional photography, prints cost the client around $40 for each while film costs about $2. According to Murrell, once the price of digital photography decreases, it would be very worthwhile for the industry to go that way fully. But right now attempting to survive on digital alone would be suicidal. “People still want to have prints of their memories. With the quality of digital prints right now, it is not a good idea to rely on them because the pictures fade after a while,” said Murrell. Photographers know this and they are hesitant when taking on digital projects. One representative from an advertising agency said clients still prefer to use film. While the photographers make digital available, most clients specifically request film, she said.

She added that digital is mainly used for last-minute jobs, when there is no time to wait for the film to be processed. But what Murrell has noticed is  some companies request digital photography because of space constraints. He said clients requiring large numbers of photos have made a continuouseffort to switch to digital to reduce the amount of film they accumulate over time. He said they have realised it is easier to back up their images on CD’s.  This is something, he said, will catch on sooner than people think. Richard Cook owner of Face Maker studio in Gulf city has a different take on things. Cook is well known for his photography on the Mackeson billboard near Barataria. While Cook is not totally against digital photography, he feels it  has put a misleading light on the art of photography. It has given everyone the impression that they can be a professional photographer, without effort, he said. “Photography is the ability to manipulate light and shadow onto a two dimensional surface called a photograph,” explained Cook, “Professional photographers have been trained to do this, to re-create what your eyes see.” According to Cook, the digital world has jumped this, simulating perfect light and shadows on its own. He said those penetrating the industry leap into digital without learning the basics and this gives clients false perceptions and false hopes.

“Clients now expect to get a perfect picture every time, in no time, and photographers who are not into digital are being pushed aside,” said Cook. He agreed with Murrell that pricing plays a huge part in how fast digital photography can penetrate not only the professional arena, but also the general population. Those who can afford to purchase a digital camera can also afford to travel and get it themselves, he pointed out. Local studios deciding to stock them, end up with outdated merchandise because no one wants to pay retail price on them. “If you look around the mall, you will see businesses selling cameras that are years outdated at extremely high prices,” said Cook. He said it makes no sense to get into the business of selling digital cameras locally. At least not yet. “You have to wait until they are being mass produced, because if you try to sell them now you won’t survive. Those who are looking for digital cameras do their research, they know what is “in” and what is outdated. You won’t be able to fool them,” said Cook. He feels strongly that film photography will be around for a long time and this will only change when the digital age comes on par with the Internet age.

Evolution or Revolution?

The digital trend has been following the pattern of its predecessors, to the tee. According to Cook, if you trace the progress of digital photography, you can determine what will be the eventual outcome ten years from now. “Look at the advancements made with cellular phones. Do you think ten years ago people would have conceived of GSM technology?” said Cook. He also used the example of the music industry. This industry is by far the most rapidly evolving of this era. “We went from 8-track tapes to records to cassettes to mini cassettes to CDs to mini CDs and now to digital music and MP3s,” said Cook. If we were to use this as a yardstick for digital photography, the breakthroughs in the next ten years could be unbelievable, he added. With all the breakthroughs that the digital age has tapped into Cook believes wholeheartedly that film will not become antiquated. “I personally think film photography will be around for a long time. Some things were built the right way the first time and there is no need to improve on them,” said Cook. But, for him, the most profitable option is to go on what his customers demand instead of trying to anticipate their future needs. Those with digital cameras approach him to have the photos printed. This opened up a new avenue for revenue and he jumped at the chance. His reasoning goes even deeper. Cook predicts that as digital photography picks up speed, it will end up changing the way people think and act in social settings. “If you know there is a possibly that how you behave will be captured and put on the Internet, you immediately change the way you behave. Some will act cautiously and other will try to be outrageous,” said Cook.