Problem for the Digital Photography

Does digital photography offer new directions?




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Problem for the Digital Photography by F.H.Tong May 30, 2004


Not only the huge volume of digital camera supplies reaching 48 millions in 2003, increase of approx. 70% over 2002; there is estimate that this year would have 68 millions and perhaps 100 millions in three or four years. This phenomenon has never happened in the history of photography. If it would be real, the last date of traditional film is no more than ten years from now.

This is a transitional period, as I always said, we are the lucky generation, having the chance to enjoy the best quality of traditional film and the experience of the birth, developing and success of digital imaging. Especially, basing on the available information, digital imaging would be the last king, any improvement in the future may only be the upgrading of quality, resolution and application etc., not the principles and structure of digital imaging.

Yet, basing on the technological progress, there is one output frontier that may be coming. That is stereo photo. This is an application of years before, yet the production was too complicated and cost was too high. The earliest application required special and inconvenient viewing arrangement. Kodak has a solution that employed highly priced equipment and extra high production cost, even the advertisement sector was not able to stand for. The difficulty is a highly precise positioning of images; with the power of modern computer and software, it should not be a hard job. I do believe that stereo photo with digital technique is only a matter of time only.

Let's not spend too much for coming events, today, as photographers, we have something else to concern about digital photography. Digital photo is everywhere, and has a high percentage in most photographing sites, competitions and exhibitions etc. In a few years, it may have a hundred percent as photos would be either manipulated by software or digitally processed.

Due to the developing stage was supported by design and advertising industries, photographers are far behind by a gap of over ten years. Therefore, the application is inclined for design and advertising. The best benefit is that with digital imaging for designing, color separation and plate-making etc. is not only faster, also much cheaper, almost a saving of 70 to 80% in compare with traditional method for color separation. Digital technology has brought lots of effects for designing. These are all special effects in photographic term and the major cause of taking digital imaging as special effect generator.

It is natural that photography is affected by this trend. Another reason is the widespread of such type of articles in media, books and courses. This type of topic is easier to handle and can cover more pages or sessions, for more income. Borrowing the idea from graphic arts, it is something new for photographers. As a matter of fact, it is greatly attractive to new comers. Remember when we tried special darkroom technique some years ago? The kind of joy kept us staying in darkroom night and day, so with the digital technology, it is normal to see the special effects become a trendy thing.

Of course, that is the reason for photographers' misunderstanding. Many would assume special technique is the sole purpose of digital imaging, it is certainly a wrong concept. Special effects in photography have been born long time ago, not because of the digital technique, which only provides a faster and simpler way to handle. The problem is about acceptance. If an image produced with special effect has scored high, that confirms special effect is part of photography, it should not be for something that we spent days in darkroom only, and not for a few clicks on computer! There has never been scoring system for difficulties in arts. Individual critic may have one's own preference, but there is no public theory to support this point. In simple words, so far as it is not forbidden and viewers favor the last appearance of these works, that is the final proof.

If one supposes that employing special effect is wrong, then it should be from today, and not just against digital technology. Why Barbara Morgan's combination prints received so much acclamation in arts? Why color solarized prints always won a place in Salon? Why movies of Steven Spielberg had not been criticized? If one says that special effects ruin the truthfulness of photography, then should we criticize the late Mr. Solman Lo's famous retouched portrait of a man with vitiligo (white patches on the face)?

There are a number of reasons to use special effects, though there has been argument for about hundred years, yet no final solution ever reached. We do not need to spend time on the question of yes or no. The important thing is whether special effects are harmful or beneficial to photographers, and that's the responsibility of us for the next generation.
Let's learn from the past, why we did not continue to use the darkroom special effects? Cost was too high? Could not master the technique? Loss interest? Reason may be a couple or so, but with the situation and practice at those old days, one would not be affected if there remained an interesting thing. In other words, the major reason is that there was not interesting anymore. Try to think, if all works were done with solarization (Sabattier Effect) or combination printing, would anyone have the joy to continue?

The most serious problem is that the creation abilities will be gone, just keep clicking shutter aimlessly because our mind would focus on the manipulation of images with software afterward. For some people who have traditional photographic experience, a short period of messing will have short term influence. But, for beginners, there is no way to turn back, the only choice is to abandon. This may be the reason for quick drop out among new photographers these days.

Time is going forward and nothing can avoid changing, so in digital era, the direction is a hard question we face. Photographic objects, local scenic etc. have been loss to rural area faraway; but these faraway areas have turned into artificial tourist spots. Even with the Arctic and Antarctic, those candid shots could be taken as great only because they were new at that time, not today. I do think that taking travel photos as masterpieces is wrong, these photos do have their own value, but should not be considered kind of creation in photography. In fact, some other types of documentary photos have been taken as creation before the digital era. This is the chaos due to kind of ignorance, no wonder that the artistic status of photography has been declining ever since.

Does digital photography offer new directions? We can base on [OLD PROBLEM] and [NEW FRONTIER] to search. [OLD PROBLEM] is those with high restriction in traditional method that we had to avoid or to handle with great effort. [NEW FRONTIER] is those expressions that we did not have in the traditional days and only possible with the new technology.

[OLD PROBLEM] includes traditional darkroom technique where most common ones are solarization, bas-relief and combination etc. There had been said that the applying of special effects should not be for the effects, instead, the matching of effects to the subjects should mattered most. The creative concept from graphic arts or photography has vital influence; in short, photographic should be initiated by the subject while graphic arts should be initiated by the effect. The substantial unity is important for former, while the matching of tones and textures etc is important for latter.

With computer software to handle our images, there are numerous ways to apply and not restricted to Graphic Arts or commercial viewpoint only, something like perspective, tone control etc. There had been certain limitation in traditional way, even with the technique of Ansel Adams, burning and dodging were required for the prints and that proved the difficulties that we faced.

[NEW FRONTIER] is one of the topics that I am working on and it is preferred not to mislead readers until successfully proven. The reason of mentioning in this essay is that I hope that the new generation would join me to work for the development of modern photography. This time is Digital.

The first thing to remind is that although paper base photo has been the only kind of imaging media, can we accept other forms in today or to-morrow? Furthermore, the new technology, e.g. OLED, may soon offer us a screen as thin as a paper, challenging the definition of "PHOTO". Lastly, the image projection technique is also greatly advanced; there will be more choices for us to view photographic images. These changes should give us a greater dimension for expression, and we may not realize today, what type of image presentation will be in the future.

However, one thing will not be changed; any photo must meet our visual sense and we shall reject those who cross over the line. But, it does not mean that photo must be the same as hundred years ago because there had been physical limitation at that period. Same as the evolution of color film in history, each progress would be boycotted by conservatives saying that the color effect was not natural, yet, after a few months, there was another kind of statement. Of course, some designs had been terminated because of over saturation etc. So, concept is not constant. Our visual judgment especially the feeling towards colors would shift in time. It is just to meet that concept at that moment to keep its role.

No matter from which direction to explore, we must understand photography is photography, graphic art is graphic art. It is always from a subjective concept to look for the creative way for photography and objective concept to judge the photographic elements of a work; success or failure may be due to a subtle part. So, in the era of digital, it is necessary to realize the definition and boundary of photography, so that we can guarantee our effort would be wasted and the successful development of digital photography will be as great as our traditional photography a few years ago.
Illusive effect with digital application

Perspective effect with digital applicaiton