Digital BW, The Print

I agree with you that this whole digital vs. film, inkjet vs. 'wet' prints
competition is annoying. I am lucky that it doesn't seem as severe here as
it does in your country, Bo.

A lot of film people are scared of what they don't understand. They spend
long hours trying to take and develop the perfect image, and they think that
we can just snap off any old image and turn it into a competition winner
using Photoshop. They really don't understand the digital process. It's not
the same as film, but it is just as complicated.

Many of these traditional photographers have spent a large part of their
lifetime learning their craft, and they fear that digital techniques devalue
their hard-earned skills. I can understand their feelings, but this fear
stems from ignorance. I call it 'fear of the dark'.

Instead of arguing with them, I just try to create the best images I can
with the equipment and skills I have. I enjoy creating an image that gets
people talking and asking questions about digital techniques. I also enjoy
learning photography techniques off the film people and applying them to my
digital work. Composition, colour, lighting, framing, etc are the same for
us all.

Don't be too worried about being relegated to the 'experimental' group.
Enjoy it there, and create images that impress people. They'll start to ask
you questions, especially the ones thinking of going digital. The more
people you 'convert', the better the competition will get in your category.
And then they'll finally start to appreciate your efforts when they
comprehend the reality of creating digital images. You might even be able to
recruit new club members that hadn't joined in the past because they thought
it was only for film guys.

It's only a matter of time until the digital photographers outnumber the
traditional photographers in camera clubs. You and I have the advantage of
being there at the start, so we're likely to be the ones that the club will
come to for advice when the weight of numbers forces them to reconsider
their rules. If that doesn't happen as soon as you'd like, at least you'll
have met a few more digital photographers who might be interested in forming
a new club (or a special interest group within your current club) with you.

Don't forget that you can always enter prints in international competitions,
too. The local club should keep you informed of upcoming events (mine does),
and most of the internationals are fine with digital prints nowadays.
Imagine coming back to your club with an international prize, when they
won't even let you compete in their normal competitions! That'll show them
how backwards they are!

I hope this helps you feel more positive about the future of digital
photography. It's the film guys that should be feeling depressed about their
dying craft!

Darren.



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