Digital BW, The Print

Claude writes:

> In talking to the guy who photographaphed my daughter's
> gymnastics meet, he complains because he has to get his
> $4,000 Canon Eos 1D shutters replaced every 2 months
> because they only last 180,000 exposures. The world of
> digital capture is not the world of film capture.

It sounds like the world of cinematography.  If he prefers the shotgun
approach over careful selection of shots, why not just point an HDTV camera
at the festivities and pull stills from the resulting video recording later
on?  Who needs a photographer?

> Most photographers approach digital capture with a
> film mentality and miss many business opportunities
> in the process.

Maybe they should be approaching it from a movie or surveillance camera
standpoint; at least that's how the guy at the gymnastics meet seems to be
doing it.

> With the advent of digital cameras, taking 38 esposures
> is the same cost as taking 3,800 (I know some California
> photographers that do).

So the only talent you really need nowadays is the ability to hold down the
shutter button.  If you shoot enough frames fast enough, there's sure to be
a couple of images that you can sell.  It's like a thousand monkeys with
typewriters.