Digital BW, The Print

At 10:53 AM 6/19/2003, you wrote:
> > > 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.
>
>Photography is about selectivity. In this regard you are right. There
>is no qualitative difference in whether you attempt to practice
>selectivity in the field, by waiting for the 'decisive moment', or
>you have to sift through 3,800 shots at home.

Please, people! The original poster was talking about event photography and 
selling prints immediately to proud and pleased parents. Although I've 
never done it myself, I have observed it. It is a completely different 
paradigm than taking photos and editing them later for publication or 
submission. It's not about art, it's about business. If you wanted to have 
artistic shots of children dancing, you might well take a few rolls of film 
at a dance contest. If you want to make sure you have at least one good 
print of each dancer available for the parent of that dancer, you are going 
to take several hundred rolls of film at a minimum. If you want to be able 
to take their money and supply a print immediately, you are going to use 
digital technology with specialized computer software and hardware. That 
still doesn't mean that you can just set the camera on a tripod and program 
it to take a picture every couple of seconds. There needs to be a mind 
behind the shutter release and timing is still important. It's not the kind 
of photography that I would want to do, but then I don't want to do 
weddings or executive portraits either. I prefer subjects that don't blink, 
move, or complain about the pose later: mountains, rocks, trees, machinery, 
etc. I mostly use a 4x5 camera for that. You use the right tool for the job 
and you don't denigrate someone else for using a different tool for a 
different job. To do so only shows that you are ignorant of the challenges 
faced by the other person.

Stan

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Photography by Stan McQueen
http://www.smcqueen.com