Digital BW, The Print

Aside from backups for digital - the basic technology for hard drives  
have not really changed that much, what has changed is storage for  
relatively smaller amounts of data, the kind you use to transport  
data. So, we've moved from floppy discs, to CD-DVD and flash  
memory... but the hard drive has been pretty consistent, and at this  
time the only type available for storage of large amounts of data on  
your personal computer.

There is some talk about flash memory replacing hard drives, ala  
apple's move from hard drive ipods to flash memory ipods.

But I do agree that if such a move were to happen - then moving all  
of your photographs to the new large storage media would be pain, but  
i dunno if it would take anymore than a few days of work, and then  
you'd probably be set for another 5-10 years.

BUT what happens when the photographer is dead and gone, who is going  
to do this movement for you then? Probably much like negatives (IF  
everything does go digital - and i say IF) - someone will figure out  
how to preserve your photographs, if they deem it worthwhile.

Altaf

On Dec 11, 2005, at 9:27 AM, Mr_Misty_44 wrote:

> I think the one overriding concern I have which has kept me from
> getting into digital still work is the storage problem. I look at
> those B&W Negatives and think that 100 years from now there will still
> be someway to make a print from them. I know that folks in the
> business of archiving are calling this the unstable time because of
> the advancement of technology and the rate at which a once seemingly
> standardized system becomes obsolete or is found not to be reliable. I
> keep all my scans on hard drives and CD's but if anything should
> happen to them I still have the old analog negative to fall back on.
>
> If none of this bothers you then who cares. I agree that digital iis
> tust another tool.
>
> John H.
>