" . . . my question is...... do you think this has happened or is
happening in photographics? The alchemy is gone.... and soon will be the
day when an explanation
of shutter speed or depth of field will be lost at any sort of retail
level."
This kind of issue came to my mind as I was looking at all the things that
can be done outside of the camera with Photoshop and the thousand Plug-Ins
that can be purchased on the internet and elsewhere.
But in the final analysis, what really counts is not the technology but the
talent of the photographer.
After years, I finally got to understand and control my camera - so that it
did what I wanted (rather than what it wanted...), the zone system - so that
I could get the film to do what I wanted (rather than what it wanted) and
the darkroom - so that I could get the final print to look as I wanted it
(give or take a little on the cumulative of all these processes...
grrr...).
Now, I'm back to square one... Try to understand what's with RAW files...
Control the color space... And all these other processes that I don't even
know about.
But, ultimately, the alchemy goes through the connection I establish between
what I see in the world, how I interpret it with my brain and sensitivity
and what comes out of the printer through the various tools I use to get
there.
Film and plate photography perhaps are dead...!
but...
Long live the photographer!
Guy
