Notre Dame Church, Old Montreal

I was somewhat reluctant to embrace digital imaging.  Given my west coast, large format, B&W zone system background I suppose that’s understandable.  In 2002 I bought a digicam to give it a try.  I think you’ll find at least 3 or 4 images within these galleries that were made with that camera.  Soon thereafter I bought a digital SLR and am now a convert.

I still shoot film, but really appreciate the advantages of digital.  I’ve never shot a lot and my work has always been quite deliberate.  With film it would often take months to finish a roll or shoot enough sheet film to have an adequate batch for processing (B&W).  With digital I can go straight to the images of interest and proceed immediately.  In some cases I’ve been able to complete an image (capture to print) by 2pm of the same day I was out working.  Not only that, I don’t have to carry an extra body, an extra film back, or extra sheet film holders to differentiate between B&W and color - I can do it all in my head.  On the printing end there is no comparison; digital offers far more control.

In the spring of 2010 I still meet those who insist on the superiority of analog photography.  I’m not sure that any of them have actually seen the best of analog and the best of digital displayed on the same wall under the same conditions – but for those in the business perhaps analog still has its selling points.  My current opinion is that if you can’t make a digital print that is at least as good as the best analog print you are able to make in the darkroom then you need further instruction on the digital end.  Recent visits to exhibitions by very well know and skilled photographers have only strengthened this point of view.