The first day that I had my *istD, I shot kids at a church dance. I set up the studio lights and themed backdrop. The kids basically expected to be able to look at the LCD. In fact, I brought a laptop and loaded the pictures on it. The kids came back time and again and had a wonderful time of it. Had it been a film camera, I think it would have been marginally successful, as no one would have had any excitement about being able to see the results and strike new and fun poses.
Bruce Monday, December 8, 2003, 9:50:05 PM, you wrote: SH> Bah, just when a good discussion was going, someone comes along and provides SH> factual information! What a bummer! Tan, I am kidding of course. I think SH> your observations are just what are needed here, they help to refocus the SH> speculation back closer to reality. SH> One factor about the spread of digital I have not seen commented on SH> extensively is the immediacy of the "product." I remember kids hovering SH> around me waiting to see the Polaroid develop so they could see themselves, SH> I can imagine those same kids fighting to get a look at the LCD on the SH> camera. Give them any reasonable access to the technology themselves and SH> they will be doing art like we have never seen. SH> Has anybody here driven through Mexico recently? Guatemala? Every village SH> has its share of "huts" with satellite TV receivers. The U.S. and Europe and SH> our English (?) speaking cousins in NZ and Aus are not the only ones ready SH> to adopt technology. SH> Stan SH> on 12/08/03 4:22 PM, Tanya Mayer Photography at [EMAIL PROTECTED] SH> wrote: >> I've been reading with interest this thread. Here's my take on it all - >> although, it is probably not as sophisticated as those of you who have been >> working with film since before I was even born! ;-) >> >> I know that you all may be surprised by this, due to my display of my very >> limited photographic knowledge with the questions I have been asking of >> late, BUT, for the past year I have been teaching digital photography >> classes! (yeah, i know, i'm such a fraud, and I am just waiting for one of >> my "students" to work it out...) >> >> The classes have been run by the local primary and high schools, free of >> charge for anyone in the community who wants to attend. Keep in mind that I >> am smack bang in the middle of the Aussie Outback. VERY little technology >> around these parts, heck, we only have one Automatic Teller Machine within a >> 120km radius. Anyways, the classes I have been teaching, are VERY basic >> (obviously, if I am able to teach them). I have just set up a couple of >> Powerpoint presentations, which I run through via a data projector, talking >> about key photographic concepts - explaining what f-stops/shutter speed are, >> film speed, talking about exposure, lighting (and using reflectors etc), use >> of colour/black and white, composition (rule of thirds, leading lines etc) >> and some very basic digital editing techniques - uploading images to a >> computer, basic editing software (like Ulead, or Arcsoft etc) red eye >> reduction, colour correction, resizing for printing from a dig. camera. >> >> Ok, so the crux of it is this - my classes, which have each had around 30 >> participants, have been FILLED with "old" people - I am talking grandparents >> in their 60s wanting to "get jiggy with their 12 year old grand >> son/daughter" (THEIR words, not mine! lol). There was probably around 15 or >> so, 55+ year olds per class, 5-10 x 30-55 year olds, with the remaining made >> up of kids under 30 who were there mainly to learn the photographic >> technique stuff, and already knew all of the digital/computer related jive. >> >> I was extremely surprised by this - particularly due to where I am located, >> people are VERY "old school" in every which way. Some of them that were at >> this class didn't even know what a mouse was! HOWEVER, they were all >> willing to change and to learn, and I really think that that is saying >> something in regards to where digital/film are heading. All of them owned >> Canon digital p&s, with the odd Optio thrown in here and there for good >> measure. And all had been willing to spend well over au$400 on their >> cameras - something that would've been almost unheard of for a film p&s. >> Some owned computers, some owned those little printers that you dock your >> camera into and print out from... >> >> What I have found is this - with the advent of digital photography becoming >> available at such a consumer level, the "consumer" is becoming MUCH more >> focussed (pardon the pun), on the quality of their images. If in a town of >> less than 1500 people, in one year alone, I have had over 90 attendees to >> courses about digital photography and improving their images. My most >> popular class by far, was the one that I titled "Taking Great Photos - >> Turning your snapshots into works of art", whereby I DID give away heaps of >> my "trade" secrets, but it is interesting to note that although they have >> been armed with the knowledge, a large percentage of my new clients have >> come from being students in my classes! lol... They have all expressed the >> desire to be able to take shots of their >> kids/grandkids/properties (we have >> some lovely landscape opportunities out here) that are more than a snap >> shot, and I think that it is all of the bells and whistles on consumer >> digital p&s cameras that have nurtured this... >> >> So, basically, I feel that there WILL be a time when all of those people who >> aren't computer offay have left the planet, and will be followed by a new >> generation of people who want only the best in function, features, >> convenience etc from their cameras. The world is also becoming a much more >> impatient place, and the appeal instant gratification should not be >> underestimated. >> >> For those who mentioned third world countries - I agree, there is no use to >> even bring them into the conversation as you could say the same about >> everything in 1st world countries. I mean, they don't have access to many, >> many things that we do, and that has not caused these industries to suffer. >> Take television for example - there was a time when most wouldn't have even >> comprehended colour television and the "loss" of black and white, and now >> black and white is all but gone in 1st world countries, whilst most people >> in 3rd world countries have never even seen a black and white television let >> alone a colour one! >> >> AND a further thought here with regards to third world countries - for those >> whose careers involve travelling to them to report on events - such as >> journalists, aid workers, national geographic photographers etc, digital can >> only be a huuuge bonus. With the simple addition of a couple of decent >> batteries to their equipment cache, the need to send film "home", search for >> mini labs, try to find somewhere to BUY the film in the first place, wait >> for processing blah, blah, is overcome - they simply plug their camera into >> their laptop and their mobile phone, upload their pics, the world sees the >> event only moments after it has happened (for example earthquakes etc), and >> the journalist/photographer gets a nice hefty cheque in his pocket for >> bringing it to the world's attention... >> >> Just my "food for thought", hope it wasn't too long winded... >> >> tan. >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Mark Roberts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 5:16 AM >> Subject: Re: Re[2]: down in the darkroom >> >> >>> Bruce Dayton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> >>> DT> DagT wrote: >>>> DT> In large parts of the world even a minilab i far out of reach. >>>> DT> Electricity too.... >>>> >>>> Sounds like for those parts of the world, that they are not much of a >>>> market for any kind of photography - film or digital. Film requires some >> kind of lab >>>> facilities and expendable income to purchase cameras, film and >>>> processing. They don't sound like major consumers to me. >>> >>> Indeed, these parts of the world, when they do get electricity and photo >>> labs, will probably go straight to digital minilabs and never have film >>> processing at all. >>> >>> -- >>> Mark Roberts >>> Photography and writing >>> www.robertstech.com >>> >> >>
