The economy of digital photography is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it does not oppress with the costs of film and processing. It's a curse for the same reason. Because image capture is now free (once the equipment is in the hand) it's easy to let quantity overpower quality. But the path from good to best is not through more of the same. I can't improve my art simply by taking more pictures.
One of my favorite cameras was a 4x5 view camera. I never brought it with me when I traveled by air. I never took snapshots with it. I never did street photography with it. I never followed my cat around the house with it. But the best pictures of my children were taken with that camera fitted with a polaroid back. I would carefully compose, zone-focus, and then wait. The camera wasn't in front of my face. I was standing beside it with a cable release. Then I'd engage my children, and take one picture. The polaroid gave its feedback in a couple of minutes. Each exposure cost me around $1.50, and that was back in the late 70's and early 80's. I eventually got a roll film back for the view camera, but my method was the same: careful composition, zone focus, and engagement with the subject.
I also had a succession of 35mm cameras. My favorite was a Leica M3, which I bought used while I was in graduate school. It was unobtrusive, quiet, and relatively uncomplicated. There was no auto-focus and no through-the-lens metering. I'd use a hand held meter. I'd take one reading, then do my shooting. I'd only take another meter reading if the lighting noticably changed. I was, therefore, attentive to the light. Often I knew from experience what exposure to use and wouldn't even bother with the meter. Each frame on the roll was precious. I took my time, pre-planned, shot with intentionality.
The process of manually focusing and setting the shutter speed and f/stop forced me to be mindful of depth of field, movement and changing light. I think it also forced me to be more aware of where I was in the space I shared with my subject.
I no longer have the Leica. And I sold my view camera outfit when I changed over to digital photography in 2005. Instead of a camera loaded with film, I now shoot with a camera that's really a micro-computer with a lens. It's so easy to let the camera/computer make all the adjustments and decisions. Shooting that way, most of the pictures do look pretty good. Most are exposed all right, and most are in focus the way I want. All I really need to do is compose and hit the shutter release to get a pretty decent picture most of the time. Because it's so easy this way, it's an effort to take back creative control.
But exercising creative control is what being an artist is about.
I usually shoot aperture priority on my Canon DSLR's. If the shutter speed is too slow, I'll increase the ISO. If I'm hand-holding the camera, I'll make sure Image Stabilization is turned on (if the lens has it). I usually use auto-focus. I pay attention to the histogram to make sure the exposure is giving me what I want. But often I feel more like a technician than an artist. I'm the artist when I work on the pictures in the computer; I'm the machine operator when I'm behind the lens.
Recently, things have gotten a little better in this regard. I've started using a Sony NEX-7. This is a mirrorless camera with an APS-C size sensor. It has an LCD screen as well as an electronnic viewfinder that rivals any optical one I've ever used. It's small, light weight, and doesn't have the footprint of a DSLR. It takes interchangable lenses, and with adapters it will also take just about any other lens I own. I've been shooting with Leica M-mount lenses made by Voigtlander. The auto-focus on the NEX-7 doesn't work on these lenses. I have to manually focus. Aperture control is also strictly manual. The only control that's automatic is shutter speed when I set the camera to aperture priority. I love it. It's like shooting with an analogue range finder camera, but with a much better focusing system. Would I choose this camera for shooting a basketball game? Probably not. Would I use it for landscapes, portraits, and street photography? Definitely. Macro? Wild life? The DSLR is better for those. I love the NEX-7 because it make's me slow down ... not by much, but enough so I'm aware of it. I feel more like an artist and less like a technician when I use it. Will I give up my Canon cameras and lenses? Never. But the NEX-7 will be the camera around my neck when I'm walking the streets. It will be the camera I pack for air travel. And it will be the camera I turn to when I fear my creative control is slipping away.
It's easy to forget what it was like before the digital revolution. Anything that forces me to make decisions about camera operation helps me remember.
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