Forum Debate: Digital vs. Analog
POSTED ON Wednesday, 6 February 2013 AT 12:28 \\
Here is what I had to say on the topic of Digital vs. Analog:


"I think it all depends on what the photographer or artist is trying to achieve. In the commercial world, where products and services are trying to be sold, the digital route would seem to be the smarter option: creating sharp and high quality images that can be further enhanced through Photoshop as a way of selling products (even though this can lead to false advertising).
In fashion photography, for example, a majority of photographers do choose to work in digital, but earlier fashion photographers would have used film and still created some beautiful images. Even Tim Walker, one of the most sought after fashion photographers of our generation, chooses to work in film rather than digital, and creates some images that in some cases feel impossible to achieve through a film camera and with no manipulation from Photoshop and the likes. Film has its uses, positives and negatives the same as digital. I personally feel that digital photography is shot down too often- yes, everyone nowadays has a camera, be it a professional camera or just on a phone but to say that everyone who owns a camera and presses a button immediately could make it as a professional is a little unreasonable. That's like saying that if someone is using a film camera, even if they just bought a lomo as a fashion accessory is a more credible photographer than someone who works on an SLR. The digital age has come on leaps and bounds and even digitally taken photographs can be manipulated so well that they would pass for a film print, but then you do lose the 'magic' that comes with the processing and printing of film. I think that it is important that photographers or those interested in the subject should never forget the roots of photography and how it began: learning the processes of using film and being in the darkroom are highly beneficial to improving your own image making even if you do work on digital as it helps you to be more selective with what you photograph and take greater care over your work rather than taking thousands of images at once and maybe not being so selective.
When I was researching Nan Goldin for our portraiture timeline I came across this statement from the artist: 
"I've never considered photography one of the higher art forms. Everyone takes photos; now even phones can. The whole issue of digital is so depressing to me; my process is gone. There were all kinds of unknown things that could come out in a photograph, things you didn't know were there until you saw it; now it's all so flat." (article here)
Personally I strongly disagree with what Goldin says here, both digital and analog create impressive images, and I'm sure we've all taken a photo on a digital camera and seen something in that image that we didn't expect to see, much like on a negative."

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