...is the one that's with you. This phrase came about when Chase Jarvis, an American photographer, released his book of iPhone photographs. He also had an app called Best Camera. This is something that has slowly taken me time to learn and accept. If I don't have my DSLR with me, just my iPhone, I could become a bit sad because I'd rather have the ability to shoot RAW, but I will still take a picture. Recently, a few people have said to me,"I wish I were photography savvy" or "I need a better camera; I like to take pictures." No, no, no, people. You've got it all wrong!
Do you like to take photographs? Do you have a device or actual camera with which to take photographs? Then you've got the tools you need! When I was thirteen, I was bitten by the photography bug. For Christmas that year, I asked for a camera. I should have been more specific in that I wanted a digital camera, despite the fact that it definitely was not within our means to get that kind of gift just for me. I pasted a smile on my face that I got a camera, period. I also got the Bell Jar and Red Hot Chili Peppers cd. I was excited about the camera. I put the battery and film in and began shooting immediately, but also being cautious as to preserve the film. I took that camera to middle school, taking awkward flash photos of my eighth grade friends. I brought it along on a Mitchell Park Domes field trip, those same friends in botanical conservatories. Those photographs are so clear in my mind, it's as though they're in front of me right now. I would have to search many boxes for those specific pictures, but they do exist. Eighth grade graduation, us frozen in that weird adolescent transition from middle to high school. But underneath it all, I just wanted to take photographs. I had sketchbooks full of awful drawings, and although I got into abstract painting that year, I wanted to capture moments. Those years, I became an observer. Things changed even more significantly after read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In becoming more observant, I was able to frame things with my minds eye, always itching to take photos. If I forgot my camera, I was so bummed. I carried extra double A batteries at all times, for fear that my now monstrous digital camera (2.3 MP!) would die at the worst moment!
These days, things are significantly different. Late to the smartphone game, only within the last three years have I had the tools to photograph with me at all times. I still carry my DSLR, but I do mostly shoot with my phone. Some people don't feel that's enough, but if you look at photographers like Amanda Jasnowski and Kevin Russ who have built careers with the very phones we carry with us each day, you can see that it's not the camera itself, but how one uses it. I have demonstrated to people how to adjust brightness and focus by simply touching the phones and they are amazed! It is all about how you choose to use the tools given to you. You can learn by practicing and exploring all the different settings and options available. Don't be afraid of using the camera on your phone. You'll be amazed by all of the things it can do. You can also search how to improve your phone photography, if you so choose. There are many great posts here and here that can show you how.
the best camera
film vs digital: an exhausting debate
It's crazy to believe that such a debate still exists in the 21st century. Film and digital have their aesthetic and technical merits, but they still remain a heated topic amongst photographers and photo-enthusiasts alike.
It appears as though recently, there has definitely been a spike in film usage. That is not to say that there are not those that utilize the medium well, but there are those out there that use film in order to diminish any digital processing to achieve similar effects. The way that film captures color can be replicated digitally, but is easily accomplished shooting film. With auto white balance sensors, and even manually setting white balance, can be hit or miss when shooting digitally. As long as the photo is shot at the correct exposure, the colors will come out cleaner on film than digitally.
In developing film, one can appreciate having total control over the end product. The time and effort that goes into processing a roll of film, enlarging the negatives, and fixing any issues manually can give one the sense of being completely part of the end product. However, these days, it's not as simple to process one's own film outside of a school lab or creating an in home lab, which can be expensive. At a time when most people carry their cameras on their phones, film has become rare, therefore more expensive. Wet labs have shut down due to less demand, resulting in most without access to a school or home lab to send out our film. That can be quite terrifying, to put these images you have no way of getting back, into the Postal Service's hands and hoping for the best. But no matter, because if things work out well and your rolls get developed, one can still feel a sense of accomplishment in knowing that each shot was well thought out, well composed so as not to waste a single frame.
One major convenience of digital photography is the ability to shoot as much as a memory card can hold without worrying about having to pay for each frame. Rather than having to wait to examine the shots after processing and creating a contact sheet, you get instant results with digital photography. If a shot is not what you wanted when you examine it moments after depressing the shutter, you get a redo. You don't have to attempt to reshoot everything another day, or salvage a decent image from the roll(s) you have. Digital can get expensive in terms of gear, but so can film equipment due to its rarity. In post-shoot editing, one has the ability at their fingertips to render an image similar to film in color and grain, or they can create their own aesthetic in editing. The possibilities can be endless for digital photography.
Now, many debate whether one is better than the other. I don't think there is really a definitive answer, at least not for me. For some, film is more "authentic" than digital. That's not necessarily true. As an art form, photography can be executed utilizing different types of cameras so long as the artist's message is easily conveyed. I don't think it's a matter of one being better than the other, but rather which benefits the user most. So, are you a film fanatic or digital darling?