wow!!!! Do I go back to photo school?

The Bible believers will tell you that we are living in the last days, and I will have to agree with that, because it is written that things will not be as they appear to be, and what you knew to be the norm will surely not be so either. In June I expected that we would sail smoothly into an election campaign mode, but that has not happened the way most of us thought it would. Instead the country is embroiled in another "one of a kind" 21st century election campaign, which in my view, does not readily lend itself to the making of images that reflect ... [whoa] here we talk photos, so that talk may have to be on my 'home town' blog.

I started these blogs to keep my mind active and have been kept quite busy on my ham radio blog with some scientific experiments that are going very well indeed. I would recommend blogging to all Senior Citizens who may feel that they are 'loosing it' slowly and don't know what to do about it. Of course if they want some serious stimulation and drama they can join Facebook. Facebook is the young peoples thing but we can't let them have it all, and according to Slinger the Fransisco Mighty Sparrow, age is just a number.

Not be left in the cold I joined Facebook a couple weeks ago and have been missing some beauty sleep ever since. Before getting on Facebook you have to know that it is addictive and you must have a strategy to deal with that. There are many good articles on the Internet, so Google search the Facebook addiction and save yourself, while you are still sane.

Facebook is a lot of things, good and not so good. I have a problem with how Facebook just allows anyone to download your pictures by default, because I would like to believe that in your privacy setting you can prevent anyone from downloading your photo album pictures. I don't have any photo albums up, and may not put up any. I notice that some serious minded friends of mine now have their personal family photos, hitherto private, intimate and personal to their family relationship, now in the public domain. So what is this all about? What is behind this "let it all hang out", down with intimacy, down with privacy, lay you innermost secrets on the net, ... other things are already down and compromised [values, precepts, principles], and yet people making fuss about 'crime' ... so it is only a matter of time, and maybe no one can stop it ... but GOD.

Over the years I had to learn and unlearn many things. New technology and new techniques demand that. In photography the technology has improved in a few short years and us old guys had to transition from film to digital, hardware, darkroom, processing, printing, chemicals, papers, enlargers, the works, all sent into oblivion, and replaced by a laptop, software and desktop printer. This is cool. I could handle that. It is the technology necessary to improve the quality of our life.

I am of the view that the digital technology will not impact the basic principles of photography and photographic technique. Right or wrong? In our modern 'compromising' world the correct answer is, "there is no wrong and right answer". Please. I am lost as to why the principles and technique are now different for most photographers? I don't have a problem with breaking the rules, some of the times, but not all of the times. Of course if you don't know the rules you will always break them by default, and observance and adherence to the rule will become the exception.

I am thinking that the onslaught of amateur photographers with digital cameras, have caused some professional photographers to lower their photographic standards in relation to some of their services in order to stay in business, or to be competitive with the photographers born with each desktop ink jet printer sale. You know the advertisement " free digital camera with purchase of a desktop printer". So for openers your 12 year old grand kids, like mine, could take your pictures, so you no longer need to book a sitting at the pro photo studio. But that is not all, because the 12 year old is so "tech" wired that he has free computer software that can process the digital film, that 100% emulates the output of the four figure photoshop tool. Then to ice your cake he has an HP B9180 or Epson Stylus Pro 4800 desktop printer.

So the digital hardware, software and tools are available to everyone, without an inkling of photographic knowledge. The technology is such that almost perfect results can be achieved even without reading the instruction manuals, just use the default settings and by the third attempt you have it right on the money. So you can produce a technically excellent photograph without any knowledge whatsoever of photographic techniques, etc., and I think herein lies the threat to the professional photographers, who are not into compromising their standards for their next meal..

It is a fact that only some people are affected by the recession and will resort to the their home grown photographer with the high tech tools. The folks who know that their future revolve around a perfect portfolio of images, will avoid the the home grown photographer and find a real professional photographer. But then again there are degrees of professional photographers. According to one definition, you are a pro if it is your job, that is, you charge money for photo services. This has nothing to do with knowledge, training, etc. You understand? OK.

I am being encouraged by some of my friends to get into pro photography, but I have to go back to photo school first, to learn the new principles and techniques of photography. After looking at a few thousand pictures on the Internet I have come to the conclusion that the principles and techniques of photography must have changed when I was not looking, and I may now be considered obsolete, and therefore I need a refresher course. I now have to search for an online institute that offers this bridging photographic instruction. My other option is cost effective and to be preferred, and it is simply, just go with the flow. Well it seems to be working for the thousands, so it should work for me ONE. lol.

But you know, the majority is not usually right, so I have to think this one over carefully. In the meantime I will stick with what I was taught over four [4] decades ago and where it drop it stop

[to be continued]