A photographer I know, Tom McGory raised the question "in light of the new camera's announced by both Nikon and Canon, where do we go from here"?
I think that we are rapidly reaching a point where photographic skill becomes secondary. Soon, if it is not already possible and I suspect it is, we can shoot a high def sequence at video speed and pick a frame. Where is the artistry in that?
I gave up being a part of the megapixel race with the D300 !
There will always be those who want more, so this headlong dash for your money will not stop. So if you can afford to drop $5000 - $10,000 every year on a new gadget, good for you but I doubt you will be a better photographer because of it.
I am one of the people Paula Russell talks about, my F4 is now my constant companion when I go out.
Last weekend I shot more film than I did digital. In fact the number of shots taken has dropped from hundreds to less than 50 per outing.
I have subconsciously taken a step back, composition becomes more important, I look at the edges of the frame more now, I recheck my exposure, etc. I think about what I am doing before I press the shutter button. This is something that, to me anyway, had slipped away with digital. Having the ability to shoot a score of shots of the same scene makes you lazy. Which in turn destroys your creativity.
I could never relate pixels to photographs, photographs were and are a reaction of chemicals to light! Rediscovering the thrill of opening the tank and seeing all those little photographs in a strip brings a bigger smile to my face than staring at my monitor as my camera 'downloads' images.
Photography to me is a journey, not a destination I am rediscovering the joy of the process not just the first step and the end result. For me the race is over, I'm happier now doing it this way :-)
