Tranquility Base I
Originally uploaded by Alan Norsworthy
A couple of weeks ago I was part of the Guelph Studio Tour.
The photographers Guild of Guelph had a show and sale in the Dublin St United Church. I spoke with many people that weekend but there is one that stands out.
A lady commented to me about the number of iPads that were scrolling through a smorgasbord of images from several photographers. This was in addition to the prints that were displayed.
Her comment was on the fleeting images and how they did not allow time for a person to truly appreciate (or not) a given image.
"I know", she said "that I could have asked for the owner to scroll back through the images to the one I wanted to see, but I shouldn't have too. If people made prints then I could hold and look at the photograph for as long as I wanted and not have to worry about it disappearing".
Yes I'm paraphrasing but hopefully you get the point.
The world has turned away from the final, all important, step in the photographic process, producing a print.
A printed image is tangible, it's real, you can touch it, smell it, gaze upon it for as long as you like, put it down and come back to it and it will still be there.
In Quantum Mechanics there is a theory that nothing is real until you name it, in that instant it becomes what it is.
In photography a photograph is not real, it is just a collection of data of bits and bytes on a hard drive.
The moment you print it, it becomes real.
Of course I am referring to digital photography. But the digital vs film debate is for another place and time.
Back to her story...
Her comments brought to mind a story of what one person did after the tsunami hit Japan.
After the aid workers took care of the injured she went in to help recover that most precious of items, the family photo album. She was drawn to this simply by the numbers of people who had rescued that one thing.
In fact ask anyone, "if you had to get out of the house and could only pick up one thing, what would it be"?
The Family Album, that treasure chest of long dead relatives, moments in time captured forever, memories beyond value, priceless, irreplaceable they all reside in the family album.
How many of us today have a family album? I mean one that you have started.
How many of us have a Family Hard Drive ?
Photo's on an iPad?
It's not the same is it? So, my challenge to you is:
Start collecting prints in a shoe box, your Children and Grandchildren will thank you for it
and your reward? You will become immortal ....
1 comment:
I've blogged about the printed image too.
http://djenglandphotography.blogspot.ca/2012/08/photo-of-week-2012-08-20.html
I've also talked to those who insist on keeping their images on a memory card in their camera, ask them to show you a photo and they reach for the little point and shoot with 600 images on a fragile SD card. I've told them to back-up the cards and print 4x6's for the shoebox or album ... but it falls on deaf ears. Only when the lose them will the understand.
As for showing images on an iPad slideshow, to each his/her own ... that's another discussion.
DJE
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