The Digital Age

Digital technology has advanced quickly. Around the turn of the century, I actually stopped using film unless the client requested it. Film just doesn't make sense! The image quality I can achieve with modern digital cameras is more than adequate for almost any reproduction. In 2002, a photo I took for the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel with a five-megapixel Olympus E-10 was blown up for use on a 60x80-foot billboard in Times Squareand it looked great!

This image was cropped from the center portion of the original photo and used for the Marriott Marquis Times Square billboard.

In fact, with many of today's professional digital cameras, image quality is superior to film. And for many professional photographers, digital SLRs and digital camera backs have replaced the need for large-view cameras.

Today, the practice in my studio is to have my digital camera connected to a 37-inch television monitor that has been calibrated for color. Clients can view the images on this large screen, and adjustments to photographs can be made easily. Teamwork is realized in a way that cannot be achieved with film. After capturing a series of images, I head straight to my computer with my Compact Flash cardmy "reusable roll of film"in hand, and open the images in Adobe Photoshop for viewing, editing, and retouching. I no longer have to send film to the lab and wait...and wait...and wait...and wonder...and hope...that I "got the shot."