Nothing stamps obsolescence more than a change in language.
Photography, which has seen many augmentations and enhancements
since
its invention two centuries ago, is going through such a visceral
transformation that the words used to discuss it are as different
as
the number of opinions on DSLR cameras and storage media.
Not many years ago, talk focused on manual or automatic.
Now,
photographers — hobbyists and pros — discuss
pixels and image size and
plug-ins and processing software. A visit to online forums
frequented
by photographers, such as http://www.dpreview.com/, reveals
that the vernacular
has shifted and many shooters have adapted.
While some forum users want to engage in conversations about
the
nuts-and-bolts basics of photography, the discussions tend
to revolve
around the technology required to maximize the quality of
an image. In
the 20th century, such an exchange would have taken place
in a camera
store or convention show and the topics would have involved
darkroom
methods and varieties of photographic paper. Many photographers
have
moved beyond film, however, and so has big business.
At the 2006 Photo Marketing Convention in Orlando, Florida,
the hot
topic became the end of the megapixel race. (For those who
hadn't known the
competition was afoot, this may be a good time to start catching
up on
the growth of terabyte servers.) The rush to continually
create cameras
with increased pixel resolution lasted about 10 years.
At its peak
in the early years of this decade, the megapixel race was
so intense
that models of Canon's Powershot and Nikon's Coolpix hit
the market
with such frequency it seemed the rival companies were deploying
artillery.
"In compact cameras, I think that the megapixel race
is pretty much
over," Chuck Westfall, director of media for Canon's
camera marketing
group, told the New York Times prior to the convention this
month.
"Seven- and eight-megapixel cameras seem to be more than
adequate."
By now, anyone familiar with the photo industry has learned
of the
decisions made by Nikon and Kodak to remove themselves from
the lexicon
of film-camera producers. Another major player, Konica Minolta,
is out
of the camera business altogether. The truth is the world
is witnessing
the creation of a medium. Increasingly, the fledgling medium
will be
driven by a ream of gadgets that can do the following: take
a picture,
film a movie, make a phone call, send an email, broadcast
a television
show, navigate the Internet, communicate with a car.
So, too, is the professional photographer changing. He or
she is an
imaging specialist, a person who is an expert in traditional
photographic techniques as well as a savvy computer user
capable of
processing digital image files with upgraded software. Once
polished,
those image files can be published in a number of places — the
traditional album, a web site or brochure.
"We are moving more and more into the area of creative
design," says
Barry Cullen of Manitoba-based Keywest Photo. "We can
now put together
text, videos and photographs and create a whole image for
our business
clients. And we are starting to experiment with new delivery
systems."
Experts in the digital printing industry estimate that 100
billion
images have been taken in the United States in each of the
past two
years. With the continued spread of cell-phone cameras and
cheaper
digital cameras, that total could soon leap to more than
a trillion
annually. For the professional photographer who can keep
up with all
the changes and diversify product offerings, the digital
revolution is
not only good for shop talk, but for money talk, too.
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