In 1998, 67bn images were made worldwide. We know that because 3bn rolls of film were sold. It is impossible to be accurate, but with a world population of digital cameras exceeding a third of a billion on top of millions of film-using cameras still in use, it is likely that more pictures are taken every year than in the previous 160 years of photography put together. In addition to the other pollutions we have unleashed on ourselves, we may well have to thank digital photography for giving us image pollution.
As a kid I could never use my Dad’s SLR because if I did shoot, that was minus one on my filmstrip. I really loved the idea of photography, but was trigger shy.
My family got it’s first digicam five years ago around christmas (I think), and I used it to take photos on our trip to Scandinavia my the summer before my freshman year of HS. Since then I’ve amassed thousands of jpegs in iPhoto (even having lost my library in a HD crash last june).
At dinner the other day, some older family members were balking at us kids and our thousands of photos. I want to empathize with them, but just can’t. Yeah right, image pollution. The digital tech that lets you shoot so much also gives you better ways of pulling the wheat from the chaff.
But those numbers are indeed impressive.
I’m on the lookout for a nice camera, I’ve missed having one since I left for college. I can’t decide between compact and full featured – I’ve always wanted an SLR, and the things are finally coming into the sub $1000 price range. I could even afford one – I’m liking the nikon d50.
The thing about an SLR is that it’s big. I wouldn’t want to carry it everywhere with me – but where I did carry it, it would serve me better then a compact. But I don’t know how much advantage the compact would give me – I don’t carry my cellphone with me often, and it’s smaller and lighter then a camera would be. So things really come down to price, you can get a real good point and shoot for $400, when the cheapest dSLR costs double.
How do we deal with all the info that passes under our fingertips in the digital age? How is it going to change?
Adobe Creative Team
Wow, I knew photoshop was a nice tool – but now having a copy to work with at school and taking a lesson-book from the library I can almost do a few things with it, and it’s amazing.
Some incredibly neat photos have come out of this technique thread. Look through the comments for a few of ‘em.