Run an online search on the Internet about cameras, and eventually you will find an assortment of articles debating the efficacy of traditional photography cameras versus the latest digital versions. From what David Yarrow has seen, this isn’t a new debate. The argument over equipment started well into the early 2000s when digital cameras first made their introduction, intruding into the space of film cameras directly. David Yarrow photographer, like many in his trade, was skeptical of the early entries. However, over time, he tried the later models that began to show true promise and capability in the field. What he determined was that fundamentals still mattered more. You could have the best camera in the world ten times or a hundred times better than digital, but the photographer’s skill and eye remain the difference in the quality of output.
Technical Advantages
There’s no question that the computer makes up for a lot of what used to be manual refinement learned with practiced skill. Things like stability, sharp auto-focus, light adjustment, and much more can all be managed by a computer to some extent, but these helpers are far more beneficial to the beginner photographer, who could easily get spoiled by them. Professionals like David Yarrow tend to turn off the automatic features, far more comfortable with being in control of every setting for exactly what they want to see in a produced image.
The Practiced Mind is the Key
However, as David Yarrow Photographer products show, understanding how to plan, stage, set the frame, and produce the image are not things any camera computers are capable of, and they won’t be anytime soon. The details and experience that come with the practiced trade are what make a key image stand out, even with the advantages after the fact of post-processing and image enhancement for final effects.
In fact, if it were up to David Yarrow sometimes, he would force every new, serious photography student to work for three months with an old-style manual camera. No automatic features are allowed. Everything would have to be handled manually, from loading the film to setting the focus and calculating the light effect, and finally the development. Only then, in his opinion, does the photography student appreciate the work that goes into a professional output like what one sees in the galleries of David Yarrow Photographer. The hard work illuminates the effort that goes into producing a high-quality visual with no assistance from the computer, just common sense, and perception. It’s at that point, David Yarrow believes, that the student then can truly also appreciate the advantages that the digital camera provides with convenience.
Things are Too Easy Now
Unfortunately, convenience is learned first and skill comes later; the market is flooded with high-end, high-performing digital cameras and no or low skill behind them. They produce imagery, but not premium quality photography. Yet in a world of fast consumption, the art practiced by someone like David Yarrow photographer may get lost eventually. It’s something many professionals are starting to resign themselves to as technology marches on.