In this age of digital photography, there are almost limitless opportunities for taking great photographs. Despite the seemingly bewildering array of cameras and gadgets, it remains a fact that sales of digital cameras have rocketed in recent years as people discard film in favour of electronic imagery.
The world is going digital!
And this is great news. The mysteries of photography are being uncovered and being shown for what they are a mockery! There are NO mysteries. There are NO hidden talents. There are NO barriers.
Sure, to be great you have to work at it. But people who used to restrict themselves to mere snapshots are now experiencing the wonderful world of digital where the opportunities are limitless.
Consider the basic compact digital camera. Not only does it take programmable shots, it can also be set for aperture priority, shutter priority or manual. It can zoom and autofocus. It has a flash inbuilt and can take, in most cases, additional lens attachments.
This is great if you occasionally wish to delve into more select areas of your hobby.
But theres more!
When you take your shots it doesnt matter if they are not as you would like. It costs nothing to retake the shot with digital and, moreover, you can manipulate the image in a photo editing program at home. The great shots you do take can also be manipulated and enhanced.
What does this mean? It means the man-in-the-street can, at last, forget the complexities of film photography, can discard the reasons to hold back on taking photographs and can share his newfound freedom with others.
This is great for him but it is also great for photography as a whole.
Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com
