Monday, November 22, 2004

A lively discussion on the relative merits of digital and analog (traditional) photography took place in the Westlicht Gallery Monday evening before a packed house.

The consensus was that digital is fast becoming the preferred (or necessary) method of work for professional event, product, and portrait photographers. Analog processes are now limited to amateurs, artists, and those for whom time is not a great constraint. Digital quality is approaching middle format film quality. The transparency (slide) is no longer the reference object in the professional workflow.

The panelist were Peter Baldauf, of Canon Germany, Hanns-Peter Cohn of Leica Germany, Christine de Grancy, artist, Helmut Gansterer, journalist, Manfred Klimek, photographer, and Wolfgang Krautzer, author and digital guru. Anselm Wunderer moderated the panel. Opinions expressed were of worry that digital manipulation would lead to photography losing its status as a "record" media - of its "truthfulness". This idea was rebutted as fantasy as photography is and always has been a subjective media - what the photographer chooses to see and what is left out of the picture slants the message and always has done so.

Wolfgang Krautzer advocated continued teaching of the analog processes, so that newcomers and students of photography will learn what is involved in the photographic process and thereby gain depth, which is sorely needed, was greeted by those present with warm applause.

The moderator expressed his feeling that there are grounds enough to continue the debate at another time. Watch this space.