By Paul Carracino
Not too long ago, a camera was not something carried around in your pocket at any given minute. It was only taken out for birthday parties, holidays, or family vacations.
Remember when after you shot a roll of film, you had to take it down to the local drugstore or camera shop to get it developed and printed? Fifteen dollars and a week later, you would get an envelope full of prints. If you weren’t a professional, you never really knew what you were going to get. Some might be out of focus, some were over exposed, some under exposed, some just blank. Focus and exposure controls on most point and shoot film cameras was marginal at best.
But that was then, this is now!
Today, almost everyone has a smart phone with a decent quality digital camera. We have the unbelievable ability to shoot, edit, and post images or videos to a potentially world-wide audience, with just a few screen clicks.
Smart phone cameras have far superior auto focus controls compared to older film cameras. Proper exposure is as simple as tapping on the screen. In addition, depending on how much storage your phone has, you have potentially unlimited exposures available.
Never before in human history has this ability existed for so many.
Mainstream digital photography, along with the ubiquitous Internet, has allowed the visual image to take center stage in a big way. Up and coming as well as established photographers can reach unprecedented audiences now, and the possibilities are endless. Amazing, cutting edge, digital images can now be produced just by pulling out your smart phone.
Luckily, this technology has also carried over and tremendously expanded the resources available for “traditional” cameras. Incredible images and videos can now be captured as never before with special effects only imagined in the not too distant past by using digital SLR cameras. With built-in wi-fi capability, images can be posted to social media sites just like a smart phone – but better quality. We can bring to life the wondrous images that surround us each day without the need of carrying heavy, cumbersome equipment.
Times they are a changing, and it’s never been a better time to be a photographer!