Technology Autobiography

When I was in my teens, my uncle gave me my first 35mm camera; a Canon that I still have today. Since that time, which is a span of more than 30 years, I have witnessed the evolution of photography in ways I never would have imagined. As a former newspaper writer and photographer, I was in the unique position of being part of the technology revolution as newspaper photography went from “wet” darkrooms to digital workstations and the copydesk went from hardcopy edits to track changes. 

As I think of an autobiography in relation to technology, I naturally think of the experiences that have lead me to the work I am doing today. And though one cannot compare photojournalism to fine art photography, the technology that is inherent to both is the essence of my technology autobiography. I will draw on my experiences, which includes different sets of knowledge skills, to speak to the ways I use/d 35mm film and digital cameras to make art.

My observation is that today, as yesterday, beginning photography students are taught the basics of photography on a manual film camera. And while there is a vast difference between a film and digital camera, it is the lack of technology that characterizes a film 

camera and that makes it an ideal tool for learning the basic concepts of how light is captured and reflected in the photographic process. I am not technologically inclined and am not qualified to speak to the specifics of the mechanics of a film versus digital camera. I am

 qualified to speak about the advances in technology and how they have impacted me and the photographic work I have done and the work I am doing.

Most people think photography is an art form and I would agree with them; however, it is an art form that is achieved via a technology and in that respect, I think it separates itself from more traditional art forms such as painting, drawing or sculpting. Photography is more a

bout the art than it is the technology but it is the technology that allows the art to be made.

Back to the Basics

My undergraduate degree is in print journalism with a minor in English writing. I took photography classes because I had a camera and I loved the art. In my junior and senior years, I worked as a photographer for the student newspaper and the yearbook. I was solely responsible for shooting, processing and printing my i

mages. I worked in a “wet” darkroom. Maybe it was out of necessity, or maybe it was for want, but I added two more cameras and several lens to my camera bag. In those days, a “real” photographer had a least three cameras, one for black-and-white, one for color and one for emergencies. As I moved from university to the workplace, I found that I was well prepared for the work environment that I encountered --a wet darkroom and a color lab.

A million years ago, newspaper photographers shot, developed and printed their own black-and-white film and though I had shot color, I had never processed or printed it. Color was a laborious task and most newspapers employed a lab technician whose primary job was working with color slide and print film. My observations of that process do allow me to say that it was a finicky process. Indeed, it was so finicky that if at all possible, color was often shot days in advance of its publication; nonetheless, every newspaper, including every newspaper I every worked for, aspired to run color on their sections fronts.

Entering the Digital Age
In the early-to-mid 1990s, newspaper photographers across the country were debating the merits of digital versus film photography and while all of us were excited with the latest, greatest tool on the market, very few newspapers had taken the leap to digital photography. In addition to the cost associated with such a move, digital photography had not yet proven its worth.

In the mid 1990s, a fire swept “our” newsroom and though the darkroom was not a total lost, it was notreplaced. We took the plunge and went digital.

Today, my preferred mode of photography is digital and though I still shoot film on occasion, I am spoiled and have become accustom to the instance gratification of knowing I have ca

ptured my image. Additionally, as our lives continue to be ruled by finding the time to do

 the things we need to do, I know that if I choose to shoot digitally, I will not have to be tied to place to develop my film. Instead I can take my laptop anywhere, including the field, and upload my images, clear my card and make decisions on the spot as to whether I need to continue shooting. I no longer carry three cameras because I do not need separate cameras for color and black-and-white.. Digital photography allows me to convert color images to black

-and-white images via Photoshop.

Even so,  my concerns are much the same today as 

yesterday. I have just traded one bag of concerns 

for another and though this bag may weigh less, it 

is weighted. In its own way technology is finicky

and as an artist, I do not want, nor do I wish to 

be concerned with the technology of an artistic process.