THE FUTURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY

DIGITAL IS PHOTOGRAPHY'S FUTURE. FILM IS PHOTOGRAPHY'S PAST. - Now, that pretty much goes without saying. As the years go by, digital will more and more become the dominant photographic medium. Film, in a relatively few years, will be relegated to the status of an alternative photographic process. That being said, where is digital going to take us? I don't have a crystal ball. However, I'd like to suggest just a few possibilities that I think are inevitable. First, more megapixels. One caveat though. The more pixels packed into a given sensor, the more problems you encounter. The main one is each pixel becomes less sensitive to light. How will the camera companies' techies fix the problem? One method might entail creating sensors with more innate sensitivity. Another might be to find a way of packing larger sensors into smaller, lighter cameras. Here's a novel idea - larger pixels. Great. But how do we go about fitting larger pixels into smaller sensors placed in smaller cameras? Seem insurmountable? So did the feat of bringing the size of a computer down from half a city block to the size of a deck of cards. Next on the agenda? Well, how about higher ISOs - much higher ISOs? How about cameras that can be handheld in nearly total darkness? If you look at the photo I used above, you probably won't all that amazed that it was taken at ISO 6400. But prior to the introduction of high speed films such as Kodak's p3200, it was. Another 'no-brainer'? The lines between still photography and video will continue to blur. Most cameras, even the less expensive ones, will allow for both. Another given is that true 3D will become a common feature in consumer cameras. I could go on and on. What about HD easily done in camera? What about tiny cameras mounted on eyeglasses? The point is, we're entering into a whole new universe. It's not just a matter of what we expect will happen. It's all those things we don't even dream of yet. Again, it's somewhat like the futuristic films that envisioned 21st Century computers that were huge colossus's that ran endless reels of magnetic tape. What we imagine for the future is clouded by the realities of our own time. But many of those realities will most likely be stripped away. As the professor says at the end of the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy, "The future isn't written yet.".So, hop on the nearest moonbeam, and let's go for a ride. LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY