Cottage, Academy Street, Cary, NC
We know have lots of images to choose from. In fact, some consider the number of photographs being created an assault on the senses. Internet facts abound on the astronomical number of images we create because digital photographs can be created so easily.
While the “ten best photographs” still number ten, one must wade through an exponentially larger number of ill-considered images to sort out the ten best. Photographer’s output used to be limited due to the cost of film, processing and printing. I just checked and Kodak 5x7 TMAX 400 is about $3.60 per sheet! That is just for the film. Add to that, developer and then more for printing paper and another set of chemistry. After spending all that money, there is no guarantee that your exposure or your development was erroneous. Just the cost involved with large format photography was enough to slow you down and make you very careful. When I was using that film, it was much less expensive and I edited, pre-visualized and triple checked my exposure calculations to avoid an ill-considered exposure. With digital photography and the zero cost to make an Image, we have reaped a whirlwind of images to edit. To get to a great photograph today, selection and editing of images after they are made is probably the most important task photographers need to master.
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