Looking out the kitchen window I saw a fox tail squirrel eating dinner in one of our platform feeders. Wanting to capture a few photos, I scurried into my office to grab my gear. My plan was to set up the camera, open the kitchen window and get the perfect shot. As I was setting up, he moved to the bird bath. Opening the window would surely have scared him, so I decided to snap a few photos through the kitchen window glass. There were a few things on the garden table interfering with the image around his tail. Finally, the background was busy. But I wanted the photo for my wife because it is rare to find one of her furry friends in the bird's pool. Lisa loves squirrels and many found in our garden are a result of her love and care for them.
When I saw the photo, I was amazed how sharp the squirrel’s eyes appeared, despite having been taken through a double pane window. But I saw potential, so I reached into my "tool bag" and an hour later spit out the final image you see below. What allowed me to create a beautiful image out of this photo was modern photo processing software. Today’s professional processing software has artificial intelligence (AI) tools integrated within. AI features have added a new dimension to what is possible.
Overall, the picture has not been changed drastically from what appeared in the original photo, though you might be scratching your head wondering how I arrived at the final picture below. Today's photographers need to be talented with a camera as much as they are at processing the image. It all starts with good exposure. The rest of what you see is a result of editing the digital image with software.
To start basic editing was done, including cropping the image. Next, an AI tool within the software, was used to remove a few unwanted items. Afterwards, another AI tool was used to generate the part of the squirrel’s tail hidden behind the table and alter the background to make it less distracting. Mixed in were some "secret" ingredients from my bag of tricks. The final image is good, though there are some artifacts left from editing rendering it unusable as a fine art print for sale. It serves as an example of what is possible with the latest greatest photo processing tools and serves as a launching point into our discussion today. Is old school better when it comes to photography?
Last week my family and I went out to listen to music at a local venue. Sitting not far away were a few friends from our former church. Before I knew it, almost a half hour had passed as we started speaking about artificial intelligence in modern digital photography. It was obvious my friend did not like digital photography compared to shooting pictures on 35 mm film. He stated film photography was better because you couldn't trust anything you see with modern photography. Something about his statement brought back a thorn in my side planted many years before by a close relative.
My relative described himself as the purest for he claimed he didn’t edit any of his photos taken on his digital camera. Though he embraced digital photography as my friend has, he felt most pictures published and posted did not appear as they do naturally. What irritated me about my spirited discussions with my relative was feeling like no matter how good my photographs were, they were never good enough, since he felt what I created was fake to some degree. Both of their perceptions are colored with negativity. Maybe their opinions come from a lack of knowledge and experience, though I have heard what they feel expressed by others.
My friend is correct in that you could not modify many things about a negative and my relative is correct in many photos today do not reveal "exactly" what one saw when the image was taken. Neither are correct in that there is something wrong with modern digital photography and processing compared to the days of film. Furthermore, their perceptions are preventing them from experiencing the amazing possibilities found in today's digital world. In the end our cameras are simply tools for storytelling. As the old saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words!" Amen!
This article will attempt to point out a few of the benefits of modern digital photography over film photography. Understanding this in all its flavors really requires having had experience with not only taking pictures with a film, but developing your film and printing your own pictures. One of the most obvious benefits with today's cameras is seeing the product of your work instantly and being able to take as many shots of the image as you want, at no additional cost. Being able to review your work in the field allows you a better chance of "knocking the ball out the park" with your final photo.
Back in 1839, when photography became practical, you only had one shot to get it right. Nicephore Niepce, a French inventor and scientist, is often credited with creating the first negative photograph in 1826. He coated a piece of metal with light-sensitive silver salts. After several days of exposure an impression was formed on the plate resulting in a negative. Fast forward numerous decades and we arrive at modern film, which is still made by a few select companies. With a 35 mm film camera you typically have about 35 photos you can take on a role. After the film is processed you have negatives. The negatives are then used to print photos which allows you to see what your camera recorded by way of film. So, there is no instant gratification or viewing of photos so you can make editing decisions in the field. The cost of film, processing and printing pictures can add up, so every photo costs you something.
When digital cameras first appeared the quality of images they created were inferior to images created with film. A major evolution in technology, spanned over decades, would be required to arrive where we are today. Today, even mobile phones can create photos superior to what is possible on film. Most photographers who started off in film can remember a day when the thought of having a phone in your pocket was a fantasy. Today's mobile phones are super computers combined with cameras. Modern digital cameras are in essence specialized computers you can attach lenses to and record images. What results is a digital image which can be manipulated using a computer. With that said, images created by Nikon’s last professional film camera, the F6, simply don’t get in the ballpark with images created by the Nikon mirrorless Z9 of today, which is Nikon’s current best pro camera. This is lengthy discussion we will only touch today.
Nikon’s Z9 can take 128 pictures every second versus the best an F6 could do was 8 pictures per second. Today’s digital cameras have stabilization technology to allow sharp photos to be taken even when your hands are not steady, or when you are using a super telephoto lens that magnifies any movement of the camera. Modern autofocusing systems compared to that of film cameras is like comparing transportation by way of a horse drawn carriage to a supersonic jet. Nikon’s Z9 can select what type of subject to track, such as birds or people. The Z9 can focus on the eyes of a moving bird flying erratically through the brush while the photographer swings the camera around to keep up with the bird while handholding a heavy camera / lens combo. The icing on the cake is this can be done even in low light. Film cameras “ain’t got nothing on this, not even on their best day!”
Low light and night photography were extremely challenging with film cameras. Film used a crystal inside of an emulsion that was sensitive to light to create an image on a negative. Larger crystals were more sensitive, but in turn created grainy looking images that lack sharpness, color saturation. Images shot with the fast film looked like dust scattered over them. Today’s pro digital cameras are magnitudes more sensitive than film. You can basically create an image where very little light is found. Digital cameras also suffer with noise, but with modern AI processing tools this noise can affectively be removed providing photographers the ability to capture wildlife pictures at twilight once not possible.
So back to the question we go. Are old school film cameras better than modern digital cameras? No! But we can't stop here for digital images not only allow but require editing with computers and software. This opens an infinite box of possibilities not available to film photographers. Back in the film days, a skilled photographer didn't necessarily have to be good at processing or printing a photo. But today's modern digital photographer must possess talent behind the camera, and computer. Gear does make a difference between everyday mundane photography and consistently creating head turning photo. The same is true for software and computers used to process digital photos. Some might think modern digital photography is easy compared to film. Well, that "ain't" the case. Now with this added work comes amazing potential offered by digital mediums.
In the film days only a highly trained technician / artist could remove facial blemishes. This involved either editing a large negative or printing a photo, editing the photo with paints, and then photographing the photo and printing it again. This was an incredibly involved process that took considerable time. Today digital technicians can click on an AI tool that removes blemishes from someone's skin with a click. In 2023 Adobe released AI presets with Light Room Classic. Open a photo with a person and click on glamor portrait. Within thirty seconds the computer spits out an image where the person's teeth and sclera of their eyes are whiter, lips are pinker, skin tone is improved and overall, they look better. You couldn't do this with film.
We have only just begun to understand why digital photography is superior to film photography. Digital photo processing allows for the creation of macro images (extreme close ups) where every part of a butterfly is in focus. This is done by stacking numerous photos on top one another in software. This was not possible with film cameras, so with old cameras some parts were in focus and others blurry. Another innovation is HDR images or High Dynamic Range Images. This is great for sunsets as you see in the before and after photos of the sunset above. With a film camera you had one picture to record what you saw. Due to the laws of physics all cameras then and now have serious limitations at showing what your eyes can naturally see. As a result, a typical sunset photo with film might reveal beautiful colors in the sky at the expense of all things in the foreground appearing underexposed or black. Add a flash and you could improve on this with film, but there is no way to light up an area as big as you see in the sunset photo in this article. Solution, take multiple exposures of the same scene, but use different exposures gradually increasing the camera’s sensitivity to light. What you get are multiple images with the one image where the sky is perfect, but the foreground is pitch black all the way to your final image where the foreground is perfect, but the sky is blown out. Use the AI tool "HDR merge," to combine all five images into one final image with a dynamic range that will make you go “wow!”
Now with the evolution of AI tools in photo processing we push the possibilities even further. Last spring, I was shooting photos of college volleyball athletes at the UNO Invitational. There is no going back in high-speed action photography to capture those moments that only come once. Though I was using a camera that was recording twenty images per second, one of the ladies’ feet was cut off due to her proximity to the camera. It all happens so fast I didn’t realize it. When I saw the photos, I was disappointed. Just a week before processing the photos I watched a YouTube video on using the AI generative tool in photoshop. So with no experience with this tool I took a shot at creating the part of her foot and scene cutoff. After an hour of trying different generations, out came a nearly perfect photo.
AI technology in digital photo processing is not to a point where anyone can take an image and spit out the world’s best professional photo. Yes, it is possible to create images that cross ethical boundaries. Though this is possible, it is very difficult and leaves artifacts behind. Modern processing opens a world of artistic expression not once possible. It allows important photos to be recovered, fixed, and enhanced such as the one featured in this article today.
As pointed out earlier, a counter argument to this is that modern photo processing can create images that are unethical such as a picture where someone is placed somewhere they are not, where the body of one person is combined with the face of another, and on and on. This counter argument is worth discussing, but beyond the scope of today. With all new technology advancements comes the possibility to do good and evil. The difference maker is what anchors the individual behind the camera and computer. For me that is Jesus!
In all this discussion one might forget to stop and thank God for their eyes. Being able to see is an amazing gift. There is no camera, computer or anything man has made that can even begin to do what human eyes can. God makes amazing things out of dust!
For me the goal of photography is to communicate, with images, the wonder I feel when I see something that moves me deeply. So, to my friends who love film I say as long as film exists, go for it. In the end we are story tellers, though how we tell our stories may be different.
No matter how you choose to do it, go out and be a storyteller enriching lives through love!
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