Tutorial Two: Digital Camera use and applications

I  have always  loved the  effects I could bring  to photos in the darkroom. In the past 20 years I have always owned a SLR (single lens reflex camera) and over the years have taken  many a good photo. The manual mechanisms on the SLR I found captivating as I tried to focus on objects from different distances and try new and special effects. As digital came out I embraced it but never really took to it because our model of camera was largely automatic and I hardly use it. It’s just too easy and frankly I enjoyed the wait to view the image. It was exciting.

"A new technology is really superior to an old one in every feature"
Over the years though digital cameras have improved and the better models are now rivalling  if not exceeding the old SLR technology.

Digital cameras.
Digital cameras have functions which film cameras do not, like displaying the images on a screen as you take them. The memory allows you to store many images at once or record moving images with sound. It’s cost effective as you can delete images to free storage space.

Being digital images can then be transferred to other digital formats like the computer/television/projector where they can be viewed or edited. When travelling in the south of France I meet relatives who had not caught up with our branch of the family for twenty four years. A quick email back home we were able to share current photos with them the following day. This was a very special moment, as it bought out there stories and photos of the day my grandfather left France, to start a new life in NZ. We left them with the digital data on USB so they could process the images if they wanted.

There are many ways that digital images can be stored, transferred and manipulated using software such as photoshop. Digital images can then be easily  manipulated in ways such as
adjusting  the colour (by cooling the temperature, tinting, saturating, black and white effects), adjusting the exposure (changing brightness, contrast, shadows, highlights), zooming and cropping of images, fixing red eyes, re orientation or straightening the photo.

Images  can be uploaded onto a computer or a social networking site, memory stick, mobile phones and Email.
There are some negatives though film cameras can create quite a different quality of printed photo, with sharper images. And film cameras don’t erase or lose data. 

Pronominally in my household there is the belief that digital data is inferior in quality to film or analogue. I can’t really argue as hubby is a film maker and kinda knows what he’s talking about. No digital display medium can match the brightness and vividness when projected . He still shots film, only using digital for supplementary things like daily’s and previews.   As I type we listen to a record.  Call us biased, ok maybe we are. But we are not alone in the belief that digital image is inferior in quality to film, and there is always the risk of losing photos when the computer crashes/ or that accidental deletion.

The learning I gained in class about  digital photography lecture were the difference between digital and optical zoom:
Optical zoom works by bringing the subject in the viewfinder closer, using moving parts within the camera. Digital zoom simulates optical zoom by enlarging part of an image electronically, rather than with moving parts, thus here you could well end up with a pixilated effect.
A megapixel is one million pixels. A pixel is the smallest unit of picture that can be controlled. The more mega pixel the better quality photos.

Ethical issues with the use of cameras:

Ethical considerations need to be taken into account  when taking photos of people. The  human right to privacy means  it is unethical to disclose private details of people. We also need to be careful when taking  photos of people if exploitation or misrepresenting the truth is possible .Therefore  it is important to get informed consent whenever taking a professional photo. The person giving consent must understand the facts, implications, and future consequences of the uses of the image.

In  Occupational Therapy practice digital images can be with effect used for:

1.         Showing instructions to patient’s e.g. step by step instructions.
2.         Showing before and after of housing modifications

3.         Measuring treatment progress,
4.         To illustrate a piece of equipment to a client (www.invacare.co.nz)

Flickr
Flickr.com is an image and video hosting website, web services suite and an online community, where you can create an account and upload and organise your photos .It also allows you to edit them as well. Then photos can then be shared with either  flicker , another photo storage website similar to Flickr ie Snapfish.co.nz or with sites like Blogger. com.