Technology: Your Servant or Your Master?

I grant that I have a style that isn't heavily dependent on technology or post-production, but even if I did, it would be in my best interest to make sure it was serving my needs instead of the other way around.

In a recent article in the New York Times Magazine, author Kevin Kelley described what he thought the proper role of technology in education should be. What he wrote applies equally well to photography; so much so that I've taken the liberty of quoting from his list of recommendations. Before we buy the lastest and greatest new piece of hardware or software, we would all do well to keep these thoughts in mind:

1. Every new technology will bite back. The more powerful its gifts, the more powerfully it can be abused. Look for its costs.
2. Technologies improve so fast you should postpone getting anything you need until the last second. Get comfortable with the fact that anything you buy is already obsolete.
3. Before you can master a device, program or invention, it will be superseded; you will always be a beginner. Get good at it.
4. Be suspicious of any technology that requires walls. If you can fix it, modify it or hack it yourself, that is a good sign.
5. Every technology is biased by its embedded defaults: what does it assume?
6. The older the technology, the more likely it will continue to be useful.
7. Find the minimum amount of technology that will maximize your options.

From the comments I've received from previous posts it's obvious to me that many of you  already follow many of these recommendations. That those of you who don't are often feeling the pain that comes from trying to overtake an ever-moving horizon.

If you fall into the latter category, maybe it's time to take a deep breath, relax, and remind yourself that some of the best photographs of all time were taken with cameras vastly more primitive than what you own now. Maybe you don't really need the lastest version of Photoshop, Lightroom, or Aperture, or that 27" self-calibrating color monitor, or that 500 terabyte, liquid-cooled RAID array. Maybe instead of more technology you need a little less, so you can spend more time improving your skills as a photographer than as a computer technician. Who knows? You might save some time, money, and maybe even your sanity.

Comments

[Timothy Bates]

There is so much I like about your photograph. I’m guessing it wasn’t made from hours in the dark room or by mastering expensive photo software. It could have been taken with any camera but not any photographer. It’s so simple and strong that my imagination won’t let go of it.
The best photos on the worst monitor look far superior to the worst photos on the best monitor.

[Paul Van]

All technology comes with a learning curve, and the newer or more complicated, the steeper the curve. I think the key to mastering it, is to first master the basics.

This year, I finally got a DSLR after 30 years of film. Since then, I've been trying to translate what I see into what the camera sees. So, it's been back to basics and set the camera to manual. I still haven't purchased any extra software, still trying to get it right 'in the camera.'

After four months, what I've learned is: I like to chimp the histogram; I like being able to shoot more, without extra costs; and that focusing screens in DSLRs are not so good for manual focusing.

Learning continues, and will for the foreseeable future. This winter I may buy some software to see if I can make pictures from my images. I do know I am not interested in photo manipulation, but prefer to work within the realm of what could be achieved in a darkroom.

I'm trying to make the technology work for me.

[Gordon Lewis]

Paul,

I admire your approach. You have a clear idea of what you are trying to learn and achieve. Rather than throw away everything you already know about photography, you're testing how well it applies to a new camera. If or when you get to the point that you can't do what you want to do in-camera, you'll know exactly what software you need to get the job done. Until then, steady as she goes.

[Tim]

I also like Paul's idea of `make technology work for me', but it goes hand-in-hand with knowing what the technology can do first before you choose what you're going to do with it, so I caution against building walls of ignorance prematurely.

Notably, that does not translate as always being on the whizzy edge of product-versions - especially, it does not mean knowing a specific product so much as techniques. Simple example: you might know that it's "curves, with a drop in the lower-midtones" that you want to do. Whether you use any Photoshop from Elements to CS to CS5 or the Gimp to achieve that is a different matter.