Working in the Digital Age

Water Proof Digital HD Camera 

The pre digital age was unspokenly a different time period in the aspect of a photojournalist. The digital age opened up larger windows for exposure of the world like having the ability to see what's under the water. Without positive advancements in photojournalism, some of the uncovered parts of the world would never have been seen till this day. 

Before Digital capturing of photos and before digital memory, photographers, photojournalist and anyone trying to capture an important view couldn't make this possible. Even with their efforts, memory on cameras only lasted a short enough time to be downloaded and uploaded on a flash drive or computer of some sort. Digital memory is beyond precious to anyone trying to bring new revelations to a camera's perspective with their canvas. In the pre, digital age cameras and camera lenses were only capable of certain things that involved capturing still photography with limited light. In today's digital age, cameras now can adjust to the light of the canvas portrayed for the photo and work against shadows, low points, and darkened corners. Using a digital camera provides the ability when “Using your digital camera plus a photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop, you can easily become creative and produce artistic creations such as blends, wallpapers, screen savers, and photomontages.”(http://www.reconstructor.org/gadgets/different-uses-of-a-digital-camera/) Many of these photos can be edited throughout the period spent on the specific capture of scenery. Anything in the digital age can now become possible with the massive improvements in technology. 

A specific physical problem photojournalist faced when dealing with the predigital times would be as stated by professor Nordell “When a really exciting event is going on, and you're shooting away and you get to the end of the roll of film, just when that key, that peak that action is happening.”(https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=Q7w5gkne8Ow) Digital cameras allow photojournalists to capture events with all of their utmost potentials. Cameras allowing an artist to have all perspectives of the photo they want to capture and the photo they believe they can capture. Photojournalism is affected and held in such a larger field of study due to its high expectations and also its various ranges of equipment use in finding the best shot. This being said photojournalism is affected largely in what resources such as the digital camera, they can use to find and capture the best shot imaginable. Capturing the best shot is remarkable in itself but capturing a shot under pressure from the climate changes all aspects of the game in photojournalism, Andy Day posted a video explaining how during the Winter Olympics it was -25 and he stated “hand warmers, keeping your hands warm to take a shot without cramping up due to the cold” (https://fstoppers.com/bts/behind-scenes-winter-olympics-getty-images-225538) this being said Photojournalist Andy Day provides insight on the difficulties of capturing a shot when your fingers cannot push a button when its ice cold out. Even when the picture could be perfect, climate and mother natures harsh attitude can always play a large role in disturbing a perfect capture of photojournalism even with the new technology. 

  Digital capturing today has been so much more advanced throughout time to capture the best quality picture. For example, waterproof, cameras, smartphones, lenses and more have been brought into today's technology to capture the unseen images that were once limited by the ability to deal with technology disadvantages. Before today in predigital times like wars from earlier times such as D-Day during 1944, cameras were not even close to being waterproof and able to capture photos under climates such as water, dirt, sand, mud and other. Robert Capa a photojournalist during D-day explained the malfunctions of capturing precious war photography without waterproof technology, Robert Capa explains the process in which photography was produced at the time “With his cameras held high to keep them from getting waterlogged, Capa was pulled aboard the LCI and was soon out of harm's way. He had used three rolls of film and exposed 106 frames. After reaching England, he sped by train to London and delivered his precious film for developing.” (http://www.skylighters.org/photos/robertcapa.html) At this time there was absolutely no way of escaping this disadvantage other than what he explained and was to keep the camera high above the water level, do not expose the camera film to the outside until there was a safe environment. Not only could this be a large problem at the time dealing with wasted film and wasted time but now with digital memory, once a photo is taken, it will be saved to a drive that doesn't have access to unless you're the one taking the photos. Automatic sharing and distribution of photos allow extra copies and easier production. Another advance that the digital age is the ability to capture photographs at any time, A photojournalist named Rosenheim explained the difficulty of war photograph by saying “Photojournalism was born during the Civil War, though with limitations: You could take pictures before the battle, and after the battle, but not during the battle, because of the long exposures required. "The camera really couldn't capture that movement," said Rosenheim. (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/photography-that-changed-the-way-we-view-war/) This being said, digital photography has changed everything from capturing a photo before and after to give the ability to capture photos whenever, wherever and however. Capturing perfect movement will always be a struggle due to the large capabilities that someone or something possess to move too but capturing this in the act, provides the best quality image. 

35 mm Instant Film 

Allowing the digital age to consume a large role in what can and cannot be produced allows photojournalist to provide images that have never been able to be captured. With the new day and age, only advancements will be made in this field of study.