Many of us spend hours of our lives reading device reviews, checking rumor sites, getting excited about new camera or computer releases, and generally staying up to date with the technology behind them. after modern photography. Some believe that by staying up to date with new technology, we can make more informed purchasing decisions and potentially get better at our jobs. Some are simply interested in new technology. But how important is it for photographers to stay up to date with new technological breakthroughs?
Exciting new technology
I am a admitted technology enthusiast. I love learning about the amazing possibilities new technology brings to the world of photography and other creative industries. I like to watch the speeches live, then go online to read the discussions and analysis. I like technology. As I rapidly enter my late 30s, I marvel at how far we’ve come from when I learned how to develop film as a teenager, to a fully digital workflow. running from my laptop allows me to shoot, edit and upload from anywhere in the world. The possibilities open to creative professionals are astounding today, and the barriers to entry into the creative world are lower than in the past. The great thing about life these days is that any of us can create engaging digital content from a mobile phone. We are living in the future!
I love reading about new technology because I find it interesting. Unfortunately, this can lead to high levels of excitement about upcoming products, which often leads to buying new toys that have a dubious impact on my ability to create content. The New MacBook ProNew M1 iPad Proand the iPhone 12 Pro Max all bought in 2021 will almost certainly cost me more than they boosted my income in 2021. Though they’re both great tools that work great effective period, but their real value, when compared with my old setup, is open to debate.
Can You Succeed Without an Edge Cutter Kit?
At the end of 2021, I’m doing a shoot for a major national advertising campaign. It was one of the biggest photography jobs I’ve ever been fortunate to work for. The campaign isn’t out yet, so I can’t go into too much detail about the nature of the shoot other than it’s a mix of studio and location shots with a large group shooting several locations, models. and props, then create composites and send them to clients for approval. The customer will call with feedback and we will make the necessary changes and repeat the process.
The main photographers for studio shoots are experienced and very easy to work with. This photographer is the creative agency’s first choice and has shot a number of popular campaigns over a fairly long and successful career. Based on the budget and fees I have, it can be said that he is well-compensated for his time on this work. It is worth mentioning that this photographer is famous, talented and successful in this chosen field.
After meeting the photographer and discussing photography plans, part of me was excited to see what shiny kit would debut in his tool bag. Yes, I appreciate how silly it is for someone in the photography industry to say: “good pictures, you have to have a great camera.” But, I’m still looking forward to seeing some kit that I’ll be jealous of. At the end of October 2021, just a week or so after the new MacBook Pro line shipped, I ordered a new MacBook Pro and was considering buying it. Canon EOS R5 to replace mine DSLR Camera 5D Mark IVso I was especially excited about the new technology at the time.
We started setting up our workspace in the studio. The first box to roll out was a 13-inch MacBook Pro M1, released in late 2020, which has recently been pushed lower in the lineup by new M1 Pro and M1 Max-enabled MacBooks. I immediately asked the photographer if he wanted to buy. New MacBook Pro. He looked at me a little confused and said, “This is new. I just bought it a few weeks ago. “Turns out he knows nothing about the 14″ and 16” 2021 models with XDR screens and powerful Apple Silicon processor.
Next up is the camera bag, I’m sure to see some coveted sets here! As the photographer opened the bag to set up the camera, I realized that the entire campaign was being shot on a Phase One 645 Df+ medium format body from 2009 using the IQ180 digital camera from 2009. 2011. As you would expect of any well-used camera. tools, cameras have been used a lot over the years. I do not mean that this is not a professional camera of good quality. The body alone was priced at $6,000 upon release, the digital back had a release price of $48,000 and produced 81-megapixel medium format images with 10,380 x 7,816 resolution. For studio shooting with professional lighting, this was a very well-suited setting for producing the large, high-quality images we needed for the composite we had to produce. I was just expecting a whole new technology on this scale. The digital of the last decade took seconds to write to the card. It’s also a bit clunky to use the touchscreen with slightly slow performance when navigating menus.
Again, I asked the photographer if he would consider upgrading to a newer set, and he simply asked, “Why would I?” Of course he was right. This kit is fully functional and produces what he needs for his professional work, and most importantly, he knows how to use it. Photographers know every button, every menu, every setting like the back of their hand in a way that only someone who has used the same tool every day for over a decade can. For reference, the new Phase One IQ4 digital media format systems start at around $59,000, and that’s a serious change for anyone to get into once your kit is up and running. Works just as good as the original, despite the slow touchscreen response.
What about software?
As I mentioned earlier, this shot required a lot of composites to be sent to the client for review, then relaunched based on customer feedback. As you might expect from a campaign of this size, customer requirements can be small changes to small details.
I was thoroughly impressed by how well the old 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 handled 81 MP images in Photoshop projects with a large number of layers. No lags, no file problems, and no fan noise. No need for that $2,800 MacBook Pro after all?!
When sending proof of images to clients, I was expecting to see some of the brand new collaboration tools Adobe recently launched for Photoshop on the web. This is the perfect situation for Photoshop Web to be used with a remote client giving feedback on a project throughout the process. Sadly, no one on the creative team is even aware of, let alone using any of Adobe’s new features for collaboration. Photographers simply take a screenshot of the project in Photoshop, crop it accordingly and email it to the client for review. I can’t fault the simplicity and effectiveness of this method, especially since it gave us time to eat and drink coffee while we waited for an email reply. Perhaps immediate feedback isn’t always the best on these types of projects.
While taking a break and waiting for a response, a few of us chatted about Adobe’s new features and some of the new things Photoshop and Lightroom are capable of. We all agree that Photoshop’s functionality and features are amazing. We all also agree that immediately updating to a new version of Photoshop when it is released is not a good idea. I think most modern photographers appreciate the occasional bug in new software, and it’s best to let non-professionals be beta testers.
How important are new technology updates?
As someone interested in new technology, it’s hard to imagine others in the same industry who aren’t up to date with new cameras, new computers, and new software. Working on a large-scale campaign with a team of leaders in their respective fields, whose workflows work flawlessly without requiring cutting-edge technology, is an open experience. wide eyes. Tech blogs and gossip sites are constantly bombarding us with all the upcoming features we “need” and how new hardware and new software will improve our lives.
The truth is that the last part of the kit you upgrade still does all the great new things that make you upgrade; your old kit isn’t likely to get worse when the new one comes out. If it still works and you have a comfortable workflow, is it really necessary to change it up for something just because it’s shiny and new? Sometimes there are features that make all the difference and are well worth the upgrade, but it’s up to us as individuals to decide if a new gadget will make our lives better or it’s just a matter of fact. shiny new beautiful toy.
Do you enjoy reading about new technology? How often do you upgrade to new technology when it comes out, or how long do you keep your kits? Let me know in the comments section.
