Sitting here once again at the computer post processing images surrounded by digital junk. I have an ever growing number of external hard disks packed high on my desk as I search for archived images to print, I have three printers aligned in a row waiting for the various different print outs required for each of them, I have a multitude of very expensive software programs to edit, sort, store and keyword and of course the Computer which I swear gets slower every day!

I always thought that things were supposed to be made easier in this digital age for photography? Easier maybe to take pictures, easier maybe to see the result of the picture, but easier to keep track of it all? Mmmmmmmmm…. maybe. One thing is for sure it is absolutely more expensive than using film ever was. I have to update cameras more frequently than before, I seem to be needing new storage on an increasingly regular basis as the files get increasingly larger, whenever I have an idea to improve the way I work it invariably needs some new or upgraded software to accomplish it.

Of course I have conveniently forgotten about spending hours inside the darkroom breathing foul smelling chemicals to produce my prints and then leave them hanging by clothes pegs on a piece of string over the bath to dry. Oh yes and having to write down all the developing instructions for each image so I could reproduce it consistently (expose for 4 seconds, dodge top left hand corner for 2 seconds etc etc etc….). Oh yes and my favourite of having to use spotting pens on the final print before matting as no matter how hard you tried there would always be some piece of dust on the paper during exposure.

Give me digital every time!

Anyway back we go to Photoshop and it will be all worth it when  I see the prints pop out of the printer