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Showtime for shutterbugs
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Is the digital camera drawing more people to photography? DEEPA ALEXANDER finds out
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THERE ARE times when it's important to remember what we cherish most. There are times when we want to introduce a new friend or a new love to people and places that shaped our lives before they came along. So we reach for photographs carefully sorted out in a neat album or thrown helter-skelter in a shoebox full of dog-eared prints. But trying to organise piles of photographs can leave you feeling unglued.
Plug and play
With her husband in Nigeria, her daughter in the U.S. and she in Hyderabad, how does Durva keep in touch with what's happening? E-mail maybe, but in addition to that she likes to convey so many things that can't quite be described through words, like her son's smile after he got admission in his father's alma mater. That's when she turns to a digital camera. "My Nikon costs as much as a film-based camera, but it has a significant advantage. You can take a photograph, view it immediately on the camera, delete it if you don't like it and shoot again. Uploading the picture to your computer is almost instantaneous, no waiting for the film to finish, no developing delays, no scanning requirements, just click and transfer electronically and you have instant gratification," says this interior designer. "I even send my designs across time zones."
One for everyone
Though digital cameras have been around for a while, they are now proliferating among computer users in Hyderabad. It is common to see them popping up at family occasions, picnics, parties and pubs. Says Ranjith, an amateur photographer twirling a camera attached to his key ring, "A digital camera is less technical. You don't have to depend on a scanner and you can shoot even in low light. But low colour saturation lends no depth to the picture."
But now with everyone wanting to be part of the bigger picture, digital cameras are fast disappearing off store shelves. Rajinder Jain, proprietor, Victory Colour Lab says, "There is a demand for digital cameras priced at the low end. Taking into account the printing and developing costs of film, people prefer these cameras. Since the number of pixels (small individual dots which together form the whole picture) is limited, the quality of the photograph is nowhere near pictures shot with film-based cameras. But only professionals need to worry about quality."
Just aim and shoot
The most precious things we bring home from our travels are photographs that crystallise our memories. P.G. Vinda, cinematographer, says, "Digital cameras lend emotion to picturising good times. There is no fear of damaged film or overexposure which can forever wipe away those memories." But documentary filmmaker, Kiranmayi thinks differently. "If you know how to shoot you can make do with any camera. But digital cameras are unobtrusive and underplay your presence. They are good for architecture and archiving but not for skin tones, wildlife or sports photography."
But Nayan who has just bought a Canon Ixus couldn't care less. "Even my six-year-old son can handle it. And you don't have to rush out to get film just when your toddler is learning to stand unassisted."
No longer is the camera an enviable tool given only to rich brats for class excursions. The digital revolution has ensured that it records scenes, situations and events as they happen. And while some photographs nudge open tantalising doors into stories, into lives and remind you of someplace you were happy once, you know it's a good picture when you just have to talk about it.And so what if mom has her eyes closed, sister has her mouth open and dad looks like Hitler? Just go déjà vu, grab your digital camera and say cheese. Again.
Buyer's checklist
THE FOLLOWING questions will help you get a better idea of which digital camera will be best for you:
What is your purpose? Do you simply want to document the life and times of your family or do you want to be a digital artist? Do you want to print your images in large sizes?
Then look for high resolution. The more number of megapixels, the better the quality.
If you are going to print, what kind of printer will you be using and what are its resolution requirements?
Again, look for resolution. If you are only going to email them to friends you don't need much resolution.
Will you be taking this digital camera around the world?
Look for lots of storage
Will you always be able to get very close to your subject?
If not, get a digital camera with a good telephoto zoom lens.
Will you be taking pictures of small items like stamps, coins, flowers?
Look for a digital camera with a macro feature.
Want to make sure that the money you save on film and developing doesn't end up getting spent on batteries?
Get a camera with rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries.
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