I have been an avid Photographer in the UK for many years and always used film, black and white and Colour, and never thought I would be at all interested in the new digital age! However a friend of mine who has recently purchased a middle of the range compact camera convinced me to try it!
I have spent many a long hour in the darkroom, mixing chemicals and spilling (and staining !) stuff all over me . After a couple of hours I would emerge with one or two decent prints, which on the whole were OK. Although I enjoyed doing this it was very time consuming.
To cut it short, I was amazed at the ease of using digital cameras, and soon realized that any mistakes (ie exposure etc) could be repeated to create roughly what I wanted.
You might ask is this the real thing, too easy?
Well, in one sense it is, but having used the camera and realized that you can buy reasonable SLR Cameras which gives you total control over exposure etc, I think that you can exercise control and learn many thing quickly (and less expensive).
The cost of processing and film can be off putting to many people, and the wait time involved. If you have messed up, the moment is often unrepeatable.
As well as that, more kids at school are now doing photography because of the need for only a computer and a simple camera with very little cost involved and darkroom space. Surely this is a good thing ?
I am learning all the time about the digital format, and their are many good books you can buy. You can learn a lot about digital from friends and the through the internet, its fun to do, and again no mess.
On my surfing travels there is one site I bothered to look at and was tempted to purchase, http://www.mylearnphotography.com Its an Australian product which offers the whole range of digital know how, complete, detailed and user friendly. Its a great way to learn quickly and at your own pace and not expensive. I think it has taught me most of what I know!
The purists will stay with the old film format, and I will still dabble in it, especially black and white, but I tempt people to give it a go and open their eyes.
