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Articles
by Chris A. Paschke, CPF GCF CMG
"Digital Hoopla"
September 2003
A six year old child is
sitting on the sofa with his Mother looking through a family photo album…
"Where’s my picture,
Mommy?" "We bought the digital camera right after you were born,
Sweetheart." she says. Wow, the
world of digital cameras has taken the social aspect of strolling down memory
lane to a whole new level. Flipping through old family photos on the
overstuffed sofa in the living room has been altered to an activity that
requires sitting on straight backed chairs around a computer monitor in the
home office.
THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN’
The current digital photo
revolution all began with computers. With the onset of digital photography we
have been allowed the pleasure of taking photos then viewing them immediately. Historically,
we were prisoners of rolled analog film that required dropping at the local
drugstore and waiting days for developing, only to find our limited photo
skills had captured out of focus images and closed eyes. We were thrilled with
the onset of one hour developing, though to many that was even too long a
wait. Now we can do it all ourselves. Shoot
the image, download it, manipulate it, alter its size, tweak its color, edit
its content, open closed eyes, and then
email it to Grandma all in the same day. What a deal!
We all agree technology is not a bad thing. Just ten short years
ago I was able to relocate my office without the stresses of moving bulky
computer equipment at all. Although that equipment was a major pain in the
frame when relocating last year to California, in turn, that very technology is
what allows me to live high in the Tehachapi Mountains, photograph digital
images for my column, and email them directly to my editor for your next
article. The digital revolution is here to stay and getting more powerful by
the day.
THE HOOPLA OVER DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
I came across an
interesting article earlier this year, originally published in November 2002 by
Durst-Pro-USA, Inc. (durst.com) which discussed potential reasons behind the
origin of digital photography during this technological age.
From a commercial point of
view, a photo image of a product is only needed for a limited period of time.
It is produced specifically for the promotion and sale of a product, and not
designed for long term display, documentation or as an emotional keepsake. In
that venue, digital photography is perfect. It is immediate, cost effective and
may turn from the shot of a product to an oversized vinyl banner for a store
window by that afternoon.
Although perfect for
commercial applications, digital photography was never really meant for long
term fine art applications. There in lies the problem. In our immediate and
disposable society we want to see the photos right away, not even being patient
enough to wait two hours when one hour developing is the promise.
THE BIRTH OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Digital photography was not
developed to make photography better, but rather to make photography more interactive
and customer friendly. It appears to have been developed by a group of
companies like Samsung, Intel, Epson, and Hewlett Packard to take over market
share from the traditional photo companies like Polaroid, Kodak, Agfa and
Ilford. Use of digital photos also
breeds the purchase of all affiliated products, including printing papers,
inks, printers, CD and hopefully picture frames or preservation scrapbooks.
Ironically, it took the
scrapbook industry to awaken public awareness and in turn their need for
preservation framing, UV glazing, lightfast felt pens and digital photos. Yes,
the public prints out many of their images, but they may not be using pigmented
inks or even digital photo papers. And even when not on high quality photo
papers these prints may still end up in scrapbooks and framed.
COST AND PERMANENCE
Digital imaging was not
invented to save the customer money, nor was consideration taken for its
lighfastness, longevity or permanence. It is wonderful to be able to scan and
save digital images and files to CD-ROM, but CDs are currently only guaranteed
for a lifespan of 20 years. Hence that six year old at the opening of my
article will not have images of himself for his grandchildren id saved to a
vintage 2000 CD. Digital photos are evolving, experiencing the same growing
pains of early RC photos. Fading, reactions to environmental conditions,
framing intolerances are all common issues.
It is rumored that Sony is
working on a whole new CD-ROM format that will be able to hold 4 Gigabytes in
the same space that currently holds 600MB today. The new format is thought to
be replacing all other formats including CD-ROM and DVD, which have already
replaced 5-1/4”, 4”, and 3” floppies and ZIP drives. Digital software has a
lifespan of three to five years before being considered outdated. Even if you
have your digital images saved to CD or DVD and they survive twenty years
without digital dust and deterioration…will your new computer in 2020 even be
able to read it?
DIGITAL TO IMAGE
In the late 1990s,
consumers repeatedly stated the only reason for having a digital camera was to
send email photos. By 2000, 63% of
consumer digital images were being saved to computer hard drives. In 2001 it
was up to 68%; in 2002 it was thought to be 71%. Then during late 2002 it was
reported by PMA Market Research in The
Path From Pixels to Print that
78% of digital camera users were now using their cameras for the preservation of memories. This means
that the previously computer locked images (previously only on hard drive) were
finally being printed for viewing away from the computer monitor.
In an additional report by
Brian Longheier, Photo Marketing
Magazine, June 2003 he stated 20% of all digital images were now being
printed as viewable images away from the computer, over the 14% in the previous
year. These statistics are based on in-home printing. Digital photo kiosks have
been available since 2001, but only a tiny percentage of digital images are
being professionally printed for the consumer. Retail developed digital prints
still account for only 6% of the total retail photo prints in 2002, over the
low 2% in 2001. We still have a long way to go.
The real problem is that
most digital camera users are not even aware of the printing options available
at a retail level for their digital images. So they continue to print on their
desktop home printer. New photo printers (see previous article, PFM, Digital
Technologies) and new technologies are capable of printing either traditional
film or digital photographs from cam, disk, or chip, to traditional photo
paper. In January 2003 Kodak recently released an ad campaign promoting the
developing of images from a digital camera card being dropped off just as you
would a roll of film. And Sony is in hot pursuit. It all boils down to the re-education of the
consumer…who knew?
The images that are printed
from these kiosks are often printed on traditional silver halide photo paper,
or one visually similar. For all intents and purposes the look and feel of
familiar photos we all have come to know and love. These may or may not be heat
tolerant, but are no doubt susceptible to traditional orange peel issues just
as an RC photo print.
A PRINT IS A PRINT IS A PRINT
In the art world a print
is a work of art on paper using a planographic technique (etching,
lithograph, serigraph...), or a handmade multiple (wood block, monoprint…)
which has been created by or supervised by the artist. An artist print may further be a limited edition reproduction, which is a
copy of an original piece of art authorized by the artist as an edition of
multiple copies, often signed and numbered. Traditionally the original plate
copy is then destroyed. An open edition reproduction is a copy of
an original with no set limit, and a poster
is an open edition reproduction with adjacent wording integrated as
announcement or advertising.
The operative word in this
description is print. In the photographic world a photograph is also called a
print. The negative, slide, or film is the original, and the resulting
developed display image is the print, as the oil painting or watercolor may be
the artist original and the reproduction is its print.
At the June International Standards Organization
(ISO) meetings there was an in depth conversation over the title of the current
standard we have been working on and whether the title should state photograph
or print. The issue and disagreement is over the description of traditional
photographs vs. electronic images. The word photograph comes from the Greek
words graphos meaning writing and photos meaning light, or writing with light.
So are traditional films
and electronic images then photographs or prints? Electronic images include
electrophotographic, electrostatic, thermal transfer, dye sublimation, inkjet,
LED, and laser. But what about art prints, LEs and giclees? Giclees are usually
what a limited edition inkjet is called. The original in this case may be an
oil, watercolor or graphic which is scanned into the computer for multiple
printing.
What then is a digital
photograph? The current dispute is over whether a digital photo, one that has
always been made up of electronic data, is the same as a painting or writing
with light, as the definition of a traditional photograph. This is the same
argument as with computer generated art, in which there is no actual original,
but the electronic information in the computer. The computer is the media, the
brush, the tool, and paint used to create the image original. The digital
camera is the tool to create the photo image, the computer is the film. The
jury is still out on the correct answer.
EPILOGUE
New 21st C
technology requires 21st C definitions. Does any of this matter? Of
course it does! As much as any new media needs to be explained to be better
understood. In order for framers to be able to figure out what the limitations
are, and in turn how then to mount, mat and frame an image we must first be
able to understand what it is made of…and whether it is an original or a print.
Original art and LEs must be handled archivally, while open editions are free
to be more decoratively framed, and digital photographs are somewhere in
between regardless of whether called a photograph or a print.
As always the digital
hoopla continues, and future articles will address color shifting, photo
reactions, and heat tolerances of light, heat, pollution, moisture and handling
these new prints.
END
Additional information on digitals is found in The Mounting and Laminating Handbook,
Second Edition, 2002, and The Mounting And Laminating Handbook,
Third Edition, 2008. Creative
Mounting, Wrapping, And Laminating, 2000 will teach you everything you need to know
about getting the most from your dry mount equipment and materials as an
innovative frame designer. All books are available from Designs Ink Publishing through this website.
Other articles on the Indexes that are not yet linked
from this site may be available as a .pdf from Designs Ink directly. Please feel
free to email if you would like the other format. For live consultations with
Chris Paschke, CPF GCF call Designs Ink, 661.821.2188. A flat fee of $25 will
be charged for each new technical problem. Unlimited calls or emails are
allowed for each established mounting problem.
Chris A Paschke, CPF GCF
Designs Ink
Designs Ink
Publishing
785 Tucker Road, Suite G-183
Tehachapi, CA
93561
661.821.2188
info@designsinkart.com