ArticlesSelecting A Digital Camera
“I want a digital camera!” Mel exclaimed, “Tell me what type should I get?” It was mid-2001, and digital camera were just starting to boom.
I was doubtful. “I don’t think they are any good yet. Maybe in a couple of years…”
She insisted, and I found a web-site that would ask you some key questions and then recommend a camera. We both went through the questionnaire separately, and compared our answers.
I was recommended a $17,000 SLR.
She was recommended was a $250 compact.
I demurred.
She went out and bought a $250 compact.
How Do You Use A Digital Camera?
She loved her new camera; I hated it. It took me a while to work out why we had such different opinions; it was all about how we used it. We had completely different “use-cases” for a camera!
Natural Shots
To me, I would far rather that the camera was almost invisible. Ideally, the participants wouldn’t pay attention to the camera at all, and I would get “candid” shots. Not in the nudge-nudge-wink-wink sense, but in the naturally posed sense. I want to capture and preserve the moment for later.
I realise it isn’t always possible, especially on a camera with a flash.
My modus operandi was to observe people getting so involved in some task, some conversation, some shared moment that I saw an opportunity. I would grab the camera, and quickly take the shot, hoping that I had remembered to turn-off the red-eye reduction.
Posed Shots
To Mel, the camera wasn’t meant to be invisible. It is a curio, a talking point, an ice-breaker. She would pull out the camera during a pause in conversation, everyone would squeeze together and smile, and pose. They would hold the camera out at arm’s length to get them all into the same shot. Then they would all gather together to look at the photo on the back of the camera, and coo and squeal over it. Repeat a couple of times, and put the camera away for the night.
To me, the big surprise was that once the photo had been taken, and the moment had been bonded over, the actual image was largely irrelevant. I exaggerate only slightly when I say that the photo could have been immediately deleted and no-one would care.
The camera was used for instant gratification, not delayed gratification.
Best Shots
For me, the absolutely worst part of this whole situation was, at the end of the night, her photos were coming out better than the ones I took on the same camera! She was getting better results and having more fun doing it!
Again, it took me a while to work out what was going on.
Going for the natural shot was a riskier approach to taking photos. I fully expected that many of my photos would be unusable afterwards, but I expected the occasional perfect shot that would make it worthwhile. However, I wasn’t getting any of those – I would just get a nicely-framed shot with these weird streaks of light floating around the subject’s head.
It turns out that the light sensors in the camera would get overloaded when the camera was pointed at a bright light source. It would take a few seconds for the individual sensors to settle back down again. When I grabbed the camera quickly to frame a shot, it pointed in all directions for a few seconds immediately before I took the shot. The sensors hadn’t properly settled down, and the result was streaks of light like streamers being dragged behind the highlights of the shot (or of light globes now out-of-shot).
Mel would pose the shot slowly. By the time she took a photograph, the sensors had calmed down, and the shot was perfect.
Julian Succumbs to Temptation, and Encounters a Dilemma
A couple of years later, I bought a digital SLR – when the price was more like that of a big fridge rather than that of small car.
I like the fact that it can take shots much faster than the compact, without the weird streaks.
I like the fact the image doesn’t have a small slightly darkened smudge on every shot. (“Where? I don’t see it. It looks fine to me!” she protested.)
I don’t like the fact that it is large and obstrusive. I don’t like that it is perceived as a status symbol. It interferes with my ability to take natural photographs.
The questions come as soon as I take it out of the case: “Wow! Is that a digital SLR camera?”
“No!” I lie, “Why don’t you just ignore me and go back to playing with your child in that photogenic manner.”
“Oooh! It is so. Show me the last photo you took.”
“What? No! I’ll send you a copy later. Hey look, your kid is trying to make you laugh! How cute!”
“It’s a cool camera. Is it the 500 or the 550? Have you got a telephoto lens for it?”
“Forget the camera. Play with your damned kid!”
I’ve got to find a new tactic here. The current one ends up with me sounding very brusk and rude, and still missing the shot.
Maybe I need buy a $250 compact instead.
Comment by Sunny Kalsi on December 14, 2005
Part of the skill of being a cameraman is certainly social, and has little to do with knowing how to take good pictures. While knowing how to take good pictures makes the difference between a good pic and a great pic, knowing how to be a good cameraman is the difference between some pic and no pic.
The size of the camera doesn’t matter to people, it’s really the action of bringing it to eye level to take the picture. Cameramen (usually with bulky SLRs) have this ability to disappear into the background, either by having people so used to them that they stop caring (taking ridiculous numbers of pictures that you wear out the camerashy person who keeps putting his arms over his face as well as the camera-happy person who always smiles and waves). Alternately, they can take pictures without looking in the eye-piece (camera on a tripod on top of a “hot-spot”, and making small-talk but really looking for the pic, taking it when they’re unawares).
Paid photographers usually take the first route (although they may use the second strategy for tough cases). People usually don’t know them, and they quickly accept that they’re just doing their job and learn to ignore them (you don’t block the camera on a paid photographer, because it’s considered rude: You’re not getting in the way of their happy-snap, you’re getting in the way of their livelihood). Cameramen who are invited (this is basically the “prosumers” who get given crap later over how they can’t take decent pics with their ridiculously expensive cameras) must go with strategy 2, but they also need to be mobile, so there’s no tripod. When you add this to the unpredictable (usually dull) lighting, it’s easy to see why it’s so difficult.
Natural photos are a difficult thing to do for prosumers lacking the necessary social skills. A porn-star like ability to disarm the victim is a must.
Comment by Andrew on December 15, 2005
What you need is a good camera that looks like a $250 compact. You need to understand what makes a camera look cheap. You won’t find an expensive camera that looks cheap out of the box, because the manfacturer doesn’t want that – but you may be able to disguise it.
Comment by Julian on December 15, 2005
Sunny, your word-choice continues to delight and confound me. Surely, “martial-artist” would be more appropriate here than “porn-star”?
Andrew,
How about a lens made out of a Pringles tin and an old t-shirt?