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Yesterday I wrote about how the fact that digital photography is cheaper than film was often overlooked in the early days of the transition from film to digital. Cost efficiency was maybe only my #3 objective when I prepared to take the jump to digital in 2000-2001 but I absolutely considered it. In no small part that's because the $800-900 I spent on my first camera and memory cards to go with it was a significant investment for me, even if one I overthought. Anyway, while talking about cameras from back then I figured I should share a picture from back then.
This is literally among the first pictures I took with my first digital camera. Of course I went to Yosemite!
A former colleague and I took a midweek photography trip to Yosemite National Park, about 4 hours by car away from where we live, after we were laid off from the big company we worked at. Yes, that also means I took that big plunge on the cost right after being laid off. At that point I was still optimistic about being able to find another job quickly. (Historical note: I wasn't aware of how badly the tech industry would contract in the dot-com implosion, nor did I know that 9/11 would happen in another few months sending the entire country into a tailspin.)
A few technical notes about the picture:
"Overthought" means I probably should have just bought an earlier generation camera in 2000 and started having fun with it instead of waiting 'til 2001. I had my reasons, though. Mostly, I was waiting for a particular level of resolution (3 Megapixel) to become available at a certain price point with a good lens. But in retrospect the camera wasn't that major of a purchase (I spent/wasted more money on other things) and I wish I'd been aware of what I've since understood is a classic saying about the best camera: The best camera is the one in your hand when you want to make a picture. In other words, don't wait for "perfect" when "good" or even "usable" is available.
I mentioned that cost savings from not paying for film and developing was only my #3 goal. What were the top two? #1 was instant access to pictures so I could learn and improve faster. That's the benefit of immediate feedback I discussed yesterday. #2 was having that instant access be in the form of a digital image file— which I knew was the future of how images would be stored, improved, and shared.
This is literally among the first pictures I took with my first digital camera. Of course I went to Yosemite!
A former colleague and I took a midweek photography trip to Yosemite National Park, about 4 hours by car away from where we live, after we were laid off from the big company we worked at. Yes, that also means I took that big plunge on the cost right after being laid off. At that point I was still optimistic about being able to find another job quickly. (Historical note: I wasn't aware of how badly the tech industry would contract in the dot-com implosion, nor did I know that 9/11 would happen in another few months sending the entire country into a tailspin.)
A few technical notes about the picture:
- I captured it with a Sony DSC-S75 camera, with a 3.3 MP imaging chip and a 35-110mm zoom lens.
- Yes, I still have that camera I purchased in 2001! It's been in the closet since I replaced it in 2004, though.
- The camera's resolution is 2048x1536 pixels.
- I cropped the photo to 1000x1400 for the composition in the image shown here, then reduced it in size to 500x700 for sharing online.
- In Photoshop I made some adjustments for contrast, saturation, and brightness. I also sharpened the image gently after down-sampling it.
"Overthought" means I probably should have just bought an earlier generation camera in 2000 and started having fun with it instead of waiting 'til 2001. I had my reasons, though. Mostly, I was waiting for a particular level of resolution (3 Megapixel) to become available at a certain price point with a good lens. But in retrospect the camera wasn't that major of a purchase (I spent/wasted more money on other things) and I wish I'd been aware of what I've since understood is a classic saying about the best camera: The best camera is the one in your hand when you want to make a picture. In other words, don't wait for "perfect" when "good" or even "usable" is available.
I mentioned that cost savings from not paying for film and developing was only my #3 goal. What were the top two? #1 was instant access to pictures so I could learn and improve faster. That's the benefit of immediate feedback I discussed yesterday. #2 was having that instant access be in the form of a digital image file— which I knew was the future of how images would be stored, improved, and shared.
