With all due respect... I hear what you are saying. I lived by that rule for years. Time is money. More time in the darkroom equals less money. But with digital and Pshop the rules have changed. Don't you think trying to apply the rules of film to digital a bit misguided? Once again, no disrespect meant.
When training new photographers we have a rule. Before you press the shutter halve the distance. So I don't disagree. But your statement only applies to that typical rookie mistake.
What if you can't get close enough to your subject? Like a fence bars the shot? What if you just can't visualize the shot, or are shooting a new subject, in a new environment? I'm not saying crop every shot. But there are times to shoot with cropping in mind. There are a lot of tools at our disposal with digital. It requires a new mindset that isn't easily embraced for those of us entrenched in the old ways.
Once again, not starting a flame war. I do think it's still a good rule to live by. But things are changing.
No offense taken HH, but....
I have been teaching photography for 30 years and since teaching students involves a lot of darkroom work, cropping in camera makes sense from the standpoint that when enlarging a negative to an 8x10 or larger then the quality suffers greatly when I start having my students crop the hell out of a print because they were too lazy to get closer to their subject. I try to teach all my students good habits with their cameras and in the darkroom. Also, in my original post you refer to, I did mention the use of a longer lens if getting closer is not possible. :yes:
Since most of my students are "rookies" that make a lot of mistakes and not working professionals (they are high school students by the way) then it is my objective to teach them the finer points of photography as it relates to subject matter, composition, lighting, exposure, film processing and the making of fine black and white prints. So money is not the issue here as it might be with you as a working professional , as you can see. Should some of them become working professionals (it's always my hope) they can make their own choices about how to handle post production.
How can applying the
rules of good photography be misguided? It matters not if you shoot with a digital camera, video camera, film camera, pinhole camera, camera obscura, or whatever floats your boat, the rules of
photography (film or otherwise) applies to all as it is nothing but a way to capture an image through the action of light just as any other image capturing device of your choice.
A lot of my students come to my class at the beginning of a new term not even owning a film camera. This was not always the case. Their parents will go out and buy them the cheapest POS disposable film camera at Wally World but hardly hesitate of buying them a $400 cell phone, iPod, PS3, etc. etc. For me to even consider teaching them any differently just because they don't have a nice Nikon or Canon (whatever) film camera with adjustable f-stops and/or shutter speeds should never get in the way of teaching them the rules of good photography. Does it not stand to reason that if one learns "good" rules of photography using a digital camera that those rules can be applied when using a film camera (and vice versa) as well?
As much as I do like digital photography, I often am under the impression that Photoshop and other photo editing software can become a substitute for good photography for the reasons you mention. Photo editing software is just another tool and too many users tend to rely on it to correct bad photography.
My apologies to the OP for going off topic but "good" photography and "good" shooting techniques should never be compromised and to suggest that applying the rules of "film" photography to "digital" photography is a bit misguided just doesn't sit right with me. But we all have our opinions and I respect them all even if I don't always agree with them.
If I see a photograph that I like, it matters not to me if was done with color film, black and white film, or digital (even if it was done by a Canon camera
). A good photograph became a good photograph because some "rules' were applied. These are rules I try to live by with my own photography and what I try to impart with students I teach.
Regards,
Jess
