The darkroom was a great teacher – the old wet process mediums required conception and execution both before and after the “shot”.  For most of us, film limited the number of exposures.  Forethought in composition and the invisible technical requirements of exposure to capture an image were prerequisites for a “good image”.  There was no expectation that it could be fixed in “post”.  Obtaining a “good image” was only the first step.  In the dimness of the darkroom, final adjustments to composition, contrast, and tones was a process of trial and error, in slow motion.  All done with light and shadow, but was still somehow a tactile process.  Sometimes hours to “get it right”.  That single, well-crafted print – worthy of its wall space could give an image a multi-generational voice.

Digital photography changed everything.

Cameras in “devices” allowed for nearly infinite image capture.  (Something like 2.3 billion…yes, billion pictures taken every day, including almost 100 million “selfies”).  Most will never be seen.  Some will see their moment in social media.  Almost none will become “Art”.  The volume is understandable because of the ease.  In recent years, even cell phone cameras have become powerful enough to capture a usable image.  But the truth it is these are almost entirely transient, disposable, images.  Few ever get the chance to become art.  The very ease and disposability may lead many to overlook the occasional great image.

Software offers possibilities and flexibilities that were not possible in the dimness of the darkroom.  It is tempting to think that “post” can fix anything.  This is not actually true.  The old disciplines for shooting film still apply.  A properly composed and exposed digital image is a far better foundation for the flexibility of the digital darkroom than one that had to be heavily cropped or manipulated to become merely “acceptable”.

Good digital photographic art rests on the lessons of its film predecessor.  I am old enough to miss the days of film, and hopefully wise enough to appreciate both.