The accompanying photographs illustrate the technological evolution from film to digital. All cameras bodies are NIKON (F5, D100, D1X, D2X, D3 and D4). The ever changing technology is used to pursue the timeless goal of capturing a single moment in nature. The underlying point is to get past media and technical distractions and make great photos.
“It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.” Alex Delarge: A Clockwork Orange 1971
We live in hyper speed – in a world dominated by media that surrounds us and permeates our lives. Unless you are a hermit living in a cave you are surrounded by visual stimuli produced by multimedia outlets whose job is to bombard us with imagery. Whether it is television, streaming HD video, giant video billboards on the highway, or going to the movies, we are all subjected to this constantly shifting tapestry of moving imagery.
In this environment I feel that still photography can be the antidote for sensory overload. Why does still photography continue to resonate with the human psyche? Think of any one of your favorite wildlife photos and consider the factors that give it lasting impact. Elements of these photographs could include composition, an intriguing subject, interesting behavior, color and texture combinations, etc.
When I think about factors that define my favorites it usually comes down to capturing a decisive moment. Being able to capture that 1000th of a second and tell a story in one photographic frame is the underlying concept and magic of still photography. As a wildlife photographer I am constantly struggling to find the tools and techniques to best capture that decisive moment.
How we utilize technology defines how we fit into our media driven culture.
Remember when we were looking forward to the new millennium? Seems like it was decades ago. Remember when 7.1 mega pixels was a HUGE file size? With the advent of digital photography we told ourselves that we would now save buckets of money because we didn’t need to buy film and pay for processing. (Remember FILM?)
Egret Chick
St Augustine Alligator Farm
Nikon F5 600mm lens 2x teleconverter VELVIA film
When digital cameras came on the scene, remember paying $350.00 for a 2gig memory card (and being happy)? My, how quickly things change!
I used to constantly reload 36 exposure film with my Nikon F5. Now I can capture many hundreds of images on a single CF card. Those huge 2 gig cards have now been replaced by 4 gig cards… wait a sec… 8 gig… wait…16…no…32gig cards…since I wrote this sentence a new 64 gig card has been released! I also always seem to need the newest, biggest, fastest camera body available too.
How about this gem…
Question: “Which computer should I buy?”
Answer: “The NEXT one!”
I won’t even mention the constantly evolving world of soft ware and the inevitable upgrades and plug-in nightmares.
Did I mention DIGITAL STORAGE?
White Pelican
St Augustine Alligator Farm
Nikon D100 80-400mm lens
With all of this rapidly changing technical info available (and it is mandatory that you keep up to date with all of it) my goal has been to know enough of the “geeky” stuff to stay afloat and share what I know with other people. There will always be someone who knows more than I do and the hope is they would be happy to share their knowledge with me.
Northern Harrier Hawk
Bosque del Apache, NM
Nikon D1X 600mm lens
I am at my creative and artistic best when I can forget all of the above technology and simply be “in the moment” (the 1000th of a second?) when great wildlife photography can take place.
Lesser flamingo
Lake Nakuru, Kenya
Nikon D2X 600mm lens 1.7x teleconverter
Now pretend that you have a camera system that you understand and like. Please separate yourself from all of the distractions. Be in the moment and see the natural world around you. The fundamental principles of photography remain the same and boil down to something as simple as: Where are you going to point your camera and when are you going to push the shutter release?
Lioness
Serengeti, Tanzania
Nikon D3 600mm lens 1.7 teleconverter
Black-headed Heron and Frog
Serengeti, Tanzania
Nikon D4 600mm lens 1.7 teleconverter
Todd Gustafson can be reached at
(847)373-5622
Email gustaphoto@aol.com
Website gustafsonphotosafari.net/