Digital and the Client

 

IT'S ALL GOOD NEWS!     

With traditional film, it was generally accepted that all negatives remained the property of the photographer, but to be made available for printing whenever the client wished.  In special cases a photographer allowed  clients to have these negatives for a specified fee.

But what about digital photographs where there are no negatives?

At the completion of an assignment my digital images are downloaded to the computer into a folder labeled "Negatives".  These images - usually in both RAW and Jpeg formats - are not modified in any way and are archived with the same care as traditional negatives.  A duplicate set of images is then created and it is from these that the client's prints are made. 

At this stage, any necessary cropping, colour corrections or adjustments can be done - with far more flexibility than when traditional film was used. 

The images are duplicated once again and reduced to a size that can be viewed on a computer screen. These are made available on CD.  Their appearance when viewed on your computer as a slideshow is very impressive indeed, showing rich colours and vivid appearance.  Because of the much reduced file size however, they do not print in high detail and are the equivalent of "proofs" taken directly from negatives.

So, the procedure for digital photography is very similar to that used with film, and for the client, little has changed with respect to the end product - their photographs!  We are in the digital age - and we are the better for it. 

..... and in case you haven't noticed, my home page still shows me using a Mamiya 645 film camera!  It's such a beautiful machine and has given me so many years of faithful service, I am reluctant to part with it.   For digital work I am currently using Nikon D300s.

B.H.