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From Pixels to the Printed Page

Eight photographers discuss the pros and cons of digital photography in their businesses: How they use it, what they like and hate, what the clients think, how to bill for post-production time, where the technology is going and where it needs to go.

Jeff Singer

1. Please identify your image (pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   Surfer Portrait. The image is part of a series of portraits of surfers in the Santa Cruz, CA area. It was actually started the day I got my new digital camera, just to test the camera. I liked the results from the first day so I decided to go back over the next couple of weeks and photograph the diversity of surfers you can see on any given day in Santa Cruz.
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?
   
   Believe it or not, I started out never having shot film. Three years ago was the first time I had ever used a camera seriously and it was digital. When I went to photography school I wasn't allowed to use my digital camera for the first half of the program. At that point I fell in love with black & white medium format film and have been using it ever since. I still used my 6mp digital camera on occasion, but I've never used digital for clients because I was never happy with digital files compared to scanned medium format film. But with the 1DS Mk II my opinion of digital files has changed and I am now happy to use it for any commercial or editorial client who accepts digital capture. I often push for digital if they are initially apprehensive about it.
   
   
3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?     90%
   
   
4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   Seeing the images as they are being shot. Not worrying if you've gotten the shot or if the Polaroid is going to be the best picture of the day. The post-production workflow is much better as well. I like to do everything myself, which includes scanning when I shoot film. So, even though I may end up shooting more with digital, it's still easier to pick selects and create a rough edit of the images. With film I would spend a lot of time scanning images and then prepping the image for the client.
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   I think file sizes and mega pixel counts are not the important thing to focus on any longer. I think the quality of the file is more important than file size. There needs to be better acceptance and adherence to color management standards between clients and photographers. If you're sending a digital image you can't be sure what the person on the other end sees. I know my end is completely color managed and accurate, but I can't say the same for the person viewing it on another computer. Image management is another concern due to the vast amount of images on your computer. And of course backing up all this data is a problem as well.
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?
   
   I still love black & white film. I know how to turn my color digital images into nice black & white images, but for me personally black & white film is still far better.
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?
   
   Image quality. Until the 1DS Mk II I was never happy with the quality of the digital file compared to scanned medium or large format film. The file was too fragile and looked digital. Even with the 1DS Mk II I see some problems, although they are not significant, but the workflow makes up for them.
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   Rob Galbraith's site is a good resource; once you find the core professional photographers discussing the issues a professional photographer deals with. You have to wade through a lot of noise at times though.
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?
   
   I still have some clients who insist on medium format film. But most are happy with digital capture due to the quicker turnaround time. The concern comes on my end, hoping they are properly color managed so the image will be reproduced as I intended.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?
    
    Yes, for the most part. I do get contacted by some editorial clients, who either don't accept the digital charges or use a flat rate. It is important to bill for digital capture because there is a lot more work involved than sending off your film.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?
    
    Easier. You are doing a lot more work than you would be if you are handing off film, but you are then making the money that labs and other third parties used to make. However, digital isn't by any means cheaper for the photographer. There is more to digital than the camera body and a lot of photographers don't think of everything that goes into a digital workflow.
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?     No
    
    

John Slemp

1. Please identify your image (pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   The cover image is mine, a panna cotta dessert that was created on location for a small Italian restaurant in Atlanta. It was shot using available (tungsten) light and a fill card, and was handheld with my elbows on the table, for stability. We downloaded the image to the laptop, and checked it for sharpness. It was there, and actually was better than expected. The owner immediately approved, so there was nothing left to do but eat it! Try that with film!
   
   My Atlanta skyline image in the portfolio section was basically a test of my new Nikon D70 digital camera. I shot the job with a 4x5 field camera, and Kodak Ektachrome 100 G film. They needed the resolution for an in-store display, which was to be output to a 10 x 26 foot mural. It seemed like it would be a good opportunity to check the Nikon in a low light situation, and the file was much better than expected. I found the noise level in the shadows to be acceptable, and overall, I was pleasantly surprised. While I still prefer film for extended exposures, the digital technology appears to be catching up in that department too...
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?
   
   I've been shooting digitally for a bit over two years, but have been scanning film since 1999.
   
   
3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?     95%
   
   
4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   Seeing the image immediately, if needed. And the post-processing control that you have just makes it a much better way to "realize your vision" and to instill confidence in clients. Additionally, it's a great advantage to be able to place the images on the net for client approval, or to transmit large files, via FTP. Indeed, that's exactly how my files were delivered for this magazine.
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   Adoption of digital standards (including metadata), adoption of the DNG (digital negative) format by camera manufacturers, continued refinement of DAM (digital asset management) programs, systems to register copyright electronically (which is under development), electronic payments to photographers, systems to automatically limit the reproducibility of a file, according to it's license duration.
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?
   
   Yes, especially for low-light situations, or for high speed shooting, such as athletes in motion.
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?
   
   Learning how to properly manage color and just the sheer capital outlay for the ever-evolving digital cameras and lenses, high speed computers and storage devices, software and fast internet connections. Also, the fact that it must be updated every few years, makes it much more expensive than shooting film.
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   My peers, books and publications, the web, reading the instructions.
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?
   
   Since e-mailing images is so commonplace now, clients understand the immediacy that digital can provide, but they haven't quite grasped the underlying expense.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?
    
    Clients are beginning to understand the expenses that are related to digital capture. It is a constant educational process; one the photographer must first understand and build into their fees.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?
    
    While digital capture allows you to charge additional fees, mainly for post-production processing, it also takes quite a bit more time. It's nice, and some would say crucial, to have more control over the end result, but at some point I believe there is a point of diminishing returns regarding that control. Striking a balance, both visually and from a business perspective, is a constantly evolving situation. The jury is still out on whether it's any more profitable.
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?
    
    There is no doubt that digital is here to stay and that it has dramatically altered the way images are captured and delivered to clients. Photographers should continue to push for the evolution of systems that will help manage these files, both within their businesses, and to manage them once they are released to our clients. We should also push the publishers to create management systems that will allow them to instantly know if an image has been properly licensed, and if not, how to contact the copyright holder to negotiate a license. We should push to have electronic payment become the standard, prior to any use, whether it be an assignment or stock license. Lastly, we should continue to educate ourselves on how to properly use these remarkable new tools...
    
    

Kelly Gorham

1. Please identify your image (pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   Artichoke. I was shooting for my portfolio and wanted to experiment with light painting using digital capture. I had previously only used light painting with film. Doing it digitally proved to be more difficult than I anticipated, mostly because I couldn't think in terms of multiple exposures as easily. The obvious advantage to using digital was the immediate feedback. I could keep making exposures until I "painted" it just the way I liked. Then I could shoot until I had the exact base exposure I wanted. The real test came when I had to combine the digital images. Once again, you can't think in terms of multiple exposures like with film. I'm into astronomy so I used some techniques for image stacking developed by astrophotographers. By layering the soft-focus, light painted image over the base exposure, then experimenting with blending modes, I was able to get a result that pleased me.
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?
   
   I began using digital while on staff with newspapers and at a corporation so I had several years to get familiar with it using some of the first DSLRs. I implemented it into my own workflow about one year ago.
   
   
3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?
   
   I shoot about 95% digital now. The only time I shoot film is when a client needs really high res images or when shooting action sports and I need a fast motor drive. These two scenarios will be corrected with some of the new cameras that are being released.
   
   
4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   Instant gratification. I feel like I can spend more time on composition, lighting and working with the art directors and talent since I'm not so concerned with shooting and developing Polaroid tests. I don't like all the extra cords and gear on the shoot, or the extra post-production time, but it's worth it to have the instant feedback. My clients love digital and have grown to expect it.
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   Higher resolution and larger file sizes. I would also like to see faster processing times and faster flash cards. I think the new digital negative formats are a step in the right direction, but I hope the camera manufacturers step up to that plate regarding their proprietary capture software.
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?     See question 3.
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?
   
   Cost. Of course, the costs are coming down each year, but to get into a high res DSLR or medium format capture back the prices are still very high. Keeping up with software upgrades is an expensive challenge as well. Initially educating clients and trying to talk them into digital was also a struggle.
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   Few. When I was a staff shooter and we first went digital, there were no resources, everybody was new to it. Now there are magazines like Digital Photo Pro where some good idea sharing is occurring. The ASMP members' forum is also an excellent resource. I find most of the digital photo books say the same things and are very fundamental.
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?
   
   They love it. Many new clients expect it. Some clients aren't very educated about the technology so when they hear the word digital they think of the 2MP point and shoots from a few years ago. Smaller magazines are still the holdouts. I just don't think they understand, and in some cases they are completely unwilling to be flexible.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?
    
    Not at first, but fortunately most photographers are charging these now so it's becoming the norm.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?
    
    I am making more profit because I shoot more photos and in the end, license more use.
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?
    
    I was recently covering a world cup skiing event in Park City, Utah. I noticed at one point that now photographers in the press pits all perform a synchronized ballet of shooting the photos, then instantly holding the cameras down to scroll through the images on the monitor. It just seemed amusing to me when I saw several people doing this at once. We must seem like pretty quirky people to spectators.
    

Larry Gatz

1. Please identify your image (pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   Bikini Girl laying by pool for Publicis. We used digital for this image because of the fast turn-around time. By using digital capture we were able to move rapidly from one set to another as we determined that we had each image...we were able to experiment more in a short amount of time.
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?     One year
   
   
3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?     90%
   
   
4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   Instantaneous feedback and most importantly, new billable services
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   Faster in-camera processing speed, lower pricing of hardware
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?     Client demand
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?
   
   Hardware cost, no doubt about it. I still rent digital equipment as needed, rather than owning my own system. I have been actively involved in the "digital learning curve" since the early 90's. I could never justify the expense of the early digital cameras because the quality simply was not at the level I felt necessary...only very recently has the digital quality level and price point come together. The large format scan backs and medium format digital backs have not been acceptable for the type of work I do, people, lifestyle advertising. The quality was fine but these systems were either made for studio environments or simply to slow to process the data on location. Not until Canon released the 1Ds was digital really an option in my opinion. Even at $8,000, the 1Ds was a bargain compared to the medium format portable systems available. Being able to expose a series of frames, to capture a gesture, a glance, a look, requires a photographer to shoot a number of frames quickly. This isn't possible with most digital systems because the data generated is so massive. Rather than purchase the first generation camera that is capable of providing the quality level I want, I decided to hold off for the second model. Let ALL the bugs get worked out before I pluck down my hard to come by funds. And don't forget, rentals are billable expenses. We are a long way from then expensive, top of the line, $458 Nikon I bought in 1972 to begin my career.
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   PixelGenius. Seth Resnick was very important in assisting with my workflow and file management.
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?     No one notices, they simply expect it.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?
    
    No problems...in fact, one of the primary reasons I moved to digital was that during an estimate process, I was going over an estimate with a client and he was beating me up on each line item. When we came to "Digital Post Production" he looked at the figure and stated "That looks about right" and moved on to the next line item. Right there I saw the light...digital is a way to provide more income for my business.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?     It's easier and more enjoyable
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?     Not yet
    
    

Matthew Lit

1. Please identify your image(pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   WEDDING BUTT GRAB
   
   This was one of those really informal weddings with a really nutty couple. I was shooting from behind the bride & groom while people were making toasts. You can see the groom's mom to the left side. Then, the bride reached down and grabbed his butt! It was funny for me and for them, like a private joke - because no one else ever noticed it.
   
   I was still in my first few months of shooting D-SLR (I had already owned an Olympus E-10 for a year, but it wasn't a capable enough camera on a pro-level). I was really still testing the waters to decide if digital was suitable for me. What I love about my S2 is the ability to capture images in Black & White.
   
   I started shooting at this wedding running up the ISO to 1600. I had done some tests that looked pretty darn good. It was like the old days of shooting Tri-X rated at 1600...the noise was low and it had a grain-like quality. It was the first time in a while that I was able to shoot Black and White without popping some fill into it.
   
   The image earned me an award in the Humor category in the Best of 2003 Wedding Photojournalists Association competition.
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?
   
   I bought an Olympus E-10 from Dick Weisgrau in 2002. I just wanted to test the waters, using it for simple headshots, some location scouting, that sort of thing. In 2003 I bought the Fuji S2 and sold the E-10 to the college where I teach. Most of the film I shoot now is in my Holga toy cameras!
   
   
3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?     90%
   
   
4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   It has allowed me to offer my clients and customers more immediate access to viewing a shoot. I don't need to run film to Denver (70 miles) then scan and upload. I leave a shoot with the files backed up.
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   Improved CCD recording technology such as full-sized chips (c'mon Nikon & Fuji...get with it!) and better dynamic range. In the case of Fuji, they still haven't allowed for 1/3-stop changes, even though it's well known that digital tolerance is in the 1/3-of-a-stop realm.
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?
   
   Yes. Bright, contrasty scenes where lighting is uncontrollable. In the case of really large reproduction, a medium to large format of film.
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?     Computer brain damage
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   Photoshop CS (although, now the RAW files from my S3 can't be read!...See comment above!).
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?
   
   They might seem wary at first. Then they see the 20 x 30 inch prints in my studio.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?
    
    Education. Education. Education.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?
    
    Digital is absolutely more expensive than film. I can still put a roll of anything in my F2 and create beautiful images. Digital technology is costing me a fortune...new cameras, new and bigger hard drives, a new computer system, continual software upgrades, more AA NiMH batteries than I can count! Sure my lab bill dropped. But at what cost in all other areas?!
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?
    
    For almost the first year, I shot digital side-by-side with my Nikon film cameras; I wanted to prove to myself that it had the quality I required. What cracked me up was how suddenly I started looking at the back of my Nikon F-100 after each shot. DOH! A very, very bad habit that formed instantly!
    
    

Richard Anderson

1. Please identify your image (pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   The actor Doug Eskew in a 2003 Production of Ain't Misbehavin'. The picture was taken with a Nikon D1x, although I have now switched to Canon digital cameras. The advantage of using digital for theater is that you can get much better quality color pictures at the high ASA settings that are required for theater lighting. I shoot plays as they run, not as set-ups, so I need high ASA settings.
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?     Since June 2000.
   


3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?     100%.
   


4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   Being able to see the photo right away. This is closely followed by: better color in mixed lighting, ability to change ASA at any time, speed of delivery to the client, no money to lay out for film and processing, better overall quality and more control over the look of the final photo.
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   Better software, especially in the color management area.
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?
   
   No, There is nothing that I would do commercially that would be better on film.
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?
   
   Having to learn the craft of photography all over again. In some respects, I'm still not there yet.
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   All the books I have read, especially Bruce Fraser's books on Photoshop and Color Management. Also Martin Evening's books. There are also web sites such as http://www.luminous-landscape.com/ and http://www.robgalbraith.com/ as well as list serves such as D1scussion http://www.juergenspecht.com/lists/d1scussion/
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?     They love it, even if they don't fully understand it.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?
    
    Most do. I have had to do a lot of explaining, and even small seminars for some graphic design firms. Graphic designers seem not to have grasped the importance of color management yet. One issue is over preparing files to go to press. We can't always convince clients that we can do it better than the printer, I think sometimes it's because they don't want to pay our prices.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?
    
    I think it is just as difficult to make a profit. We tend to spend the same amount of money we were spending on film and processing per year, only now it's on cameras, computers and software. Maybe this will taper off at some point. I've been saying that for the last 3 years.
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?
    
    It has been exciting and rejuvenating to be at the forefront of the digital revolution. I am looking forward to a time when everyone in the chain, from photographers, to designers, to printers, understands the language of digital.

Todd May

1. Please identify your image (pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   The company we were photographing for that day, produces floor wax and polish. We were there to photograph their chemists and labs, along with their factory and bulk storage areas. As we were leaving the Art Director on set asked if we could get a shot of their entrance hallway, to showcase the high gloss shine on their marble entrance. This shot literally took 20 minutes to set-up and produce at the end of the day. Digital made it possible. I photographed this with a Canon 35mm D60 that is still making us money. For this project we used 35mm digital instead of the higher end medium format backs that we have. If we knew we were going to shoot an interior we would have photographed this with our 4x5 and a scan back. As it was the 35mm proved that it could get the job done, make the client happy, the agency happy and make me some money.
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?
   
   My studio began using digital cameras in 1997 and we bought our first medium format back in 1998. A MegaVision S2 4 MP chip. It was costing us $15,000 a year in chemistry to run our own E-6 line and Black and White darkroom. At that point I saw the cost benefit of switching to digital right away for our particular clients. Since that time we have purchased two 35mm Canon digital cameras, two Leaf Valeo medium format backs, and one BetterLight 4x5 scan back. This sure beats processing film and then scanning it.
   
   
3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?
   
   I shot one job last year for a Museum in London that requested transparencies. Other than that, I have thrown away more film from storage in my refrigerator than I have used.
   
   
4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   The selling factor for us is that we are saving days in the production cycle of the job. We have had clients who have literally brought their Quark layouts along with them, photographed their products at our studio and then dropped in the finished files at the end of the shoot. They then were able to FedEx the layouts to the printer at the end of the day. Also, we provide a first generation file. There are no additional issues from a scan of film. Sure, not every job is suitable for every camera system. It's a matter of grabbing the right tool for the right job.
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   Single shot cameras are great for most work but still require the photographer watch for moiré issues with fabric. Post-production time would be reduced if some of this were better handled on the camera end.
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?
   
   Only if I was in an area that had no electricity.
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?
   
   None. Having worked in the pre-press area of printing and understanding how digital fits in has really helped. We bought our first copy of Adobe Photoshop in 1993 and have upgraded ever since.
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   Seminars. Always learning as things change.
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?
   
   I really did not give my clients a choice. They were hiring me as a photographer. They wanted photographs that were going to be printed on paper so at some point they needed to be digitized. We were the logical choice. Many of our clients hire us because of our ability to produce an image that will print correctly and is photographed with a camera system that delivers the quality file they need.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?
    
    Yes, we price our digital services like we did our film services. Figure that you get a film charge and Polaroids when you work with film, so now there is a digital charge. You also have to factor in that you are now the scanner operator at the printer.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?
    
    While using digital capture in your business you have to realize that you are the scanner operator at the printer and you are also the retoucher at the agency in many cases. Over nine percent of our income comes from services that were not there prior to digital. Burning CDs, clipping paths, CMYK conversions, proofs, copies of a client's files stored at the studio, uploading files via FTP or e-mail, Web gallery proofs. It all takes time and represents billable hours.
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?
    
    Make sure that you learn the digital process and are prepared to take control of the files. Learn how to make your files reproduce as needed. Talk to your clients prior to the job so that you are grabbing the right camera for the job, be it digital or film. You must know your limitations. Always buy the best that you can afford so that you only buy it once, and it should have a return on investment that you will be happy with. If you want the $18,000 camera but cannot justify it at present, then get more work so that you can justify it. We have cameras that have been paid off in two weeks worth of work. Make smart business choices and stay ahead of the competition to make yourself able to provide for your clients and your next clients as well.
    

Dennis Murphy

1. Please identify your image (pictured left) featured in the ASMP Bulletin Spring 05 Portfolio, give some background about the image and/or describe the advantages to using digital capture for this image.
   
   This was a shot for myself, so the concept was wide open. Being able to check the light on the tree, and its reflection in the car and to show the talent the concept on a 20" monitor rather than a Polaroid was great. It would've worked on Polaroid, but digital was better.
   
   
2. How long have you been incorporating digital capture in your photographic workflow?    Almost 3 years.
   
   
3. What percentage of your work is now done using digital equipment?    80 percent
   
   
4. In your opinion, what is the strongest advantage to using digital equipment?
   
   Seeing it large on a screen, knowing you've got it and moving on.
   
   
5. In what areas do you feel further enhancements to digital technology are most needed?
   
   Full size 6x4.5 sized sensors for a 645 format.
   
   
6. Would you still choose to use film for certain situations and if so what would they be?    No.
   
   
7. What was the biggest hurdle you faced in transitioning to digital?
   
   Knowing when to buy or rent gear.
   
   
8. What resources have you found to be particularly helpful in transitioning to a digital workflow?
   
   The digital tech assistant. The good ones are imperative.
   
   
9. How have your clients responded to your transition to digital?
   
   Very well. It's a learning process for both of us.
   
   
10. Do your clients understand and accept digital billing concepts such as capture fees and post production charges?    Yes.
    
    
11. In your opinion, is it easier or harder to make a profit when shooting digital as opposed to film?    The same.
    
    
12. Do you have any additional insights or stories to add?
    
    Too many clients have been burned by photographers that don't know their ass from their aperture when it comes to digital. If you don't know what you're doing, hire a digital tech who does know and can help you. Or stick with film till you do.