Way too often I hear Photographers say “I use film for my own work however when it comes to everything else, I shot direct to digital." For the love of the art and process it is important to have passion for what you do.The reality for many in the industry is they do not have the time to do the work the way they would like. Regardless of the emotional connections that I or others might have to film. It is a medium and an art that has its place and will continue to do so in Photography.

My recommendation for others is to consider this, just like a tool within the Medical Profession. One can make direct correlations to an electronic digital stethoscope for a nurse or Doctor versus an analogue stethoscope. Both are used interchangeably by professionals, some make arguments for their specialty one works better than the other. Or rather they prefer one over another for a tangible or intangible preference. Much like the film to direct to digital conversation.

The analogue methodology yields lighter weight, less expense (sometimes) and heightened sensitivity to the tonal ranges heard by the medical professional. Whereas the digital version can allow instant recording and review of the data. However doesn’t capture as many of the higher or lower frequencies that diagnosing needs in certain circumstance.  However neither is replaced by the other.  Knowing when to grab what tool for the job is precisely what makes an exceptional professional.

This is not an argument of what is better, that is a much longer blog than I want to tackle at this point. My point is there is a place and time for each and to argue that one should completely replace the other for a single medium in my mind a bit near sighted. What makes an exceptional Photographer is having the knowledge and skill set to master either and be able to yield the best of both mediums in a situation.