Let Moose Do It

Many a time I’ve tried to explain the differences between being a professional film photographer and a pro with a digital camera.  Many of the great photographers reading this used to make film pictures, but how many of you pursued it at the same high level and made pictures just as often as you do today with digital?   Let’s let Moose do it.

Moose Peterson has been a top nature photographer for many years.  He is also a great photographer of airplanes in flight.  He is a top Nikon shooter and was one of the first major photographers to switch to digital.  The below quote is from his great magazine called BT Journal.  The name Brent is that of his son, as he compares a Yosemite trip many years ago to photography today.

“Between the combination of shooting with the D3x and writing my next book, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m really reminiscent, in fact, you could call me old-fashioned.  The days of one click, one image, 36 in a roll, loading up the spool, souping (developing), drying to make that one image, I really hadn’t missed those times until the D3x arrived.  I thought back to the day in Yosemite Valley when we plopped down Brent in fallen leaves, barely able to sit up, and with a (Nikon) F2As with (Nikon lens) 35f2 attached, tried to make the shot with one shot, manual exposure, manual focus, and the joy when the film came back and “the” shot was on the light table.  I’ve been trying to figure out when my perspective on shooting went to desiring mass quantities of images rather than just those few, choice, selects.  I realized it was when digital arrived and I didn’t have to spend $10 (often $20 with store-bought film and processing) for every 36 frames.

I found that with the F5 (film camera) that a camera shooting more than 5fps, I could use the speed of the camera to capture the right moment.  Simply put, I let the technology do my job more times than not.  I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing, that’s why we invest in technology.  But in the photographic process, it blurred my intent as a photographer.  I admit that I do ever so much love the sound of that motordrive just rippin.  The buffer upgrade in the D3 is an essential tool when photographing events like the Reno Air Races when there is no way in hell you’re going to get the shot with one shot. There is a time for every tool, a tool for every time.”

Very well said but I will take issue with one statement.  The Reno Air Races are a very old event it was covered in spectacular fashion for years with those old one frame at a time cameras.  I certainly thank Moose for those words which were stated better than I could.