Photography Enters the Digital Age

by Laurence Goldberg

This article was written in 2000, when the digital photography age was just starting. Teacher John Wiegand in Philadelphia created a digital photography class for the technology program. Students used digital editing software to edit their photos and create their own designs and "art." They experimented with digital enhancement, cropping, insertion of subjects into different backgrounds, etc. Students learned traditional photography methods when taking the picture and used the editing features to enhance them.

Q1:What are some issues the project brings up?

A1:When working with the photos, especially with public domain photos, there is always the issue of ethics. Some people change and enhance photos in order to deceive their audience. It is important to make students aware of the ethics of digital editing and ask probing questions, such as: What is my purpose in changing the photo? Is the photo mine to use? What am I using the photo for?

Q2:How has this technology advanced since this time?

A2:Technology seems to be advancing constantly as time progresses. There have been changes and new features added to digital editing. Now, digital editing is reflective of a traditional darkroom where you can enhance and change your photos without the chemicals and time it would take in the darkroom. As time progresses, more features of digital editing are added. Digital cameras have also advanced rapidly and are more affordable to a wider audience.