Photography is very much alive! In an American article was recently stated that photography has passed away due to the digital era or the introduction of digital image processing.

In my opinion we do not have to mourn the possible death of photography. More than that, I believe that photography has never been more alive than ever, and that photographers have almost reached the status of the painter in the seventeenth century. After all, among other things they were not bound by weather circumstances. We must also not forget that when photography was born, it were the painters who looked down on and despised the new discipline. Changes always take time to be accepted.

In other words, who are we to determine whether photography died due to the digital era? Just like painting it is still possible to photograph analogically and develop in a dark room. It is anyone’s choice by means of which technique he wishes to manufacture his works of art.

We shouldn’t be too frenetic about ‘analog’ photography versus ‘digital’ photography. After all, photography in itself hasn’t changed very much, but only the equipment and the saving methods have become more modern. But it is still the image that one produces that counts and how you do that is of less importance. That you have to do it well goes without saying. An over or underexposed digital image, just like an over or underexposed analog image, will become a bad photograph, no matter how hard you work on the editing.

The difference between a work of art and a snapshot is not only the technical quality. Razor sharp lenses and millions of pixels do not guarantee beautiful pictures. The most important factor for success is and will remain the photographer. Only from the right point of view you can optimally record situations and emotions. This stands apart from the latest super cameras and techniques.

The second factor of importance is learning how to see. Not just casually looking. I still catch myself looking around in a casual manner instead of observing and seeing the beauty of an object or my surroundings. Patience is also an appreciated factor when putting photography into practice.

I agreed with myself to only press the release button when I know for sure that the photograph can become good. I take my time to steadily look through the viewfinder and be sure about each of the details in the image.

Do not forget to get out there and shoot pictures. Take as many as possible; use all modern technology available, after all that is what all the equipment is made for. Take notice, it is not the equipment that does the work, but the person who handles the equipment. Even the least expensive camera can deliver beautiful images if handled by a trained photographer. So do not fixate on the expensive equipment put on the market in quick succession. After all, it is practice that makes perfect and not the so-called expensive super cameras.

Besides, you register the image the way you see the world. One and the other also depend on your own perceptions and life experiences, the way you see them through your own ‘glasses’. Society, culture, education, etc., to give a striking example: In Ghana the color red is a color of mourning, while in our culture the colors of mourning are black and/or white.

In practicing my profession as an attorney-at-law, I make use of these elements, including putting things into perspective. In my work I aim at the professional art of writing, speech and problem solving thinking. This is what made me decide to spend more of my free time relaxing in enjoying my surroundings and the natural beauty we can find there. Or in other words, be busy with art: learn to see, record and then go to work at making art. This is how I find balance in my daily routine. In using some of the currently available technical means I deem myself a practitioner of photography of this time; the 21st century. In the past everyone has used the means were available at that time to make art. Either expressed in days or in hours.

The art is not in giving a computer to an author instead of a pen, but it is in the knowledge and ability of the author in question. In short, the computer does not make the author a better writer, but it may make his existence a little easier.

Do not let yourself be bothered by those who wish to fence off their field for others, but feel free to use the modern equipment.

Don’t let yourself be conditioned by the world or society, but experiment unconditionally. Have a universal eye and leave others to their own way of practicing art. Despite the fact that whole communities think otherwise, especially people who have been photographing analogically for a long time, I believe I can sincerely advise you to use your inner vision. The sky is not the limit.

My relaxation has become to draw with light, the recording of seconds that as regards time and exposure are nonreciprocal. The intense experience of photography has therefore become a form of expression. God has made us after his image and resemblance. We are equal, without color or social differences. We are one!

Around the seventeenth century one often said that the pen was more powerful than the sword. Now we can say that the media has replaced the pen in that sense.

“A picture is worth more than a thousand words”.

Gerrit Scheper