fear

Not the same fear that FDR spoke about the one with the "r" dropped off...

but instead the sort of fear that is so pervasive these days all around.

A list is in order.

Fear of:

terrorists, attack, Muslims, gays, lesbians, Republicans, Democrats, librarians, Conservatives, bankers, lawyers, IRS, Mexicans, GMOs, mercury, aspirin, acid reflux disease, education that is not strong enough, pollen, insects, Humboldt squid, health care packages, narco traffic, muzac, we could continue all morning...

In the issue of imaging and things publishing and so on fear is a constant and remarkably cleaver game changer. Seems to me that the leverage of fear is making folks respond without any sense of the mechanisms and factors involved. There is fear that the publishing industry is dead, well in fact the business model is dead, and that there is nothing to replace the once familiar and comfortable ways. So in fact the Web is replacing the publishing industry as we all knew it. Big deal. It is still change and that is not always a bad thing.

One issue is that image quality from video and still cameras need not be as strong and technically flexible as in times past when image quality was more important. Today 72 ppi and email pixel size extents are far enough in resolution numbers for publishable material on the Web. So why is everyone scared about not being able to print BIG enough? What all is the matter?

Video codecs and all that are all good enough for things on the Web. I can't tell much the difference between 720 and 1080, but it makes a huge difference in the real world of Web based publishing?

There are some some differences to worry about. Making a fine quality print for the wall is one issue that the old ways have something to say about. The master printing process is one that is now fast leaving us and the replacement issues of ink jet plotters and so on are just not delivering the same matters of nuance and detail and imprint as the old wet darkroom techniques and materials. The idea that the old arts are under stress and pressure to die off is a real one. Will we be satisfied with the replacement techniques that all seem to be good enough? If an aesthetic is in mind and the goal is not satisfied with convenient materials and technique then the driven artist or Nimrod will take it upon himself to seek a solution. Film based photography is changing quickly. Seems secure enough in the short term, but long term is not likely to be convenient at all.

Small m43rds cameras are on the march to deliver big returns in a small package. Is there a threat that these nontraditional cameras will kill the working method of maintaining control over the creative process or somehow removing the human from the equation by introducing EVL viewfinders, video options and open systems that offer too wide a choice or factor of egalitarian access. Does it mean that the photographer behind the camera is less important that before or conversely does the small and handy tool emphasize the smarts and creativity of the operator over the tool set? Clearly the new wave of small and capable cameras are pressing changes and making options of publishable images from increasingly capable and cheap to buy cameras.

In the effort to strike a balance point and understand the changes in publishing industry trends there might also be a foreshortened perspective that is not always evaluated. This wave of recent change is not the first threat to established methods and media, but we all are not thinking about the demise of the typeset press machine or fine paper qualities when we casually hit PRINT or BUY for printed materials that we want and need. In any change the best of the last achievement is contrasted though driving force of need and economics to be lost and forgotten. I miss my Remington typewriter and cannot find replacement ribbons without scouring the Web for supply. Why worry if I have this computer, the Web and so many other choices that have grown to be a replacement that seems just as good. The loss of the Remington is only a loss of change and replacement of method and not one that dictates that the content should be inferior.

FC