Redefining Photography

With the introduction of the Canon 5D MKII combined with America's recent recession, we've entered a period of radical change where the old way of doing things simply isn't going to work anymore.

Vincent Laforet talked about this in an article he wrote, "The Cloud is Falling:"

"One could legitimately ask: is the sky falling? Short answer: I don't think so - but I do think the cloud is falling. What do I mean by the "cloud?" I'm talking about that cushy comfort zone and business model we have all become accustomed to: the idea of a staff job with benefits and company gear, the idea that if we follow the traditional career paths of our predecessors we too will find long term financial security, the idea that if we do things the same way that we've always done them, or are being taught to do them at schools/universities - we'll be "OK."

The truth is - our way of doing things - not only the way we gather our content, but also the way we package, deliver and the way we expect to be remunerated for that work - is being shattered by a variety of internal and external forces that simply aren't going to go away. And the reason that I'm using the analogy of the "cloud" - is to point out that as frightening as some of these prospects are, clouds always obscure the blue sky above - our industry is not dying - it's evolving - and there's no reason to run around in a panic... many of us will survive...and many of us will be forced to work in an entirely different field."

A few weeks ago Canon debuted a concept camera at the Shanghai World Expo showing their vision of what camera technology will be like in 2030:

Nikon President Makoto Kimura said in an interview with Pen News Weekly:

“Nowadays digital cameras take movies, performance of cameraphones is rapidly advancing and demand for simple movie cameras for uploading video on the Internet is on the rise. Redefinition of photography may become necessary.”

Furthermore, when asked about what Nikon had in the works, Kimura said:

“It will be a camera that may take photos of the world that the traditional SLR cannot reach.”

I think one of the more radical concepts to take away from the Wonder Camera video is the idea that still capture of images might go away all together. The narrator says that photography might become something of an archaic art form, like calligraphy. The Wonder Camera only shoots video, and the stills are taken from the individual frames, which would be at a ridiculously high resolution that isn't currently possible.

Of course a photographer would know immediately that taking a photo and pulling a still from a video are not the same, resolution aside. What about motion blur from shutter speed? If you're pulling a sharp photo of something in motion, the entire video sequence would need to be shot at a high shutter speed, and you'd get a stuttering effect as opposed to smooth motion. While that might be good for the stills, it's not so great for the video. And what about depth of field? What if you don't want infinite focus like what the Wonder Camera promises?

The answer lies in emerging post production technologies and future file types that aren't currently in existence. Take depth of field. This Homebrew Scanner creates files that allow you to change the depth of field in post-production. Plug-ins like Alien Skin's Bokeh already allow you to add realistic depth of field and blurring effects in post. Or even consider this video where the tilt and shift effect was added in post.

In an interview about making this video, Sam said:

"I did some initial tests a while back using a rented 24mm tilt-shift lens, which is the standard way to do this. However, after my tests, I found it made much more sense to do this effect in post, rather than in camera."

A fast and effective plug-in that would let you control shutter speed and motion blur in post doesn't yet exist for videos, but I think that's largely due to the fact that the need isn't really there just yet. But if the Wonder Camera's narrator is right, that stills in the future will be taken from video frames rather than shot separately, you're talking about a new market where video and photos are essentially pulled from the same files and a new set of post-production needs will arise.

Photography and film aside, new technologies and software are also changing the nature of production itself. Just consider the implications of the following:

LensVector is working on liquid crystal lenses that change their optical properties based on voltage, essentially leaving you with a lens that has no moving parts but that can focus from 10cm to infinity. Rather than using mechanical parts to focus, LensVector uses electricity to align liquid crystals to a target shape. Not only do you get smaller and lighter lenses, but it opens the door to different lens designs since you don't necessarily need to use a focusing ring anymore.

The iPhone4 captures pretty impressive video at 720p. Just check out this comparison of the iPhone4 to the Canon 7D:

A French company called Oloneo has released the beta for their non-destructive HDR creator and editor called PhotoEngine. What's unique about it isn't that it makes HDR images, but from the right images, it allows you to change the color temperature and intensity of individual lights in post:

While not robust enough to really affect production just yet, I think the idea of changing lights like this in post is definitely on the right track.

Radical changes in media capture and delivery aren't going to go away any time soon. Cameras will get smaller and lighter while outputting higher and higher quality images and video, while new post-production capabilities and file types will change the way we handle production. And while a lot of things won't change (casting calls, call sheets, getting permits to shoot, doing multiple takes, feeding the crew, etc.) you'll be able to do much more with less. The Canon 5D MKII has already proven that.

It's like moving from silent films to talkies, print to online publications, television to YouTube, Vimeo, Hulu, and NetFlix. The market is changing, nostalgia be damned. There's a whole undiscovered country out there waiting for someone to connect the dots.