Those who practice the ancient art of ceramics like my friend Marian can more easily navigate the digital age than old photographers like me. No matter how hard we struggle to be part of the new age, we are dinosaurs about it become extinct. My darkroom was a beloved haven where for decades I unraveled the mysteries of my images.
Where has the mystery gone?
Now I sit in front of a back lit computer monitor struggling to understand software programs designed by engineers whose lives revolve around the numbers 0 and 1. Where are the mysteries buried in computer code? Only engineers know, so as Mao Zedong said, “I curse the river of time” that has brought us here.
Honestly, I’m fascinated with technology and don’t really regret the past decade or so I’ve spent deciphering Photoshop and my computer’s operating system. It hasn’t been easy because I really don’t belong to this age and because I lost my memory somewhere.
An unknown person once said,
A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history with the possible exception of handguns and tequila.
The large ceramic dinosaurs below are mounted on acrylic and are approximately 28″wide by 22″ high.
Stegosaurus by Marian Coleman, 2013
Therizinosaurus by Marian Coleman, 2013
Spinosaurus by Marian Coleman, 2013
Solitary artists with an aversion to sharing won’t go far in the digital age
I don’t like to share my creative process, even though I’m a socialist.
Scandinavian artist Edvard Munch (The Scream) was so possessive of his paintings that he rarely left his studio and when he did, he carried as much of his work with him as possible.
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty recently said:
Your value will not be what you know, but what you share.
Dinosaurs Need Not Apply
Google started a TV school and studio in order to create new TV channels. Entrance into the school is mostly determined by how much you collaborated in your online YouTube productions.
Archaeoptery by Marian Coleman, 2013
Next time I’ll write about resizing your pictures for optimal viewing online. For now, visit what I think to be the best photography site– Digital Photography Review. At this valuable site, you will find answers to your equipment and photography technique questions, keep up with the latest photography news and join challenges where everyone votes for the best pictures by subject.
