Stucile..Photon by Eileen Goldfinger,  Blogfinger staff.      A color version with a fine digital camera and an expert shooter.
2/18/23 . Ocean Township, Deal Road

Paul Goldfinger, photo editor at Blogfinger.net

The new generation of digital cameras allows a wide variety of options due to technological advances.  

Here we see Eileen’s version of this subject using a Leica digital camera.   The sensor allows a choice of high quality photography.  She chose color. My black and white camera has a specialized sensor and cannot shoot color.  

And taking photos with a good camera in color and low light is a new world which anyone who is motivated can explore.   Eileen’s photo above is lovely with its subdued colors.  But it has only become possible because of new high sensitivity sensors. A flash would not do the trick.

Why would anyone buy a camera that won’t shoot color?   Well, it’s a personal choice. If you enjoy seeing the world in black and white, then you can commit yourself to that view, and the quality will be better than a camera that does both—at least theoretically. If you have a very critical eye, you will be able to see a difference.

Don’t forget that the great fine art photographers of the past shot only in black and white, so that is the work which fine art students get to learn about, and it is still  the method of choice for professionals.

For most of my life in photography I shot black and white film and processed it in my darkroom.  So that sensibility drives my decision to shoot with an only-black-white digital camera.  But once Kodachrome showed up I did both.  So having both is what Eileen has now with her current Leica Q-2.  But I found that you need a certain frame of mind when shooting, but it is artistically confusing if you flip back and forth during a photo shoot.  So, if you have a camera that does both, pick one for that day.

Paul Goldfinger. Scotrun, Pa. 2021. Click to enlarge. This low-light  image was made with a camera that only takes black and white photos.

As for iPhone cameras, those photos, color, are quite good and fine for every day use.  Phone cameras have changed photography forever because of the number of images flying around the digital world.  But most phone photos are terrible in terms of how they are used.  If you want to improve your phone imagery, take a beginners course in photography on line. Then start experimenting.  Never take a Coaster picture: “Look at the camera and smile!”

Then, when you are ready and interested,  buy an excellent camera.  Go to a photo dealer for the purchase.  I would suggest a car ride to Bergen Camera.  My dealer is in Miami, but I can do that as I am an experienced photographer.   About 6 weeks ago we took a ride to LeicaUSA at their new American headquarters in Teaneck, NJ because one of my cameras needed expert attention.  It is another world there.  

The point is that if you are becoming a serious photographer, in this digital world, you have to learn a new language (and I don’t mean Geman) and strive for the best equipment and care that you can afford.

So if you have a great camera, expertise,  and inspiration, you can take a photograph like this one:

Paul Goldfinger, Ocean Grove. 2022. Firemen’s Park.

FINALE OF FIORELLO:   ACT 2

Paul