I have always enjoyed taking photographs. During most of my life that enjoyment was tempered by the cost of purchasing film, the waiting to see what the picture looked like, and the cost of getting the film developed into photos. I remember being out somewhere with my camera and a few more shots left on the film. If I saw something interesting I had to decide whether I should take a picture of it or gamble that I might see something better later, since I might run out of film.
When digital photography came along, those problems no longer existed. I could take photo after photo, and not have to worry about running out of film, and since I didn’t have to pay for developing, it didn’t matter how many photos I took, but there was a hidden problem in this freedom--I now have thousands and thousands of numbered photos to deal with.
Above you see just one screen-worth of photos. This list goes on and on.
What is photo number DSC08826? I don’t know, I have to open the file to see if it is something I want to keep or not. That is what I have been trying to do over the year. After half a year’s work, I still have about 1000 photos left on this list, and they are from 2014, I still have 2015, and 2016 to do too.
In an attempt to organize my photos, I have to open each file, decide if it is worth saving, and then move it into some titled file, so that if I am looking for something specific I don’t have to look through the thousands of numbers.
I guess it shows that digital photography, that freed me from some things, burdened me with others.
You can see my paintings at: www.davidmarchant.ca
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