Impressed by technology

Last night, I was taking my dog out for his last potty visit before bedtime and I noticed the clouds of an impending storm were beginning to move in. Granted I wasn’t able to see them very well as it was dark outside. I took this photograph with my smartphone. This is a 1/5 second exposure and handheld. I’m impressed.

I guess a bit of background also helps. My first computer was a Commodore 64 I bought in 1982-83. My first 35 mm camera was a Canon AE-1 at roughly the same time. The computer was a thing of marvel at the time as far as home computers as was the camera since it had an auto-aperture setting. All I had to do was pick the shutter speed and focus.

As we have moved along, I have adopted new technology as quickly as I could afford to do so. A couple of years ago I built my own home workstation from parts I selected individually.

I embrace new versions of programs and software. I’ve even been a beta tester of software as well as having written user manuals for programs. In other words, I’m a long-time nerdy geek and I still get impressed with the technology.

How does all this relate to art and photography? I use technology to create my vision and my art. I also employ much old technology, such as film. I don’t like to have my creative choices limited by boundaries. I like to push my boundaries and see just how far I can go hoping to explore new techniques and abilities. I look forward to each new version of programs and advances in computing technology.

To truly become an artist I believe we must constantly learn and explore and this often requires us to embrace technological advances all while keeping the old traditions alive and blending them together.