Monthly Archives: February 2013

Analog As Opposed To Digital

On February 26, 2013 - Uncategorized

Why do many film photographers get upset with the term analog photography?

Analog or it’s British cousin  analogue is just another example of the ever changing language of technical babble. You don’t have to like it, but once it is in the common vernacular the game is over and you are stuck with the label at least for a generation or two.. Maybe in another 50 years it won’t be analogue or digital, but rather antique photography or maybe a non quantum 2d recording (NQ2R for short).

If the analogy to electronics doesn’t appeal to you then you might want to consider the original more general pre-electronics era meaning of similar to or proportional to as being more appropriate to photography.  Actually that makes a lot of sense as a photograph could be seen as a proportional projection of the original scene.

More serious misnomers exist for example how about using the Sloth a South American animal as a model for one of the seven deadly sins? The sloth slow metabolic rate is a survival trait and does not deserve to be called a deadly sin.

Neon Sign, New Building And Falling Steam

But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?