RE: [Leica] The Directness of Film

["Jonathan Borden" <jborden@mediaone.net>]

Afterswift@aol.com wrote:

>
>
> Photography as an expression of reality is based upon the idea
> that there is
> a 'direct line of sight' between the scene and image created on film, and
> direct line of sight between the image rendered on film and the print. The
> concept that there exists a direct connection between reality and image
> gives photography a very special place among media. --Jonathan Borden, LUG
> -------------------------------
> Jonathan,
>
> What are the implications of the above definition of photography?
> The first
> significant word I noticed is your use of the word, film. You
> didn't employ a
> generic term like image recording device. Directness is indeed a decisive
> essence of photography. You obviously feel that film is best at
> directness.
> Consequently the negative is the most direct expression of the
> scene, as is a
> positive transparency.
>

	Classic photography uses an emulsion coated on a surface ... film is the
simple way to say this but the important part of the definition is the
direct rendering of the image using light "photo" light, "graph" drawing. In
terms of reality, photography's special place is dependent on the physical
maintainance of the geometry  of the image. When such an image is rendered
via a CCD, this geometry is serialized and reconstructed. Ought a court hold
a digital image of a crime scene to the same standard as a photographic
image? Digital images are wonderful but they are easily manipulated and
hence do not offer the same approximation of reality.

Jonathan Borden