Powerful new digital cameras revolutionizing outdoor photography

Contributed photo by Michael Hawkins
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A water lily blossoms on Togus Pond in Augusta.

It isn't cheating - but sometimes it sure seems like it. Outdoor photographers are sprouting up like roadside wildflowers, many of them taking high-quality pictures comparable to those of the pros -- in large part thanks to digital photography.

"The trend I've seen locally is the same as the trend everywhere," said Jym St. Pierre of Readfield, president of the Capital Area Camera Club. "It's unimaginable how quickly it's happened. Last year, at the beginning of our season, I polled our club members, and the majority were using film. By the fall, the majority had switched to digital."

Digital cameras don't require film, development or much working knowledge to use -- they are the ultimate point and click. That makes them incredibly handy for outdoor photographers -- from fishermen, hunters, kayakers and hikers to casual beachgoers or boaters.

"Thanks to the advances in technology, you can now carry a camera the size of a deck of cards in a backpack, with a good solid battery, a one gigabyte memory card and take a thousand pictures with it," said John Goodine, owner of Elm City Photo in Augusta and Waterville.

Ten years ago, such a venture would have required hundreds of dollars worth of film and development costs, as well as an extra backpack to lug heavy camera equipment and lenses.

Goodine said he purchased his first digital camera in 1991, long before the technology was available for printing pictures directly from memory cards or cameras.

"We took a gamble, and it worked. A lot of photo labs didn't convert, and they're not here anymore," he said.

Much of the draw, he said, particularly among outdoor photographers, comes from the instant gratification.

"If you catch a big fish, it's so much easier to brag about it. Now you can instantly share the picture with your fishing buddy," he said.

Another trend: More, and better, pictures of classic outdoor moments -- an osprey with an alewife in its talons, an eagle soaring or a fox prowling a field edge.

"Where not too long ago you were limited by a roll of film, now you can use memory cards that allow 1,000 photos or more. People are taking a lot more pictures," Goodine said.

"Photo-taking habits are changing. Embarassing photos are being deleted," Goodine said. "If you don't like the way you look in a photo, you get rid of it. Before, those pictures came back to haunt you."

St. Pierre has started to see more and better photos because of this trend, though he cautions that a solid eye for composition is still important.

"People see digital photography now as free," he said. "You don't take just one picture anymore, you take 50 or 100. So yes, there's a reasonable chance out of all those you'll get one that's good. It has definitely opened up the field in that sense."

Digital cameras, he said, still don't create great moments, or perfectly-composed pictures. That much is left to the user.

St. Pierre said he still prefers film, but even they are finding that the demand -- both among professionals and amateurs -- is shifting towards digital. Recently, he was asked to take pictures of a local land trust property, but the turnover needed to be immediate -- an impossible demand with film.

"There's a new expectation nowadays -- people want it now. Eventually, I'll be forced to change over," he said. He worries about quickly-changing technology, high costs of professional-quality digital equipment and storage issues.

"I still have slides that I took 30 or 40 years ago, and they're perfectly usable. If I go out and buy a camera, then they change the format in a year or two, then what?"

But Goodine says techology is starting to level off -- and that the level is high. Camera image quality is measured in megapixels. The higher the megapixel count, generally from 2 to 10 or more, the richer the color and resolution of the photo.

"Camera memory is coming down in price. And now you can buy an 8.2-megapixel camera that fits in your pocket. In the last two years, the color coming off the digital camera is as close as you can get to film. That has won over a lot of the more discerning photographers, " he said.

Digital technology now allows for photographers to fill niches that were previously off-limits to all but professionals.

Aurele Gorneau of West Gardiner shoots underwater pictures, and digital has made it easy.

"You don't have to keep coming to the surface to change rolls of film," he said.

Gorneau focuses on outdoor photography, but he also shoots weddings, portraits and other events.

He said the instant feedback has probably made him a better, more efficient photographer -- especially outdoors, where things happen quickly, in inclement conditions.

"I already spend so much time in front of the computer, I don't need to spend anymore time there," he said.

Overall, amateurs, professionals and others agree. Digital cameras have revolutionized outdoor photography.

"In general, it has renewed interest in a hobby that had become mature, even stale," Goodine said. "People come in now and they're really excited about their cameras. 'I love my digital.' We hear that all the time."

TO SWITCH, OR NOT TO SWITCH
Digital cameras began outselling their reloadable film counterparts in the U.S. in 2003. It's clear consumer sentiment has swung toward the new technology. Here's why so many outdoorspeople, in particular, are choosing digital:

INSTANT GRATIFICATION, the so-called "Polaroid effect." Digital cameras have a liquid crystal display screen on the back so images can be reviewed immediately. The bird or animal moved at the crucial moment? No problem. Erase that frame and take it over. The background's too cluttered? Move a few steps and take the shot from another angle.

SHARING. You can display digital images via e-mail. There's no waiting for a package to arrive in the mail or running to the pharmacy's photo counter.

POST PRODUCTION. Here is where you can make good on mistakes made in the field. Did the built-in strobe on your camera give your subject "red eye"? After downloading your images into a computer, use its digital darkroom to remove the malady. Got a shadow obscuring an animal's features? Select the "fill-in flash" option of your editing software to brighten unwanted dark tones.

BURST SHOOTING. Many new digital cameras, including the less expensive point-and-shoots, can take five shots or more per second for upwards of 60 images. That could save the day if a pair of wood ducks explodes from a pond or a band of caribou trots by.

NO MORE FILM to purchase. Buy a few memory cards and shoot to your eye's content. Simply erase the cards to be used again after the images are stored in your computer or another backup device.

PRICE. With so many people converting to digital, film cameras are being marked down. Using film also eliminates the need for expensive computer gear, unless you plan to scan negatives, prints or slides into digital files.

STORAGE. Questions persist about how long you can store digital images. Good quality print paper, if handled properly, lasts for decades.

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