Jim Brandenburg has shot around the world for National Geographic, doing memorable pieces on everything from Japan to wolves.
His books, such as Brother Wolf and Chased by the Light, have been photographic best-sellers. He is considered one of the premier nature photographers in the world, and you would expect him to have "been there, done that" for much of his photography.
But today he talks like a teenager about the excitement he has for photography, largely because he now shoots all digital. "I have become younger, my work fresher," he says. "For me, it has offered a whole new way of seeing. It is exciting because it makes me a better photographer."
Brandenburg didn't start shooting with digital cameras just because he simply wanted to use the technology. He says he was always a strong traditionalist as far as equipment went and was one of the last of the pros to go to auto exposure and auto focus. But with his status as a top pro, he was approached by manufacturers to try out their digital cameras. He figured this would be a short trial and never thought he'd really take to the equipment.
He was wrong. It didn't take long for him to love the new technology. "I discovered digital is a more organic and natural way of seeing than film," he says. "It better duplicates the way the human eye sees. You pick up a camera, take a picture, and immediately can react and interact with it. That's not possible with film. Plus, with the newest equipment out there now, it's clearly better than film."
For Brandenburg, the "better" largely refers to how photographers make more effective and expressive photos. He feels this ability derives from the instant feedback the LCD panel gives; the greater shadow detail possible in an image; and the playfulness digital cameras encourage. "Film was always based, to a degree, on cost, even when as a pro, you weren't paying for the film," he explains. "There was a psychological issue; you knew you had to change rolls of film, that they each cost something, and you'd have to edit it all later. Being somewhat frugal myself, I didn't want to feel like I was wasting film.
"Digital changes all that. There are no worries about wasting film. This means you can take chances you wouldn't have taken in the past, so you play and experiment freely. Couple that with the instant feedback of the camera, and you have a whole new way of seeing. I believe digital will change photography, and we haven't even begun to see all of its effects."
But Brandenburg also sees a possible downside to this technology: "It makes experimenting and trying new things so easy that it scares me to think about what young people might do. As photographers, we all have to take this ease and put new efforts into creativity."
Brandenburg says that although there are more serious challenges to working with digital, such as editing images and keeping track of them, he feels these are minor and that he will get used to them. For him, digital has made all the difference in taking his photography to new levels, as can be seen in his latest book, Looking for the Summer.
