Necessity of a Computer

[raysul]

I've got a couple questions


How necessary is it to have basic computer skills in relationship in using a Digital SLR?


Also if you don't have any computer skills does it mean that, you cannot do photography well?


Of course what I'm really referring to is having the knowledge to be able to use a photo enhancing software with a computer, to enhance your image.

Ray

[I @ M]

How necessary is it to have basic computer skills in relationship in using a Digital SLR?

I regard it as a necessity to have basic 'puter skills to be able to transfer images from a memory card / camera to at least one back up destination to safegaurd against loss of the images. Basic skills also come in handy to update camera firmware if and when it is made available from the camera manufacturer.

Also if you don't have any computer skills does it mean that, you cannot do photography well?

An emphatic NO to that one. If your ability to use a camera is sound and you have vision and creative insight towards an image and you capture an image the way you want it then you have succeeded in photographing well. If you feel that your image requires enhancement after the shutter was pushed it doesn't mean that you have failed as a photographer, it merely means that your ideals aren't met yet and you either have to master an editing program or to have someone else provide the finishing touches.

Of course what I'm really referring to is having the knowledge to be able to use a photo enhancing software with a computer, to enhance your image.

See point above. You can get entirely acceptable images from a camera that don't need any after the shutter button press enhancement but it is very handy to be able to apply any finishing touches to an image yourself if you feel it needs them. Otherwise you will need a good friend with image editing skills or a healthy wallet to pay someone with image editing skills to achieve your desired result.


Ray, if all you know how to do on a computer is image editing then what more do you need.

[ameerat42]

I've got a couple questions


How necessary is it to have basic computer skills in relationship in using a Digital SLR?


Also if you don't have any computer skills does it mean that, you cannot do photography well?


Of course what I'm really referring to is having the knowledge to be able to use a photo enhancing software with a computer, to enhance your image.

Ray

Well, there's the historical precedent of just about all photography to the onset of the digital age...

(Gosh! Were they all bad?)

(Well, I know most of mine were/are.)

[Kym]

First a digital camera is a computer, albeit specific function rather than general use.

Secondly, you can take your memory card to a photo print place and don't need very many skills to get prints.

But to be serious about the art you need the 'puter skilz.

[ricktas]

Before computers and digital photography there were dark rooms, where photographers spent hours and hours processing and printing their photographs. Doing things like sharpening, adding vignettes etc.

The computer has meant we no longer need to sit in a dark room surrounded by chemicals. Processing of photos is not something new to digital photography, it is just a change in the way we process the photos.

Learning to photograph well with the camera is what we all need to do, but editing/processing has been happening since 1826 when the first photo was taken. So learning how to at least do some basic editing will help you and your photography.

[raysul]

I was only pondering about these questions, on a hypothetical situation on someone with no computer skills, on how far he can go with DSLR and not just using it as a point-and-shoot camera. And yes I guess he could get it right in camera, and yes you could just pull the SD card out and handed it someone and get the photos processed. It must be very limiting.


Ray

[MattNQ]

Also worth mentioning that these days you can edit without a computer to some degree.

camera makers keep adding more and more in-camera editing features - crop, mono, colour balance etc plus some of those new-fangled flash cameras even do in-camera HDR.

Personally I prefer to keep everything as neutral/basic out of camera & later post process with more care on a bigger screen, but in a pinch, one could tart up a few shots as required, wifi them to InstanTwit & not spend hours processing. Horses for courses I guess.

- - - Updated - - -

,
The computer has meant we no longer need to sit in a dark room surrounded by chemicals. . .

Hmm....I seem to spend a lot time editing in a darkened room surrounded by ..er...liquid refreshment...is Rum a chemical??.....

[Warbler]

...is Rum a chemical??.....

I'll let you know when I've finished the testing.

[MattNQ]

I'll let you know when I've finished the testing.

You know a result is not considered scientifically proven until you can repeat the results over and over...aaaand orver...adns oov...hmmm....The shcreeen is very blrrry now.....bugger...my unsharp masshk won't fit overrr my head...oh, thatsh the kidsh batman massk.

[arthurking83]

I was only pondering about these questions, on a hypothetical situation on someone with no computer skills, on how far he can go with DSLR and not just using it as a point-and-shoot camera. And yes I guess he could get it right in camera, and yes you could just pull the SD card out and handed it someone and get the photos processed. It must be very limiting.


Ray

How far she went with not PC skills, just using it as a P&S and not handing the SD card to anyone:

PaperArtist_2012-12-15_01-58-34_800.jpeg
The only thing I did for her was to save it to the PC under a structured filing system(for her later retrieval when she's old enough to know more), and just now to resize it for web presentation.

Image is as is from the P&S camera she uses(Samsung Galaxy Camera).

My belief is that one day all DSLRs will operate in a similar manner.

[mongo]

being a good photographer has nothing to do with computers.

getting the best out of digital photography means you have to be reasonably good (not so much computers as such but) with some photography software which of course, you use on a computer - even if you never do anything else with or know anything else about computers

Mind you , if you are a really good photographer, you will never even need the photographic software and computer - but no one Mongo knows has made it to this point yet.