The shift from film to digital has made the distribution of photographs to a world-wide audience as simple as turning on a light switch. However the photograph itself, the printed image in its final form, is often forgotten when images only exist as ones and zeros.

It is clear that the benefits of digital imaging far out weigh the drawbacks. What’s more, those drawbacks are becoming less and less of an issue as the technology moves forward. As a result, the tactile nature of photography has been lost in cyberspace. The photograph itself as a three dimensional object has been removed from the process to a great extent. More often than not images are emailed, or posted to a web page or blog. The ability to do this is extraordinary, but at what cost?

Where is the boundary between photographs and images? Has the definition of a photograph changed, or have we invented an entirely new concept of imaging? How long will it be before we can no longer hold a photograph in our hand, ponder its content, turn it over, read the date, and remember being there?

Not all that long ago, photography required a fair amount of study and skill to master technically. Both professionals and amateurs possessed a knowledge of film, the darkroom, chemistry, development, optics, cameras, light and exposure just to name a few. With the advent of digital capture and cameras that do everything but brew a cup of coffee, this knowledge is no longer required to make a photograph.

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