Is Too Much Memory a Bad Thing?

Published: March 19, 2009 | 23 Comments |

Our new regular columnist, one of Britain's most accomplished large format photographers, David Ward from Light & Land, considers how ever larger and cheaper storage influences how we take pictures, for better and worse...

2Tb or not 2Tb...

Whilst glancing through a computer magazine recently I noticed an announcement from SanDisk that they would soon be introducing a new generation of compact flash cards with capacities of up to five terabytes (5Tb). Five terabytes!! Even given our current obsession with ever-larger file sizes that’s an outrageous amount of storage. Of course I may well live to regret that statement, it may well become as infamous as the remark by Prof Douglas Hartree, a leading computer expert in the early 1950’s, that we would only ever need three mainframe computers for the whole of Britain… But a quick scribble on the back of an envelope leads me to the conclusion that one of these cards would be big enough to store my entire career’s output of images as 0.5Gb files. A more modest file size would make it possible to store millions of images on one of these disks.

David Ward

It’s not the amount of storage space that bothers me but the fact that no matter how large the card some photographers feel the need to try and fill it in a single day. On a recent Light & Land photographic workshop to Cuba, led by my friends Phil Malpas and Clive Minnitt, a client boasted that he’d made over 5,000 images in just ten days. No doubt the advent of HD video on stills cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark II will also lead to the production of a large number of large files.

In this one aspect, digital technology appears to have done photographers a disservice but actually it’s human nature that has failed us. Almost any human when presented with something “for free” will exploit that resource as fully as they can get away with. If you forget for a moment the cost of the camera or software or even the 5Tb SD cards – because we all do at the point of pressing the shutter – then individual digital images appear to be “free”.

The key question is do the originators of these numerous large files apply any critical thought prior to pressing the shutter?

David Ward

It seems to me that a fair number of these people are adherents of a modified version of the infinite monkey theorem, though the time allowed and their ambitions are a little more modest than the original. Rather than seeking to reproduce the complete works of Shakespeare in an infinite period of time they are aiming to produce a single decent image in a day. But surely this almost random approach is a massive and senseless dissipation of effort. There are circumstances in which it is necessary to make a lot of images of a subject in order to capture a decisive moment but only rarely even in such notoriously fast moving fields such as wildlife, news or sports photography.

Henri Cartier Bresson, founder of the press photographers’ agency Magnum, published a book entitled “The Decisive Moment” in 1954. His approach to photography was summed up by the words of an obscure 17th Century French Cardinal who wrote “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.” Bresson made many of his most famous images with an early Leica. He didn’t have all the modern advantages of program modes, autofocus or high frame rates. What he had instead was the right mental attitude. His was a targeted approach, rather than making a huge number of images with the hope of getting one or two right he mentally prepared himself and then carefully observed his subjects awaiting the decisive moment. It’s not a question of hunting for lots of images but rather of waiting for the right image to find you.

David Ward

Psychologists have attempted to explain the creative process in four stages: preparation, incubation, realisation and verification. In the first we attune ourselves to our subject and notice the possibility for an image; in the second we find a solution to the divergent problem of composition; in the third we make the image; and, finally, in the fourth verify that it met (or exceeded!) or aims. It’s vital that we delay pressing the shutter as long as possible if we want to make anything other than a pastiche of former images. We therefore need to take as long as we dare over the first two stages – obviously a fast moving subject or set of circumstance would curtail this.

Ansel Adams famously said that, “Twelve epiphanies in any one year is a good crop.” Who are we to disagree with such a master? You don’t have to fill a data card in one session, or two, or three, or even thirty. Spare capacity shouldn’t be a driving force for making images. The five images that accompany this piece represent my epiphanies from the last year. I don’t feel aggrieved that I haven’t even made the quota of a mere dozen. Photography shouldn’t be about numbers no matter how large and impressive they are. Not every image can be a masterpiece but we should treat the making of each as if it might be one.

David Ward

Biography

http://www.lightandland.co.uk
http://www.into-the-light.com

David Ward is one of Britain's most accomplished large format photographers. He has a very varied knowledge of photography, acquired while working for previous advertising, design and publishing clients. Over the years David has photographed everything from dogs to food to racing cars but landscape photography has always remained his passion.

In recent years he has concentrated his efforts on leading photography workshops for photo tour company Light & Land, taking groups to places as diverse as Utah and Norway. His emphasis in teaching is on the photographer's vision, rather than on what equipment is being used, and he passes on his knowledge in a uniquely humorous and accessible manner. Light & Land runs a broad range of photographic workshops for all levels of photographers – both in the UK and worldwide – full details can be found at http://www.lightandland.co.uk

David has recently hosted Landscape Beyond - a hugely successful exhibition of his work at Londons OXO Tower gallery which was also the launch pad for Davids most recent book of the same title.

All images in this article © David Ward

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Entry tags

memory cards, compact flash, storage, decisive moment

Your Comments

23 Comments so far | Post a comment

#1 Edward

Great post and very thought provoking. I fear I may have been a victim of the clamour to fill cards just because! Will certainly be thinking twice before I press the shutter release from now on.

1:42 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#2 Peter West

I teach photography. Been thinking about shooting 4X5 film. Now that might slow me up. I type this as I burn my fourth DVD of images from the Canada Blooms flower show. About 800 RAW images. Use to think 3 to 5 publishable shots on a roll of 36 was a great day when I worked in newspapers.

1:51 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#3 Richard Hall

When I was young I used to travel to India with my trusty Nikkormat FT2 and its lone 50mm lens and splurge on a 20 pack of Kodachrome with processing. That would last 4 months and I got an amazing number of pictures I still like today. I also recall reading about professional travel photographers who would take a 2-3 week photo tour and shoot upwards of 75-100 rolls. My budget was limited and theirs, so it seemed to me, was limitless. Of course, they got some fantastic images.

2:16 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#4 Boris Badenov

“Who are we to disagree with such a master?” well, if we don’t disagree with great people of the past mediocrity will rule and progress will simply stop.
Henri Cartier Bresson made some astonishing images but no one will ever know how many he missed because it was too dark, too far or just because he run out of film.
I am sure that in addition to his creative genius, Ansel Adams tried to use his equipment to its full potential…

3:10 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#5 Sean Needham

Very good article, well written and some interesting food for thought.

If people actually stopped taking as much memory out there in to the field with them, then there would be a dramatic increase in good shots; as the photographer would have to slow down and think more about what they were taking.

I have started to tell my ‘students’ that if they cut down on the amount of memory they carried with them, and left their fancy card back up devices at home, then they would really start to rack up a few more ‘keeps’ per trip. Most don’t seem to realise, though, that the more memory they have, the more complacent they get to what they shoot, and how they shoot.

3:11 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#6 Mark

People will continue to take bad photos whether they can take 36 or 5000 photos. If they dont have a clear vision of what they want, or (if we’re talking landscapes) nature doesn’t co-operate, it wont matter how many photos they take, they still won’t get something that is lasting.

Even the best of us can go out for a day and take photos and come back disappointed.

3:44 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#7 Marion Warling

For years I have said the best way to learn to see is with a view camera. When a single shot costs $5 or more you take a little more time before pressing the release.

Now? I am victim of rampant firing of my Digital cameras. Go out. Hunt for a photograph waiting to be captured. The shoot it to death.

Of course when shooting insects this can pay off well.

Perhaps we should step back and take along ONE 128MB card and allow no deletes. For my Sony R1 that would allow five (5) raw photos.

It would be good training.

3:47 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#8 Peter West

On the other hand for most of my photography students it’s all just fun whether they’re shooting with a $100 point and shoot or a $5K DSLR. That’s the difference between a pro and amateur. The amateur does it for love. I do it for the money. Does take some of the fun out of it. Need to get back to being an amateur and shooting for the love of it whether it’s one shot or a thousand.

3:53 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#9 Marion Warling

Ah Peter, I had a studio for twenty five years. I had to put a lot of concentration into a shot. Not just point and shot. Yes there were 10 shots in each roll of 120 roll film with my RZ. But I still did not just blast away. Each shot was a new creation not just a slight change.

Now I do photography for fun. And I am guilty of shooting first and thinking second if at all. That is not the way to creative photography.

The average photographer now would have a very hard time going to report on a fire with a speed-graphic. I am glad I never had to do that.

5:02 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#10 Faheema

I actually really do agree with you. Also filling up a huge card isn’t a good thing, a corrupt card with thousands of important images on there can result in a tragedy.

I have recently made a poll asking those who take photos if they consider themselves to be photographers. The responses were amazing. People’s definition of photography are interesting and for those who think everyone who presses the shutter button are photographers can’t really be photographers themselves.

We live in an age where everything is so advanced that people aren’t really aware about what art really is anymore.

I would admit that I take alot of photos to just get the one image I’m looking for, the numbers have decreased now, but I’m usually just experimenting. If I were making money from it, I would really limit the amount I take.

I really did enjoy reading this, this has helped me clear up some areas in writing for my paper. Hope you don’t mind me quoting you.

11:22 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#11 Hagen

You are all forgetting the learning process: digital is very powerful as a earning tool: you get instant feedback. Students of learning start with lots of photos trying angles, settings etc and gradually shoot fewer and fewer as they develop their “eye” and skill.

Now you are all correct in that the majority of “snappers” are just that: walk-up, point, shoot.

11:58 pm - Thursday, March 19, 2009

#12 Marion Warling

The learning process in digital is exactly the same as in film. Instant feedback is nice but while time is lost a contact sheet gives the same information. And you see the entire roll of film at once not having to scroll back and forth through the file.

I had almost instant feed back while I had my studio. Expensive feedback yes especially with an 8x10 cut film view camera. I would replace the film holder/back with a Polaroid film holder and sixty seconds later view the results of my lighting. Could not wait until I got film back from the lab. If there was a error rehiring models, stylists and makeup artists and scheduling more time could be avoided.

Photography is seeing a worthy target/subject and recording that on a medium be it film or pixels. But must be seen as a potential worthy photographic subject/scene before picking up the camera.

The camera itself consists of a box to hold the recording medium, a lens to focus the light, an aperture to control the amount of light passing through in a given instant and a shutter to control the length of the period the light passes through the lens to the photo sensitive medium.

Every student of photography should start with a camera that has a normal focal length lens, manual focus, manual setting of aperture and shutter speed. A student should not be allowed to use any automated in the camera gizmos. A basic camera like that and a hand held exposure meter and you solidly and quickly learn the fundamentals of photography.

The basics are the same no matter the medium.

1. Focus.
2. Aperture.
3. Shutter speed.

Master those three and you have camera control down pat for any format and any camera.

Making the picture is done in the head. The camera is just a very handy sketch pad. The final product is made in the darkroom/computer and may bear little resemblance to the light that first passed through the lens.

Other then in the eye of the photographer this photo did not exist in reality.

http://i.pbase.com/o6/97/719097/1/110372611.2noD8vDP.Amarillis02.jpg

A plant sitting in a corner of a living room with widow light to the side and behind. The person who asked me to photograph her plant was frankly amazed at the final product. It is not what you saw sitting in a chair on the other side of the room.

The photograph should be firmly in the artist/photographers head before s/he picks up the camera. The exception would be action photography but you still have to have an idea of what you want to capture.

12:51 am - Friday, March 20, 2009

#13 Boris Badenov

Lack of space on a memory card is not going to inspire creativity and make someone a better photographer.

Ability to experiment will.

Digital technology just made it less stressful.

1:39 am - Friday, March 20, 2009

#14 Curieux

Right and wrong.
A good shot is always entirely thougt before pressing the button.

But you have to learn to do it. The best way to learn is to do and doing it again and again.
Those digitals marvels are really précious to achieve that goal, plus the instant feedback.

10:40 am - Friday, March 20, 2009

#15 Jenny

David loves to spark a debate, he’s in Namibia for 2 weeks with a Light & Land group(http://www.lightandland.co.uk) but will no doubt post comments too once he’s back.

3:36 pm - Friday, March 20, 2009

#16 Mandeno Moments

I’d like to respectfully disagree with David when he says It’s not a question of hunting for lots of images but rather of waiting for the right image to find you.

To me photography is primarily an active process, i.e. it is necessary to look for images. Naturally there is a component of chance: e.g. I went looking for photos in a major storm, then went to the end of a wharf that I knew was exposed to the weather, and arrived at the right time to get this image:

http://mandenomoments.zenfolio.com/various-candid-street/e2f029488

2:27 am - Saturday, March 21, 2009

#17 Gregg Johnson

Great article. 5Tb is a ton of memory. However, I think using it for its backup storage capacity would make better sense. Personally, I wouldn’t want to use a 5Tb card to shoot jobs with because it’s like putting all your eggs in one basket, but as backup storage for files it makes sense.

4:17 pm - Tuesday, March 24, 2009

#18 rob

With all due respect to the author of the article and most commentators (I fully understand your good intentions): the best way to limit the amount of exposures per session is to shoot daguerrotypes. That does not guarantee any amount of good photographs, though… The premise that shooting less photos leads to a better photography reminds me of the attitude that prevents some people from fully embracing the fact that shooting film is not more inherent to the art than shooting digitally.

Whether you use the technology of XIX century or XXI century, that has no bearing on the quality of your work (if you know what you are doing). So, I would rather have too much memory than not enough. And I would rather concentrate on taking pictures for as long as I wish, than worry about the limitation of my card’s capacity.

That said, I think that the need for 5TB memory cards will exist way, way far in the future (if at all).

12:01 am - Wednesday, March 25, 2009

#19 Robin Turner

The comments about the masters and mistresses are no doubt valid but the point is they were the masters and mistresses, but most of us are not.
I have learnt a lot by being able to take a lot of pictures in a similar way to how using a word processor has improved my writing ability.
We cannot all attend a school of photography but we can “learn on the job” but of course get the best advice we can while doing so.
And anyway a large capacity cardsaves having to carry other equipment for downloading, especially if electricity may not be available.
Don?t you always carry spare batteries so why not carry spare recording capacity.

2:05 am - Wednesday, March 25, 2009

#20 Marion Warling

Spare batteries yes. Spare memory cards no. I have only filled my 1GB card once and that was when I was shooting raw. Each photo gave a 3MB jpeg and a 23MB raw file.

I know for a fact that I shoot way too many shots without thinking fully about composition since moving from film to digital. Most shots get only a casual look before being scrapped. When photographing insects I am grateful for lots of memory with flowers I get careless.

6:05 am - Wednesday, March 25, 2009

#21 flemming rasmussen

Great photograph, regards flemming .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

7:50 am - Wednesday, March 25, 2009

#22 Алексей Рубин

Вот про все это я почитал с огромным интересом. И с удовольствием прочитал бы еще больше! Планируете ли в дальнейшем писать на эту же тему? Спасибо

10:28 pm - Wednesday, April 1, 2009

#23 Матвей Рыбин

Довольно интересно! Спасибо за статью.

7:34 am - Saturday, April 11, 2009