Working in the Digital Age

 Drones are the new big talked about technology and it seems like everyone is jumping to get one. The purpose of the drone was first for military use. And though that is still there main purpose, now many average people have them as well, and love what they can do. Drones are basically like mini video cameras that can cruise at extremely high altitudes. As stated in a BBC news article, Drones are equipped with different state of the art technology such as infra-red cameras (military UAV), GPS and laser (militaryUAV). The smaller drones, are typically controlled by a remote control system and the person on land sends it into the air and controls it this way, but attaching the remote control to their phone and seeing the image of what the drone I capturing on their home, and controlling where it moves too. Exceeding the control range of the remote control will trigger ‘Return-to-Home’, meaning that it will automatically fly back to its takeoff point and land safely. Therefore if your flying your drone over sea, and it dies it won’t just drop in the water it will return back to you safely.

 
Photo by: Jack Brown

Image source: http://mydronelab.com/best-pick/professional-drones.html
 

There are a couple different size Drones available including the ones most average people get which are sold at Costco’s, or stores like that. These range anywhere from 100-800 dollars and these go less than a mile in distance. Then the next one up goes for a couple thousand dollars and goes a mile high and about two miles out taking clear, and super cool videos and pictures. A friend of mine has had both of these, and loves the newer one, though it was more money is does a lot more, and isn’t so loud like the smaller one that’s goes for cheaper. Then the biggest of the drones is the military Drone. These ones look like mini planes that can fly very far distances and shoot off missiles and can take extremely high quality pictures and videos. These go for about a couple million and are only used for the military. These aren't sent off so easy like the smaller ones, and require short runways to take off.

This technology has affected photojournalists and photography because using the drone they are able to take super cool photos/videos like they could not previously. Now photojournalists with drones can get videos from high altitudes, of wars, or pretty much any event. The drone can also get a different view on things to take cool photographs whether it be on the move, or staying still it has helped in many ways, mainly to make cooler, clearer photos. The things photojournalists would have to go through previously to get an image quality like the drone can produce was a ridiculous amount of work and probably still couldn’t match up. Like it talks about in the Drone photojournalism interview video with Jason Bache he says “it’s definitely going to make journalists lives easier, it’s very difficult for a crane to be deployed purely for a camera” and believes it will lead to a new era for photojournalists.

Photo by: Eric Cheng

Image source: http://www.popphoto.com/Cheng
 

Digital photographic technology has also effected photojournalists in that it has made things a lot easier for them in many ways. Back in the day when wire service photography was used, there were a lot of requirements photojournalists or photographers needed to be able meet in order to get the job, and be good at it. Though you would think the most important skill for the job was probably to be able to take good photos, this wasn’t necessarily the case. It talks about these requirements in the article Photojournalists or Pack Mule? A look back at the good old days of wire service photography. It says “the most important job requirements 16 years ago was a strong back. The ability to lift and travel with case after case of equipment, often weighing around 80 pounds each, was a necessity.” Now with all the digital technology we have, this is no longer this issue of having to carry 80 pounds on your back.  This has made things a lot easier for photojournalists. Now they have to carry maybe a simple backpack which has helped them be able to move around quicker, more efficiently, and get the pictures they need without having to worry about this extra weight holding them back from getting a great shot.

When I compare this new digital technology with the old technology I studied before, speed graphic cameras it is remarkable to look at how far photographic technology has come. Even the amount of change within the last 20 years or so  has been so extensive it’s incredible. Like Nordell says in his Working in the Digital Age part one video, “from looking at 1990 to the present the amount of change in that period is astronomical it almost dwarfs the amount of the change from, the 1840’s to 1890’s.” Meaning there were so many new advancements in technology just in those years from 1990-now while all the many years before that there really weren’t huge changes among the technology. Yes, there were changes from using plates to take photos, to being able to actually move around with a camera, and cameras using film instead of plates, but not much change occurred if you compare it to the amount of developments in more recent years. Like the drone, for example, also going digital with pretty much everything, new advanced cameras coming out all the time, everything has gotten so advanced in such a short time. Nordell talks about this in his The Digital mindset video. He notes this drastic change in technology and comments on it. He talks about the change from doing things with our hands, and records and cd players and things like that to everything being digital. He says, “Music has become digital, photography has become digital, its all about the web and the webs capabilities.” I think this idea can be kind of scary if you ask me. Though the technological advances have been great in many ways, making our lives easier in certain aspects, it can also be nerve-racking to realize we rely on the digital network for pretty much everything we do. And we also know, digital things can still be flawed. Computers, digital cameras, everything digital can all crash, it can lose all of your information with the wrong click of a button which can be scary when thinking about the new technology we have and how it is taking over.