The Phoblographer

This blog post is inspired by a thread that happened on Reddit. I personally responded to it as I’m a Mod for R/Polaroid. But I realize that there is a ton of misinformation and folks who don’t know what’s going on. Modern Polaroid Film isn’t what it used to be. Further, there are great reasons for that. And in this blog post, we’re going to explain everything to you.

The following is from a post on R/Polaroid, where I’m transparently, a mod for the subreddit. So I’ve taken a summary I wrote there and modified it for this blog post. I hope that it will provide a lot of clarity on some of the misinformation out there. Specifically, this tidbit made me write this post.

Polaroid lost their original formula since their rebranding with Project Impossible and Polaroid Originals and the team are actively working to improve the image.

The Fall of Polaroid

Years ago, Polaroid screwed up very, very big. They were already on the decline because the world became very anti-analog to embrace DSLRs fully realizing what they could do, and early mirrorless digital. So to make themselves look cool, they literally hired Lady Gaga as their creative director without the funds to do it. Kodachrome was also on its way out then, and the entire analog photo world was in disarray. This was more than a decade ago.

Polaroid shut it doors, sold itself off to a Chinese company, and started to go the route of making zInk cameras. They survived and thrived off of their name alone for a few years. But no one took them with any bit of seriousness.

The Death of Polaroid, and the Birth of the Impossible Project

When Polaroid shut their doors, Florian Caps and a few others bought the factory and tried to recreate Polaroid’s formula. They asked Polaroid for help, but Polaroid refused to do so. This is how the Impossible Project was created. Caps and others started the project to find a way to keep Polaroid film alive.

Progress was made slowly and in a questionable pace. They focused on the 8×10 cameras first quite a bit along with a few other models like the SX-70 and more. They had a beautiful, and cozy gallery shop in NYC back then where they’d show the prints off. They were gorgeous but had to be experienced in person to really be felt, sort of like a Leica camera. Back in December of 2010, Impossible said that they were making progress and created a version of PX680. This and a lot of the smaller format films had problems.

Some of those problems:

Fading

Issues with the film and spots

Bad colors

At my desk is a box of both Polaroid and Fujifilm instant film. And it’s very clear what’s what.

Then they found a way to take your phone’s photos and print them on their film. This is when the Impossible Project started to refocus a bit more. One of their biggest problems back then was that the film faded really hard. So they literally created something called color protection film. Impossible Project film continued to improve, but still wasn’t up to what Fujifilm was making.

Polaroid’s Rebirth

Speed up ahead, and a few things happened. Polaroid was bought by shareholders. Then the same shareholders also bought the Impossible Project. This brought the two companies under the same banner finally. Impossible film was rebranded to be called Polaroid Originals.

By that, today’s Polaroid is not the same company that started in NY that many years ago. Neither is Kodak, Kodak Alaris, Kodak Moments, or any of its variants. Fujifilm, Ilford, and Lomography are still the same companies they’ve always been. The modern Polaroid is not at all the same company that Edwin Land founded.

So Will Polaroid Film Ever Improve?

Personally speaking, no, the current Polaroid film will not ever look like the original stuff in my opinion. I’ve got photos of me from McDonald’s when I was super young (I’m almost 35 when writing this). It hasn’t faded a bit. And then I look in my desk drawer of Impossible Project and Polaroid originals film that I shot in the past few years. Some of it has fade...

Not all bokeh is made the same. Some kinds are clearly superior to others in the way that the bourgeoisie snubs their nose at the proletariat. Of course, I’m kidding about that; it’s all personal preference. But objectively speaking, there are many different types of bokeh out there. Luckily, we’ve studied and used the most lenses in real-world environments of any website. So we dove into our Reviews Index to look at bokeh shapes. Are there more? There could be, but these are more than sufficient for the modern photographer.

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Table of Contents

Swirly Bokeh

How to Get the Look

Shaped Bokeh

How to Get the Look

Onion Bokeh

How to Get the Look

Smooth Bokeh

How to Get the Look

Donut Bokeh

How to Get the Look

Soap Bubble Bokeh

How to Get the Look

Swirly Bokeh

Swirly bokeh is fascinating! I honestly wish it were available in more lenses. Of all the types of bokeh, it’s often the most unique. It’s typically associated with petzval style lenses. In a nutshell, it’s making the center very sharp and the outer edges less in focus. So, if you’re shooting with this style of lens, you can’t expect the edges to be in focus. Instead, you’ll have to always center your subject. It works best at wider open apertures. And the more you stop down, the lessened the effect becomes.

Because of this, swirly bokeh is one of the types of bokeh that will appeal to portrait photographers. Combine it with some sort of sepia preset and you’ll get an old-timey look.

How to Get the Look

Some of the best ways to get it are to reach for a Lomography Petzval lens or a Lensbaby Twist for less than $200 for just the optic. Lomography’s Petzval lenses can be had easily on eBay. And various vintage optics can do this, like some from Helios.

Shaped Bokeh

Shaped bokeh is different. It takes the bokeh and literally turns it into a shape. Ever seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the world? It’s used often there. It’s an amusing look, but it can also be limiting. You need to use a very wide-open aperture at all times to get the results to pop. They’re fun to use for portraiture, and they’ll be fantastic with modern lenses as they’re super sharp wide open.

How to Get the Look

Years ago, SLRMagic used to make this lens called the Bokehmorphic. I can’t even find it anymore for the record, and it was hard to use, but fun. But you can also score these little stencils to put over your lens to shape the bokeh.

Onion Bokeh

For many years, this was just known as bokeh. Of all the types of bokeh, this is one of the weirdest to me. It’s so odd because of just how it came to be called this. Basically, onion bokeh is when you look at a bokeh ball and there are little circles in it. It happens with the vast majority of optics made before 2018. Someone, somewhere on the internet, decided that it was awful because they were pixel-peeping. Sony hyper-inflated it out of control. It was a problem if you want to call it that, with the way the optics were polished. And now, manufacturers have changed the polishing technique so that the optics are more smooth.

Personally speaking, I liked the onion bokeh look. It made the bokeh balls pop and gave images a more fascinating look.

How to Get the Look

Basically, pick up any lens made prior to 2018. It’s bound to have onion bokeh. Make sure there are bright bokeh balls behind your subject. That’s it; it’s that simple.

Smooth Bokeh

Continuing from the onion bokeh trend, smooth bokeh occurs when the optics are polished differently. The bokeh balls are smooth and don’t have an onion character. It’s bound to make you not cry if you can’t handle a bit of heat in the kitchen.

How to Get the Look

Sony G Master lenses are enormous on this look. Lots of Canon modern RF L lenses and Nikon Z S lenses are big on ...

Since we began the site, our objective here at The Phoblographer has been to help people feel good while educating them about the world and the photo industry. To achieve that, the team works hard to bring you its views, as well as the work of photographers within the community. It’s not always easy, but we think we do a good job. From using photography to boost mental health to using your skills to benefit society, there are many ways photography can provide positivity. Below are some perfect examples.

Want to get your work featured? Here’s how to do it!

Use Photography for Mental Health Stability

Back in June, yours truly wrote an article aiming to help photographers keep their mental health stable. I’ve written about my depression in the past, and how photography really helped save the day. In this piece, we cover six ways photography can help keep you happy and strong to battle through difficult times. Read the full article here.

David Klammer Used Photography to Show Off a “Utopia”

Have you ever dreamt about living in a utopian society where everyone works together for the good of the community and the land? Well, there is a part of India that’s trying to achieve that. Auroville is a self-sustained city that focuses on green living and people supporting each other. Money doesn’t really exist. Instead, people do their part to keep things functioning. David Klammer has a 20-year relationship with the city and has been back to photograph it many times. Take a look here.

Use Positive Photography to Do Charity Work

Being able to create photographs is a beautiful gift to have. Sure, you worked hard to perfect the craft, but some people just don’t have that creative flair, so be grateful you do. With that, don’t just use it for your benefit. Use it also to uplift others. A helpful way to do that is to do charity work. Volunteer your photography skills to support a charity’s brand and the work they’re doing. I go into further detail here.

Sándor Kereki Kept His Photography a Secret

Sándor Kereki’s story spreads positivity because of how interesting it is. Similar to the story of Vivian Maier, it seems Kereki kept his photographs to himself for decades. He made photographs of the Hungarian revolution, and this year he released them to the online photo catalog, Fortepan. They’re wonderful and educational. See more of them here.

Greg Bowl Takes Us Into the World of Professional Wrestling

Professional wrestling, although aggressive on the surface, is all about entertainment. Greg Bowl spent time photographing pro wrestling before it had really hit the mainstream. He has plenty of stories to tell. Imagine sitting by the fire, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to him go down memory lane. While that’s not possible, you can create the same ambiance by looking at his photographs and his interview here.

Yannick Schurwanz Lights Up Atheletes

Yannick Schurwanz is a former athlete-turned photographer. He understands how athletes move, how they think, and how they utilize their bodies. Schurwanz also has a strong understanding of photography and lighting, which he uses to creatively document current athletes. He took us behind the scenes and showed us how he approaches his portraits, sharing what gear he uses. You can take a look here.

Send Us Your Positive Photography

We desire more positive photography. If you have some, then please do send it in by using the above form. Also, if you think there’s a particular story or photographer we need to be aware of, let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.

Lead photo by Yannick Schurwanz. All photos used with permission.

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I have been a Nikonian photographer for more than a decade. Yet, after trying the company’s first full-frame mirrorless, I chose to stick with a DSLR. I simply didn’t have the confidence in the Z7 and Z6 autofocus system and lack of ability to record to two cards at once. That’s exactly what Nikon focused on in the second generation, however. The Nikon Z7 II keeps much of the first generation intact but steps up the autofocus, adds a second card slot, and moves to dual processors. Then, there’s also the price bump of a few hundred bucks.

So, has Nikon earned my trust back with the Nikon Z7 II? I didn’t fall in love instantly like I had hoped, but gradually, the Z7 II earned my confidence. The Z7 II isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t outperform the competition. But, it’s a camera many photographers could still manage to fall in love with, especially paired with a Z system lens.

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Autofocus

Ease of Use

Metering

Image Quality

High ISO Images

RAW File Versatility

Extra Image Samples

Edited

Unedited

Conclusion

Likes

Dislikes

Is the Nikon Z7 II Worth it?

Too Long, Didn’t Read

The Nikon Z7 II corrects much of what disappointed me in the first version, including a much better autofocus system and dual card slots. The Z7 II is beautiful inside and out: it takes beautiful pictures, and it’s also beautifully designed. But, while finally competitive, there are a few annoyances to contend with.

Pros and Cons

Pros

A much-improved autofocus system

Durable magnesium alloy build with weather-sealing

Image quality is great, especially with native Z lenses

In-body image stabilization

Dual card slots with XQD/CF Express and SD

Cons

While improved, the autofocus isn’t as good as Canon’s R series

Eyepiece rubber sometimes blocks the eye sensor

Viewfinder blacks out

Gear Used

I used the Nikon Z7 II with the Z 50mm f1.2 S, the Z 70-200mm f2.8 VR S, and the Z 24-200mm f4-6.3 VR. I used the Wandrd Sling strap, as well as the Wandrd PRVKE II and Lowepro Flipside backpacks.

Innovations

The Nikon Z7 II is more about fixing complaints about the first generation than crazy innovation. It adds the dual card slots, improves autofocus performance, and upgrades video to 4K at 60 fps (93 percent crop). The biggest change is the move up from a single processor to two, which improves performance.

Tech Specs

These Nikon Z7 II tech specs are a shortened version of the full specifications available from Nikon USA:

Sensor: 45.7-megapixel full-frame CMOS

RAW: 12 or 14 bit

Two card slots with XQD/CF Express, SD

EVF: .5 inch, 3690k dot

3.2 inch 2,100K dot touchscreen with tilt

Shutter: 30 sec. to 1/8000, Flash sync up to 1/200

10 fps burst

ISO: 64-25,600 (32-102,400 extended)

AF: Hybrid phase-detection/contrast with AF assist beam, -3 to +19 detection range, 493 focus points

5-axis sensor-shift stabilization

Video: 4K at 60 fps (93 percent crop of the sensor), up to 29 minutes 59 second recording time

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Li-ion battery rated at 360 to 440 depending on settings

Weighs 21.7 ounces

5.3 x 4 x 2.8 inches

Ergonomics

Little has changed on the exterior of the second-generation Z7. Save for the little “II” in the corner on the camera name, it would be difficult to tell the two apart at a glance. The biggest exception? The second generation has both the XQD or CF Express slot and an SD slot. That’s a must-have for working professionals who need to back up their images in the field.

The Z7 II weighs 21.7 ounces, which is significantly lighter than the Nikon D850. It’s also more compact, yet the grip is almost the same size, so it doesn’t have the uncomfortable hold of a compact camera.

A long-time Nikon DSLR user, the control scheme on the Z7 II feels like home. The top houses an LCD screen. Dual control wheels flank the shutter, on/off, record, ISO, and exposure compensation on the ...

“A drive to embrace new technology and change,” answers data scientist and CEO of Alice Camera, Vishal Kumar, when queried about what sets Alice Camera apart from other camera companies. He found that existing mirrorless cameras were too cumbersome and decided that a shift was needed in the camera industry. This stirred up multiple ideas in his head, which eventually led to the creation of the Alice Camera. We caught up with Vishal and his team for an exclusive interview about the upcoming camera and an insight into the AI algorithm it uses to produce pictures.

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If you’re a millennial like me or older, chances are that your family had a compact camera even if there was an SLR in the household. It was the go-to camera for parties and trips around the country. You didn’t have to think much while using it; most of the time, the inbuilt AF and metering system got a decent picture. Somehow, when the digital camera revolution came about, digital compact cameras didn’t last very long. I wouldn’t say that’s because DSLRs quickly became more affordable; it’s just that the smartphone camera became more convenient. Here was a device that did more than just calls and messaging – it was the perfect pocket-sized camera to carry with you everywhere. And with the average person taking photos primarily for social media purposes without any real intent to print them, the quality they provided proved to be more than enough.

Camera specs and features drive smartphone sales more than anything else these days. It’s what phone manufacturers use first these days when promoting the features of their smartphones. These days, some smartphone cameras have a higher resolution sensor than the average DSLR or mirrorless camera. A handful of them even enlisted the service of leading camera brands like Leica and Hasselblad to develop technology for their smartphone cameras. And the most prominent casualty as a result of the rise of the smartphone was the compact camera. When your smartphone camera can do everything it does, and sometimes even better, what was the need to carry around a dedicated camera in your pocket or bag?

Maybe three years ago, I was at a photo walk when someone introduced me to a Huawei smartphone. It wasn’t the specs of the camera’s sensors and lenses that amazed me; it was the inbuilt scene recognition AI it had. Depending on where you pointed the lens, the phone’s AI could recognize the subject and enhance the color and details accordingly. Skies turned bluer and sand warmer if you aimed it at the beach. Food on your plate popped in color and looked more appetizing. Even when you took a selfie, you had the option of smoothening your skin. I can’t conclusively say if Huawei was the first to introduce AI into their smartphone photography, but they certainly made me realize one thing – camera manufacturers needed to innovate faster.

The compact camera is almost a thing of the past now because of the convenience of the smartphone. Yes, digital compact cameras still have larger sensors, but the benefits of these sensors are being matched with AI. Phones can now selectively and accurately blur the background behind a subject using AI, and they are getting better and better at this with each new release. I realized soon after seeing that Huawei demo that if camera brands needed to compete with this level of innovation, the only way to do it was to introduce AI features into their cameras. The way I imagined it could be done was by connecting the camera to a data network (possibly via a smartphone) to be connected to an AI neural network. Otherwise, to the average consumer, a DSLR or mirrorless camera requires more effort to get a similar result to what AI-enabled smartphone cameras can already do today.

Gadgets like the Arsenal 1 and 2 have attempted to make some headway in this regard, but Vishal and his team hope to shake things aro...

Aluminum frame backpacks tend to make me regret my life choices as soon as I put them on. Often, the added structure isn’t worth the added weight. That’s not the case with the F-Stop AJNA, an adventure and travel backpack that has an aluminum frame so light I didn’t even notice it at first. Combined with a waist belt, the backpack helps distribute weight on the hips instead of the back and shoulders.

The F-Stop AJNA fit almost perfectly, had plenty of pockets, and even has an unexpected built-in whistle. It’s big enough for two camera bodies — including a built-in grip like on the Canon EOS R3 — and a handful of lenses. Then, there are the seemingly endless pockets for accessories and personal items. But, there are a few details that won’t take to adventure quite as well.

Table of Contents

Too Long, Didn’t Read

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Ease of Use

Conclusions

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long, Didn’t Read

The F-Stop AJNA is a well-organized and comfortable camera backpack made for adventure and travel. I love the pockets, organization, and smart features like a whistle and removable side straps. But, I’m not completely in love with the new material or the thinner straps.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Full-gear access from the back

Lightweight

Magnetic closure memory card pockets

Aluminum frame and waist belt distribute weight well

Built-in whistle, hydro pack pocket, ice axe sleeves, and other hiking features

Lots of space

Well-organized, with lots of pockets

Cons

Light fraying questions the long term durability

The fabric is noisy

The side pockets are too short

The most important zippers aren’t weather-sealed, and the fabric isn’t 100 percent waterproof

It’s pricey

Gear Used

I used the F-Stop AJNA 37L with the Slope Medium camera bag insert. I packed the bag with the Canon EOS R3, the Canon EOS R6, the RF 70-200mm f4, the RF 85mm f2 Macro, the 14-35mm f4 L, and the 16mm f2.8. I also tried the Vanguard Veo 264CB Carbon Tripod in the side pocket.

Innovations

The AJNA is one of three new bags for F-Stop. It uses a new material called DuraDiamond that the company says is stronger and lightweight. The bag also has a few small touches that I haven’t seen on a lot of other bags, including magnetic closure memory card slots.

Tech Specs

F-Stop lists the following features for the AJNA 37L camera backpack:

37 liter capacity

Ideal for travel (carry-on compatible) and short adventures

DuraDiamond™ material is proprietary to f-stop and is stronger, lighter weight, and more weather resistant

Combination T6 aluminum and plastic hardware adds strength to critical carry and suspension components

Upgraded weather resistant zippers including woven-in zippers for significantly improved strength than standard coil zippers

Improved organization and storage features added to pockets, lid, and back panel

Mesh side pockets carries a 32oz/1 liter Nalgene bottle

For comfortable carry, we recommend you do not exceed a load of gear exceeding 12 kgs/27 lbs.

Aluminum frame shifts pack’s weight to hips for all day carry comfort

Pairs best with the Slope – Medium or Pro – Large Camera Insert

Ergonomics

The F-Stop AJNA 37L uses one of my personal favorite designs for backpacks, similar to the one on my go-to backpack. The gear access is in the back, but there’s also a waist belt. You can remove the shoulder straps, swing the bag around the front, unzip it, and grab gear without taking the bag off. This isn’t as fast as using a messenger bag, but it’s more comfortable. Unlike a quick access door, you can see and grab all your gear, not just whatever is tucked into one spot.

The main compartment is an empty slate ready for a camera insert. You can access it from the large back zipper, which opens fully and stays open. Or, there is a second zipper to the main compartment at the top. This zipper has easy access to the extra room at the top of the bag when paired with the smaller Slope insert. There’s yet another pocket here ...

When you think of street photography, you probably think of what a lot of the classic and older photographers have said. There’s surely lots of wonderful substance in their words. But the world of photography has evolved quite a bit since a lot of them have been around. Further, their ideas may only work well for them. These days, people take multi-award-winning street photography with their phones. At the end of the day, people just care about the image. Only photographers and camera-lover care about what products you’re using to get the shot. And if street photography keeps staying the same, then it never progresses. So here are some tips for using an 85mm lens for street photography.

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Check Your Intentions First and Foremost

You should begin by checking your intentions. The concern with street photographers doing street with longer lenses is that they’ll be creeps. So first off, check your intentions. Think about what you’re doing to do with the photo. If you’re taking it just so you can stare at it in a way that’s malicious or disrespectful to someone, put the camera down. You have no reason to photograph a pretty woman from behind unless there’s a genuinely good reason for the photograph’s artistic intent. What could some of those be? The lighting is a good one. But more than anything else, the reason for shooting street photography has to do with the moment. There has to be something newsworthy or emotional. When someone looks at the photo, they have to have a reason to look at it.

For the photo above, I was trying to use an 85mm lens to photograph Chuck. He was speaking in Union Square.

For this image, I felt he was such a character to look at. It’s common to find older folks who ding people for smoking pot. But this guy was all about it. Could the shot have been better? Sure, but it surely worked.

Think Cinematic When Using an 85mm Lens for Street Photography

With an 85mm lens, you have to think a bit cinematic. It’s a telephoto lens designed to single out a certain subject. In the photo above, I tried to show the sense of people trying to be normal during the pandemic. He’s shopping for groceries while wearing a mask. So too were a lot of other people.

In this case, the 85mm lens helped me photograph him from a safe distance while telling the story. If I used a 50mm lens, this scene would’ve looked much different. If I used my favorite, a 35mm lens, I would’ve risked my health. For the record, this was shot before vaccines were available. Even so, I would’ve recommend anyone be reckless.

Use Face Detection

Using an 85mm lens for street photography is also fantastic because it lets you keep a respectable distance from your subjects. With a wider lens, you often need to get in someone’s personal space. When you do that, you risk breaking the moment as it’s unfolding. But most folks won’t realize that someone is shooting them with an 85mm lens. In the photo above, the bride is too busy fixing something while the groom and photographer go through photos. It’s a fun shot that can surely use a crop to make the image stronger. But it shows off a bit of a funny moment since the couple isn’t looking at the photos together. Further, when you look at the photo, you’re clearly wondering what the bride is doing.

“The main difference between wildlife and sports photography is that in sports photography, the subject you’re trying to capture won’t try to eat you,” said a friend of a friend who will remain unnamed. Something said in jest, of course, but the fact is that extra precautions need to be taken when out in the wild photographing animals. Despite taking these, sometimes photographers can be on the receiving end of some unexpectedly scary moments.

All images in this article are used with permission from their owners.

At the onset, let me say that this article isn’t meant to portray wild animals negatively. If anything, it’s meant to be quite the opposite. A prominent wildlife photographer responded to my request for an interview on this topic by saying that it might portray animals in a bad light, as animals are only defending themselves when needed. Even as someone who hasn’t done any serious wildlife photography, I agree with him on the latter half of that statement. Armed with super-telephoto lenses, wildlife photographers often have to be well inside the familiar environment of a wild animal to get some good stills of them. And sometimes, when these animals feel threatened, even the more docile among them can turn hostile.

Animals Can Be Quicker Than You Realize

Akhil Vinayak Menon is a technologist by profession and a nature and wildlife photographer by passion. He’s been pursuing wildlife photography for over eight years. A trip to the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, India, is where he encountered a scary moment. Here’s his story:

“For a couple of days, I and the guide/driver had been following a trio of elephants, possibly siblings. I managed to make some fantastic frames with the elephants, especially in the morning and evening light.

In this image, the beautiful backlight, the dense forests behind the elephants, and the elephants perfectly balanced in the frame makes this image special and unique. It is a beautiful habitat shot of the elephants in the park as well. The trio was very active, and this encouraged me to follow them through multiple days to get more shots around the park.

On the third day of safari, during the evening safari session, as a routine, we rushed back to the same area where we had been capturing images of the elephants. The path to the riverbed was narrow and had bushes on both sides of the road. As soon as we took a curve on the road, the trio all of a sudden appeared to the right of the safari vehicle, and the driver instinctively stopped the vehicle. These safari vehicles are specially made open jeeps with no roofing in order to aid undisturbed photography. So we were literally in the open and just a few meters away from the animals.

One of the elephants was taking a mud bath while the little one was grazing. The third elephant, however, seemed alarmed by our unexpected presence and our closeness to the gang. You can see him watching us. He observed us for a few minutes and appeared to settle down. We were quite close to the three elephants, and there were not much frames to be made at such close proximity. I quietly murmured to the driver to move further away, and then within a fraction of a second, the elephant that was watching us started to charge us.

All wild animals have their own way of conveying discomfort; now, elephants usually make sounds or at least mock charge. A mock charge is when an elephant charges towards you while making sounds and then stops at a distance from the intruder. I have had the experience of elephants making a mock charge at the safari vehicle in the past, so we anticipated that he would stop. However, in this case, the elephant did not stop, and for a moment, I felt that perhaps I was in for some big trouble.

Although a bit late, instinctively, my driver managed to put the vehicle in reverse as this was the only option and drive backwards; however, the elephant managed to get very close. It is indescribable the emotions that ran through my mind. My hea...

We’re sorry. Last year, we issued a challenge to our readers to see if they could tell the difference between film and digital. Specifically, we asked readers to see if they could tell the difference between Kodak Tri-X and the Leica M10 Monochrom. You can see the challenge here. I rarely read comments, for my own sanity (it’s not uncommon with journalists). And it wasn’t until an email came in that I decided to make an update to the blog post. But it brings up a whole bigger point.

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One of the comments says that at social media sharing sizes, none of this matters. So now, you, the reader, need to be truthful and honest with yourself. Do you really need anything more than that? Where are your photos going? Are you posting them and selling them? Are you just sharing them as your hobby in various photo groups? Are you trying to become the next big thing on Instagram?

And here’s the thing, I feel most of you won’t be honest with yourself. You’ll want the maximum image quality just because you can have it. The truth about photography is that pixels matter, but they’re not as important as you think if you can work it. The same goes for gear; it’s important, but so is the rest of photography. And sometimes the truth is that the rest of photography is about how you sell a story.

I’ve been running The Phoblographer for over 12 years. And I’ve never encouraged pixel peeping. I’ve fought vehemently against it as it’s truly useless these days. It’s useless to the point where I think that judging a lens’ sharpness is a moot point. I’ve considered taking it out of our reviews. Instead, what you think is sharpness is sometimes contrast. Want to know the truth? You can make an older lens look like a brand new chart-topper with a little bit of flash or post-production. Lots of photographers may post-process their images, but that doesn’t mean that a lot of us aren’t sick of it too. And that’s why film is so incredible. Film is tailored from the start to deliver a specific look.

So, in the end, it’s fair to say that, in the battle of film vs digital, it doesn’t really matter anymore. Digital is great. You can do so much with it as a photographer. There are totally times where I’d rather use a digital camera than my film cameras. But at the same time, every time I pick up my Leicas or Fuji Natura, I feel like I’m rekindling love. If my personal job wasn’t to review a ton of cameras, I’d probably own a bunch of film cameras and maybe two Fuji, Canon, or Leica bodies. But most of what I’d shoot would be film.

Yes, I know this is a photography blog. I’m aware that thousands of passionate photographers come here every day. I’m very sure lots of you love to geek out about this wonderful hobby. But at the same time, we need to remember the bigger picture. With no pun intended, a good image is all about the moment and the content of the photo. It doesn’t have to necessarily do with stupid technicalities like a line cutting someone’s head off. Those are ideals taught to you that you’d never see or care about otherwise. Instead, you’d care about the pure moment of the photograph. And in the end, I think that’s what we should focus on.

On this week's episode of Inside the Photographer's Mind, we're joined by UK based street and protest photographer, Christian Cross.