New Image Frontiers: Defining the Future of Photography

Q&A with Author Matthew Bamberg

Will this book teach me what there is to know about which type and model camera to buy?

Yes, the book describes the latest features in point-and-shoots, dSLR, Rangefinders, and the new mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses. You’ll learn what camera models have the largest zoom, the highest resolution, the smallest interchangeable lenses, the most settings, the largest sensors, and the best in-camera HDR settings. There is also a chapter on the future of GPS-enabled cameras and other photography devices.

Why does New Image Frontiers: Defining the Future of Photography give historical background about photography, cameras, and film?

These processes and their resulting photographs are part of the photography discussion, which needs to be outlined. If we don’t look at where we’ve been, we won’t understand where we are going with the art and science of photography.

What is the future for film photography?

There are multiple areas where film processing is advancing and being morphed into new forms. The Lomography movement strives to take photography to the simpler times of film processing, when digital processing and digital camera settings weren’t a concern in picture taking. The second area is simulating processed film digitally. Software programs and iPhone apps have been developed to make a digital picture look like film by adding film grain.

Does the book cover video?

Yes, with respect to how still images are being culled from video, and how photographers have to learn to edit video so they can be competitive with the evolution of video on the web. The book also covers the latest video capabilities on dSLR cameras, including their use in making Hollywood movies and television shows.

What does the book predict about the future of the different kinds of cameras?

You’ll find that there is tough competition for the point-and-shoots as camera phones become more sophisticated. The book also gives professional opinions as to the future of dSLR cameras.

How will lenses and sensors change in the coming years?

There is some elaborate research going on in developing sensors that work like the human eye. In the book, quotes from engineers and scientists describe how they are going about the process of making sensors more efficient and lenses smaller and lighter.

Is there information about software, including software access in the cloud?

It’s all there from an analysis of Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop, and the possibility of taking these platforms online to the software developers’ efforts to be able to make photographs sharper with less noise. With respect to the cloud, the book details what is slowing down its development and how that can be overcome in the future.

How about printing and the latest features of printer models?

Printing has gone through incredible advancement in the past few years. Inks are better and the prints from professional printers have better resolution, even at larger sizes. Portable printers, too, are changing as they become able to communicate with various electronic devices.

What details about the business of photography are included in the book?

Just like everything else, the business of photography is changing by leaps and bounds. In the book there are interviews with professionals that describe the changes they have gone through and what they expect in the future. Experts in the field analyze the Internet business trends in microstock and fine art photography and how they affect brick-and-mortar businesses.

What valuable information can readers learn to make them more successful photographers?

The interviews with gallery owners illustrate clearly what type of work they are looking for and how the photographers they represent have built on the work of the master photographers. Readers will also learn what makes a photograph valuable and how to build a portfolio of images that galleries will want to look at.