Do Digital Cameras Make Better Photographers?

A CNet story by one of the editors mentioned that the advent of inexpensive digital cameras has created better photographers - I think not. The author, Michael Kanellos, stated "By contrast, digital cameras changed how people take pictures. " Nope, they can just take bad pictures faster and can see that they are bad faster - and try again- and again - and again. They don't have to THINK to take a picture or how it is framed, backlit, sidelight, fill flash etc - they just take.

They now need to purchase a thousand dollars of computer gear - and a few hundred more in software - to print them at home - or have a computer, fast internet connection, and subscribe to online photo firm to upload and have mailed to them to get their print - or lastly go to a kiosk / store to get them printed.

Nothing has really changed other than the ability to lose all your photos when your hard drive crashes. 90% of people never back up their photos. This would not be a problem if they immediately burn their images right to CD after putting them into their PC. I know many people who have taken thousands of images - and not a single backup on CD of any of them.

Course with digital they do take thousands of images - and using statistical averages that they have to get at least 1 good one out of them all.

I went to a Civil War Re-enactment and I used film, my friend used digital. I had taken 28 pictures after 1/2 hour and he had taken 160 in the same time. He asked me why I had not taken more and I replied - I did not need to. The ones I took were right the first time. I work the same way with my digital camera - you don't waste time with the quantity of photos - you go for the quality in each frame you take.