Is there a place for a contact sheet in digital photography, I would like to think so. When I first started photography I was shooting film and once I’d developed the roll I would then make a contact sheet. For those that don’t know what one is, it was a cheap way to see the photos on the film without the cost of making 24/36 prints. I could then go through each capture and choose which ones to print.
Contact sheets are also a great way to see the workflow of a photographer, also a contact sheet shows the process behind the production of the photo. Magnum has released a wonderful book showing the contact sheets of the Masters, it’s a great way to see the thought process behind some of the most famous photographs we’ve come to love.
So, I ask the question again, does a contact sheet have a place in the digital world?
In this blog I wanted to talk about this photo:
The photo was captured in Cambridge, however, I didn’t get it in one shot I had to work for it, I took a few photos from different angles looking for the one that worked. After getting lots of comments on the photo I thought it would be interesting for you to see my contact sheet which contains the other photos I took that lead to the one above.
Here is the digital contact sheet:
Going through the digital contact sheet really helped me in making my choice as is the purpose of such a process, it also allows the viewer to see the work that goes into capturing a good photo. By seeing how an image such as this is derived, the viewer is able to appreciate the journey that the photographer took to arrive at the final piece. Whilst in some cases this removes some of the mystery, it allows the viewer to have a greater connection with the piece as they have a greater understanding of the photographer’s creative decision making and are able to draw inspiration from this.
On a personal level at it’s most basic a contact sheet is a tool to be used solely by the photographer to aid them in the selection of their masterpiece, however, I feel it can benefit others greatly. Whether it’s as a viewer who wants to understand the piece on a deeper level and seeing the production and thought processes helps them to gain a richer appreciation of it. Or perhaps other photographer’s who want to learn how to create such an image and gain inspiration and understanding from seeing the whole process.
I’m interested to know you thoughts on this, did I pick the right photo and would you like to see more contact sheets in the future?
Please leave your comments below.
