I’ve loved digital cameras since 2002. I first got exposed to the medium by working as a sales rep at the Computer Store inside of the UC Irvine Student Union. The Canon sales training was memorable – we reviewed sensor sizes, Canon manufacturing philosophy (vertical integration from sensor to lens!), and the varied product ranges aimed at distinct customer segments - consumer, prosumer, and professional.

I bought a Canon “Elph” series camera in college, which I still have, and I’ve continued buying digital cameras since then. I wish I still had those old memory cards.

Digital has so much flexibility – you can use available light in dark scenes by boosting ISO. You can achieve a filmic look in post-production. You can spray-and-pray to get the one shot that you want among thousands. You never have to guess about your exposure, and you can check your photos immediately after you take them. You can hand a digital camera to a stranger to take a family portrait. It’s much faster to learn photography with digital than it is with film. You can shoot fast-moving subjects (like my little son) and get nail focus with shallow depth of field! I love digital photography for these strengths.

I also suffer from having too many choices and sometimes bring more cameras to a scenario than I need to. Some of that analysis paralysis shows up in the following images.

It is en vogue to hate digital and love film, but I just see them as different tools for different purposes. My digital images tell a different and complementary story of my life vs the film images.

Q1 2021, digital

Alex Le

Q1 2021, digital

Q2 and Q3 2021, on film

Q1 2021, on film

Alex Le