Emily Buchanan is a writer and blogger working for Howling Basset, a network of wedding photographers in Kent, UK. She'd cautiously call herself an amateur photographer and prefers to shoot with film (she, too, has a serious case of OCN and it is contagious). Follow Howling Basset on Twitter and Facebook.

By now, it’s a dated debate.Does the ease of a digital dark room hinder the legitimacy of an image or are we all just suffering from a strand of OCN (Obsessive Compulsive Nostalgia) bought on by digitalisation and social anxiety? Has the accessibility of photography served to dilute its artistry? Is this affected by the contemporary culture of cataloguing life online? Well?

In this ever-updating age, questions rotate in a perpetual thought-storm like transient objects of wonder. We are barely granted the time to form an opinion before the Next Big Thing has flipped the industry on its head and it’s time to reassess contemporary culture again. But whichever side of the fence you find yourself on, it’s important to take a balanced approach.

In 1936 Walter Benjamin wrote, “In the age of mechanical reproduction, art gradually loses its traditional and ritualistic value.” This theory bridged two states of human progression and so two states of art. The dust had barely settled since the Industrial Revolution and the Second World War was about to provoke an accelerated fast-forward into the modern age. What, then, would Benjamin make of art and mechanical reproduction today and which party would he align himself with?

Andy Stonier of Howling Basset defines one school of thought, “I believe there's no real difference between digital and analogue photography in terms of photographic art. They're merely different techniques for capturing a scene. Whether the image created is on film or a CCD it matters little; what counts is the idea.”

And sure, there’s a lot of weight to this argument. Quality photography is dictated by a certain compassion and understanding of the subject, alongside an innovative idea that challenges social conceptions or embellishes a moment, not to mention composition and technical now-how.

The trouble is, quality photography can be achieved using both digital and analogue cameras, it’s just that one instrument is distinctly more convenient than the other. Long have photographers bemoaned the loss of romanticism and solitude that came hand-in-hand with a day in the dark room. And indeed, it just doesn’t feel quite as poetic to plug a camera into a laptop and fiddle with exposure on Photoshop. Rick Adam of Destroy Everything shares this second school of thought, citing the skill involved in analogue photography compared to the point-and-shoot culture that’s now encouraged by social networking, “You have to be a lot more resourceful when shooting film,” says Adam in an interview with Digg Magazine, “for one you shoot fewer photos, but in doing so I think you learn a lot more about composition, lighting, etc… Looking at the bigger picture it’s not hard to see that technological advancements have affected photography drastically. Digital cameras have given people the chance to take and upload images to the Internet instantaneously. These days it’s easy to take some photos, build a website and call yourself a photographer.”

So where’s the resolution? Does the accessibility of photography make it easier to feign a career in the industry or, to put it another way, if one can afford professional gear, does one become a professional photographer? No, say many, for the tools don’t make the photographer. A good photographer needs ‘the eye,’ and that cannot be bought or sold.

Personally, I think the medium is evolving, just as all art forms have evolved and continue to do. If that weren’t the case, we’d still be painting stoic portraits of monarchs or eroticising reclining nudes. I think our online sharing habits have promoted a rebirth of photography as art. Sure, some would argue that this has diluted its quality, but the same can be said for every creative outlet. The internet provides a platform of expression for everyone, whether they’re good or not. This is something that shouldn’t be chastised, it should be celebrated. After all, the cream will always rise to the top and whether a traditionalist likes it or not, digital post production has the power to transform a moment in time into a work of art.

To quote Tolstoy, “Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man consciously by means of certain signs, hands on to others feelings he has lived through, and that others are infected by those feelings and experiences them.”

So, tell us, do you think digital photography is disposable? Do you photograph with intent more with film versus digital?

Wes Kauffman is the President and Lead Technician at Perfect Image Camera, an independent camera repair center located in Lancaster, PA. Perfect Image has been providing professional camera repair service to the amateur, advanced amateur and professional photographic community for over 30 years.

“There are only two guarantees in life, Death and Taxes.” – Ben Franklin

I could not disagree more with the above statement. There are three guaranteed things in life. Death, taxes, and the fact that 90% of the lenses you buy will not focus properly on your camera. As a camera repair technician I am continuously hearing photographers complain about soft images. Either their lenses used to be sharp and now are not, or they just never performed up to their expectations. The truth is they are right, their lenses are not sharp, no matter how expensive, how new, or how well they take care of their lenses. Taking a camera and lens off the shelf, putting them together and getting perfectly sharp images is just not likely.

The reason is simple. Manufacturing relies on producing a high quality product, not a perfect product. Could Canon and Nikon produce perfectly matched cameras and lenses? Yes, but none of us could afford them. So in order to keep cost down they manufacture equipment to fall within “Allowable Tolerances”. In other words if a lens back focuses just a little, or a camera front focuses a tiny bit that is ok, because the amount of time and money it would take to get things perfect is just not worth it.

So, what’s a photographer to do? Thankfully the answer is really quite simple, Micro-Adjust (for the Canon lover), and AF Fine Tune (for all you Nikonians out there). Essentially what the manufacturers have come up with is a software solution. The process goes like this. We take a camera and lens that are having front or back focus issues, test them on an AF adjustment tool, enter the correct adjustment into the camera and voila we have a camera and lens combo that focus correctly. Now in real life it takes a little more work than that, but you get the idea. In my opinion the most practical and well thought out feature in newer DSLR’s is the AF Calibration feature. Very few technical advances have had such a profound impact on image quality as this one tool.

Now I’m going to be honest with you. Calibrating your camera is something you can do yourself, some of my customers do, and some of my customers try. The truth is a qualified repair tech can do it faster, and probably more accurately. They will have the correct tools and more importantly the experience. You also need to keep in mind that not all camera models have the AF Calibration feature built in. Here is a list of current cameras that can be calibrated.

Canon and Nikon

Sometimes calibration is not the answer to focus issues you might be having. Often times, (especially in Canon lenses) the USM (ultrasonic motor) unit in the lenses can go bad. If you have a Canon USM lens and the focus “seeks” (goes in and out without locking focus), or is very erratic (i.e. will back focus one moment and front focus the next) you need a repair not just a calibration. Nikon lenses don’t have the problem as frequently, but it still does occur. I always check a lens for these problems before I even begin the calibration process. If your lens does need repair please keep in mind that once the repair is complete it should still be calibrated with your camera.

So to wrap things up, your images are soft, guaranteed! Well 90% guaranteed anyway. Thankfully there is a solution and I can help you with it. Check out my website www.perfectimagerepair.com or click here to order your calibration service today.

Perfect Image is committed to being the solution to all your camera repair or professional sensor cleaning needs. Use the following code: “tiffinbox” and receive a $5 discount off of calibration or sensor cleaning from Perfect Image Camera.

Today's guest post is by Brian Hirschy, a photographer & designer living in the Tibetan regions of western China who has a passion for teaching photography, participating in the growing photographic community and working with Asian NGO's to communicate their stories. In 2009 Brian helped start Plateau Photo Tours, a company that facilitates socially-conscious  one-of-a-kind photo tours throughout Tibet – providing socially responsible and culturally non-destructive photo opportunities throughout the region as well as creating sustainable job opportunities – all in an effort to actually help rather than simply complain. You can see Brian's work at BrianHirschy.com or follow him on Twitter @BHirschyPhoto.

Last week, I ran across a video of my friend Zack Arias talking about the need for honesty and perspective as photographers (check it out there). It was a refreshing conversation about honesty and stood in stark contrast to often unhelpful conversations that we constantly see in this industry. Zack's video was a punch in the gut, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about what Zack said since.

I've spent the last three years working as a photographer in western China. In 2009, I started a company called Plateau Photo Tours with a desire to engage the Chinese photographic market by running culturally appropriate, unique photo workshops in the Tibetan areas of western China. I wanted to live somewhere that pushed me as a person and as a photographer. Having traveled these areas extensively for the better part of a decade, living here continues to be a fantastic experience.

But there's so much more to the story than that.

Here's some honesty: Over the last three years, I've spent a disproportionately large amount of time schmoozing Chinese officials for permission to keep working in this area—largely for no return. There's nothing like kissing butt for no reason. Since starting the company, we've had to call off five tours. I've watched our filled tours (of great participants) get cancelled due to political and social stresses, as well as a devastating natural disaster. I've seen what I thought were amazing opportunities pass just out of reach. Recently, I've been banned for months at a time from exiting the city in which I currently live. I've been followed around by plain- clothed police officers — an interesting experience. The local government constantly tells me where I can and cannot takemy camera and where my “foreign face” isn't welcome despite having official government permission. I've dealt with all sorts of political and social insanity just to keep a company afloat in a tough and variable market.

Here's some more honesty: I've made more money as a web and print designer and consultant over the last year than I've made as a photographer. I'd love for every person who visits my website to think that I'm making it entirely with my photography. But I'm not. I've relied largely on my gracious wife's job for parts of our income. I'd love for you not to know that. Depression, questions of identity, future, and my photographic ability have started to steal more and more of my thoughts and sleep. I'd love for you guys to think that I'm bursting from the seams with confidence.

This is not a pity party, and this is not a rant. Above all, I'm certainly not unique.

It's hard. No matter where we are in our careers, it's going to be hard. It should be hard. If it's not hard, you're in that dangerous place of not pushing far enough or hard enough. Or maybe you're in the wrong industry. Maybe you?ve set your goals too low.

The more I hear photographers get real with each other, the more I'm happy to discover what I already suspected: I'm not the only one fighting fights and getting black eyes in this industry. The black eyes I get from running a business in western China are just as painful and just as real as the ones everyone else is getting—despite where they are in their careers or what part of the world they live in. You deal with bridezilla, and I deal with drunken Chinese officials. By my count, we are even. It's hard to run a business—let alone one that is focused on photography. It's hard to be an entrepreneur in a service industry. It's hard for me. It's hard for everyone.

The point is this: We should want to learn from others? black eyes. We should learn from each other?s hard times—learn how to dodge the pesky left hooks of the industry. We should try and help the young and upcoming photographer become the best he or she can be and avoid what pain can along the way. But for some reason, we as an industry are so busy trying to convince everyone else that it was easy, that there were no hard times, and that the black eyes simply don't hurt. Maybe we want everyone to think we are special, naturally talented, smarter than the rest—so much so that we managed to navigate the minefield of this harsh industry with perfection and ease. And now everyone else needs to pay attention to us. Hell, some of us have it so figured out that we've formulated the industry into a “top ten list.”

It wears on me, this façade. It's tiring because not only have I been a willing participant, but also because I see hundreds of other photographers daily pushing something that isn't real, something that isn't personal, and mostly something that just isn't at it's core fully honest.

Maybe more honesty in our industry would result in fewer stretched families, fewer people going into debt because they were convinced they had to have some product in order to compete, fewer tired and burnt out photographers trying to keep up their image. Maybe honesty just makes for better stories. Maybe we'd actually spend more time shooting (remember, that thing we all profess to love so much?) now that we are, finally, allowed to be who we really are and where we really are in the industry.

I'm talking about more honesty in ourselves as photographers — more perspective on where we are in our photographic journeys and more willingness to share the successes with the failures. I've personally found that the more honest I am with myself, the more capable I am of falling in love with what I do. After all, that's really the point – loving what we do.

This article is the culmination of thoughts brought on by Zack?s amazing video (Kudos to Zack, Atlanta Creative Mornings, and Matchstic for producing it). If you haven?t watched Zack?s video, I strongly suggest you carve some time out to do so (here). These are simply my very personal and honest gut reactions to something that I?ve seen in myself for quite some time and something that I?ve seen more and more photographers bring up – it?s not meant to be a rant, an angry fist in the air, or a bemoaning of the self- promoting nature of the photographic industry. Zack says this infinitely better than I do and deserves credit for raising this subject in my mind and beyond that, being one of the most honest, generous, and gracious voices in the industry.

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Tara Gentile, a thought leader and creative business coach. She brings creative thinking to branding, product development, and marketing that incorporates both strategy and high touch design. Her approach to business in the You Economy resonates with MBAs, PhDs, and graduates of the school of life. She writes frequently for the Daily Worth, Design*Sponge, and Etsy. Bestselling author, Jonathan Fields, named her blog a Top 22 Single-Voice Business Blog of 2012. She’s the author of several popular digital guides including her latest on the relationship between personal art and money, The Art of Earning.Visit her websites: Reclaiming Wealth and KickStart Labs

1) You project a tremendous sense of discipline. Who do you attribute this trait to? Your mother, as you say, instilled in you the habit of saving. So, she would be my first guess.

I think you're right – my mama taught me discipline. Her business – she supported my brother & I as a seamstress – was driven by her values & personal priorities. She wanted to be present in our lives as much as humanly possible: picking us up from school, attending softball games, being there when we were sick.

So naturally, she found the discipline to work at the wee hours of the morning to get a batch of alterations complete or the strength to canvass the wealthy neighborhood a few minutes away with flyers about her business.

I think her disciple also emanates from just how much she loves & is challenged by her work. She still owns a sewing business even though she doesn't need to work. She truly wants to be at her sewing machine crafting new garments & altering old.

My discipline is very much the same. I want to work as hard as I do. I want to provide for my child. I want to model entrepreneurship & self-determination for my child. I'm also driven to discipline by my clients because I want to serve them at my highest level all the time.

But my personal discipline is also paired with a deep appreciation for time off. I don't push myself through “not feeling like it.” If I don't feel like it, there's a reason and I respect that reason. I do something else instead — even if that something looks frivolous on the outside.

I work hard & I play hard. It's a good life and one I'm happy to lead.

2) If I can speak for photographers as a collective, I would say we sincerely believe we can be both profitable and pursue our art. But we also a lot that gets too easily derailed. What would your advice be to stick to the path we initially imagined we would be on?

First, make sure you're not trying to do more than you can for the sake of money. Photographers (and web designers and web developers) all fall into the category of trying to work too much. As in, you try to accumulate too many billable hours. You work more to make more money because that seems to be the easy way to do it.

How can you make more money working less? Charge more for what you do. Create other revenue streams (i.e. sell prints at the right price, create books, diversify your services). Run your business smarter (i.e. create systems for referrals)

Second, make sure you're differentiated within the market. If where you shine is taking pictures of families with small children, make sure everyone knows that's your specialty. If you're the master of black & white, show that on your website and have a “no color” policy. You'll be able to charge more for your best work instead of making less doing more things.

The average joe doesn't know the difference between you and the 50 other photographers in your geographic area. Make it obvious. Show average joe that you understand his unique needs. Be the best match or tell him to go somewhere else.

3) In your seminal ebook, The Art of Earning, I get the feeling you are giving us artisans permission to pursue our dreams, which includes honing our craft and creating a sustainable lifestyle for ourselves and our families. Am I reading that right?

Yes! And right there you've hit the nail on the head. It's a two fold mission in becoming a thriving artist:

a) Hone your craft. Get better at what you do. Don't just learn about business — learn to become a better artist! Keep up with trends, invest in equipment, learn new skills.

b) Create a sustainable lifestyle. Make the money you need to live the way you want to live. Nothing is out of your grasp if you name it & work towards it. Don't aim for getting by, don't aim for working 100 hours per week. Aim for sustainable and thriving.

4) You say “transformation is valuable” and I agree. But who gets to place value on that transformation? Let's say a wedding client of mine is looking at a picture I took of her and her late grandmother on the dance floor. How does one put a dollar value to that emotion the bride is feeling at that moment? And how is that value conveyed to my client without sounding like a used-car salesman?

This is one statement from the book I might back pedal on a bit today. Not because it's untrue but because it needs context.

People don't actually buy “personal transformation.” No one believes there is a lump sum of money they can plop down & become better, smarter, richer, or prettier because of the service they've just bought. However, overall transformation is something that can be broken down into its parts. Those parts can be bullet-pointed, named, and price tagged.

For a photographer, transformation may be seeing yourself as you've never been seen before. It might be capturing the beauty of friends & family gathered 'round. It might be providing the best souvenirs from a moment in a child's life.

No kidding, there is no set fee for “the bride & her late grandmother on the dance floor” but that doesn't mean the fee should be low just because it's a beautiful moment either. Charge what you need or want to charge and then back it up with the language that you use to describe the service that you offer.

Break what you do down into tangible bits. Let people feel into having you as their photographer and give them a sense of what both the experience of being photographed & the experience of seeing the photos will be like.

Don't worry about sounding like a used car salesmen. This is ridiculous! You're not a used car salesmen. You weave beautiful stories when you talk to friends about what you do – weave those same stories for your potential clients.

Then say with confidence, “This is my fee.” And give them the space that they need to say, “Yes.”

5) Is having or making that “third choice” – beyond saving/investing or spending it on “stuff” – the driving force behind the art of earning? Also, do you recommend you declare this third choice to your clients so that they understand WHY you are doing what you are doing for you and your business?

Yes, the art of earning is always about earning with purpose. It's not about earning more for the sake of earning more — and it's not about earning enough to “get by” or “have just enough.” If you've built your business with a big ambition, and I hope you have, then earning money is a byproduct of working towards that big ambition.

The more you serve, the closer you come to your ambition, the greater your realize your purpose, the more money you stand to earn. Not in a drain-'em-til-they're-dry way but in a whole-hearted people-see-the-value way.

6) In a world where there are other artisans also providing a similar service, how does one distinguish oneself? Is it by clearly defining how we will deliver either an experience or product full of meaning to the client?

First – let me say – differentiation is so important! It's probably the biggest thing standing in between you and more money, you and better clients, you and full artistic self-expression. It's true!

I could talk all day about differentiation but I want to define it in two ways today:

First, your values define you. What are your values? How do you prioritize? What makes you stand up and say “yes!”? My values include wisdom, excellence, and equality. I know I resonate with someone else's work when I see those same values echoed back at me. I can instantly align with both their purpose & their modality.

Talk to me in values. Tell your story in values. Explain your process in values. Give me something to say “yes!” to.

Second, your value drives you. What are you really selling? What are people really paying for? Understand your value from your customers' perspectives. Interview them about how they received your services and what was important to them in the experience.

Don't paint in broad strokes. Use fine detail. Share others' experiences and allow me to see myself in their examples.

7) How much does faith personally direct you to help people?

Great question. Up until about 6 months ago, I didn't realize how much my faith & my previous academic study of that faith had carried over into my business. My faith not only directs me to help others but has shaped my whole outlook on business & the commercial system.

Especially observant folks have noticed that I have “Bonhoeffer chick” in my Twitter bio. Bonhoefferchk was my first blogging handle. But the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is also the theology I ascribe to personally. That theology has also directly impacted my approach to business.

Bonhoeffer posited that “Jesus is a being for others.” Jesus' sole purpose was to live his life for others. While great self-love & self-acceptance is a necessary part of that kind of faith, it manifests itself outwardly in service. That's the kind of business I know seek to run and the kind of business I direct my clients to run, as well.

Yes, you must self-express through your great work. Yes, you must have a high self-worth to increase your net worth. But in the end, it's service of others that pushes you onward. It's service that defines your success. Your work exists for others not merely for yourself.

Those are the kind of businesses I want to see in control of the new economy.

Are YOU part of the “new economy” that Tara mentions? I highly recommend you follow Tara Gentile on Twitter. Sound off below to tell us what you thought about this interview. If you would like more such interviews, please help me spread the word. Thank you!

As a photographer in Avon, Connecticut I have been reaching out to parents through my portraits website and to brides in Connecticut through my wedding photography website. I have volunteered my time, offered numerous portrait sessions for silent auctions and even photographed the Cub Scouts troop in town. All this to say, I am not going any where and I want to put roots down right where I live.

On March 23, I am going to join a group of other professionals in my town present to a select group of Avon High School students. Our presentations are meant to spark an interest in them for what we do, so that they may some day down the road do what we do now. And yes, the half-day program is called SPARK.

“Students will be exposed to a variety of topics beyond the usual classroom fare. The goal of the workshops is to introduce students to a wide variety of interesting topics; a day of exploring something new they may have an interest in learning more about or perhaps even finding a career or hobby.”

For the presentation, I plan on going back and giving the students a quick look at how I started in this business. I'll even go into my WHY. Slideshows are an obvious choice to get them engaged in what I will be talking about.

But I am here to ask for your help:

What should I impart to the students? What do you consider the most important thing that students, who are 14 through 18 years of age, going to need to know from a working professional about photography?

I need your help. In the comments section below, please take a moment and pen two suggestions. If you see someone else suggest something you had in mind, that's fine. Still, tell me. I figure if more people feel the same about a topic that must be addressed at this point and time, then I better hop to it.

So, can I count on you? I want to hear from photographers of all genres, if possible. I would love to understand your perspective on these questions.

Look, I value your time. In return for your suggestions below, you'll be entered (one entry per person only) into a drawing for one of two books by Jerod Foster called, Storytellers: A Photographer's Guide To Developing Themes and Creating Stories With Images.

The two best commenters (and their suggestions) win the two books that Jerod so generously offered to my audience. I'll decide on the winners by Thursday, March 22 at 3 p.m. EST.

Are you in? I am really looking forward to your input. With your help on March 23rd, it will be less MY presentation and more OUR presentation. Thank you!