Myth 3 – Digital makes you more creative.
Some actually say this outright and others just imply it through innuendo. Since you are still using the same basic box camera created in the 1800's with an electronic sensor in the place of a silver sensor it is downright absurd to suggest that the equipment makes a difference. So we must mostly be talking about two aspects of the electronic camera; instant feedback and no pesky limit of 36 pictures per roll.
Now in commercial photography those are indeed compelling and would most likely win out over the subtle quality differences. For an artist using photography as a medium they are distinct disadvantages. First of all it puts you in competition with a chimpanzee. That is, any idiot can now make good photographs with the aid of the computerized camera and enough storage. If you doubt it, just watch the Canon commercial where the camera can tell the difference between a human face and a horses ass.
As for instant feedback, the instant gratification generations have been big on this for several decades now and we have yet to see any great advantage emerge from this approach in any arena of serious study. In addition, we have had instant feedback in photography since the 1940's---it is called Polaroid. (Oddly enough, digital has pushed Polaroid to quit production in 2009.)
If you are just beginning in photography some would argue that instant feedback lets you learn from your mistakes more quickly. Others would argue that you are better off using a box camera with roll film. I think that different people learn in different ways and you need to consider what that is for you.
In my opinion, instant feedback is a block to full creative potential for the photographic artist. We deal with an artistic process that requires total engagement of the imagination. Anything that gets between that imagination and the subject is a hinderance. When I am fully engaged in the process I know the instant the shutter is pressed that something special has just happened. Waiting for proof is a handicap and is likely to stall the creative flow to the next moment.
The second aspect of digital is the print making process. Once again the "press a button and have a work of art pop out of the machine" mystique rears its ugly head. Certainly digital offers some new and very exciting ways of sharing your pictures but it does not offer any features for the traditional print that haven't been around for a hundred years or more. Maybe the idea of having hundreds of very creative programmers make those features easier to do is appealing but keep in mind that the flip side is that you are limited to what they thought you would need or want to do. (Also see digital myth 1.)
