Being a photographer for the past 35 years, I have seen the art form change drastically. When I started out there were very few choices as far as film was concerned. You either shot print or slide film and the choices within those categories were limited to 4 or 5 different film speeds. Any adjustments to the image was done in the darkroom either by you (if you were able to build a darkroom in your home) or the photofinisher. Almost everyone had their images printed by someone else and usually had to wait days for their prints.
Now, you have a 180 degree shift. The choice now is between film or digital with digital overtaking film for the casual and the professional photographer. The digital format has evolved to the point where it competes on an even footing with film although there are some professional photographers who still swear by film, especially slide film. The digital cameras have also evolved over the past 5 years to the point that they are more reliable and not as power hungry. The digital sensors ( where the image is actually recorded) have become more film like over the past few years. Plus, you can print you own picture whenever you want to and make image adjustments that were only possible in a darkroom.
I have owned 8 or 9 film cameras over the years and just over the past 3 have I purchased digital cameras for my own use as well as using them for my wedding photography. I was certainly intrigued with the digital format when I was first introduced to it back in 2002. However, the cost was prohibitive, batteries not powerful enough and the images not as good as film. That has changed significantly since then and I now only shoot in the digital format. I have found that the digital format offers a lot of side benefits. You can use the storage cards over and over which means no film purchases. Going through airport security is easier in that I do not have to worry about the film being ruined by the security x-ray equipment. Also, I do not have to worry about running out of film.
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One of the biggest benefits I find in digital photography is the freedom and immediacy that it provides. You no longer have to decide whether or not the shot is worth it. Since it's free, free, free you can give it a try and see what you get. It's also possible to experiment much more since you're not burdened by the processing and printing costs for shots that are duds.
With digital photography, lots of the work is in post-processing - adjusting color, contrast, etc. Nevertheless, I still find you get better results if you really take the time to learn the camera and take the best possible photo you can. While there's lots you can do with digital photos, nothing is as good as a shot that was perfect the first time!
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