The speed of working [with Aperture] is amazing. I can have a creative idea, carry it out and discover whether it’s worked or not without spending a whole load of time, energy and money.

Andy Earl: Capturing Controversy

This sea-change for Earl doesn’t mean that there’s a different attitude to what’s done on the camera: “I’m a firm believer that as much as possible should be done on the camera, during the shoot. Aperture isn’t there to allow us to get lazy — it’s there to put us in the driving seat all the way through the creative process. Photography will always be about finding your own style, your own way of taking pictures. You know what gives you the buzz”.

The control and immediacy provided by Aperture is evident throughout a project: whether that’s being able to see immediately whether you’re getting the right results in a way that the old Polaroid could never do; or working with a client with a strict concept. Just being able see what’s going on step by step makes the process of a shoot work a whole lot better. Earl agrees: “With Aperture and digital capture I have the freedom to work how I want. Every single shot counts, and can itself be the one I need, whether it’s the first or last click of the shutter”.

Earl explains the effect of his own personal digital revolution: “Creatively speaking, digital photography and Aperture mean I have a much bigger palette to work with. There really aren’t any limits to how I should work or what is achievable. I find that the only way I am held back is by myself, by my own ability to learn and be aware of what’s out there in terms of techniques and approach”.

On a purely practical level, the way that Aperture responds to a working photographer shooting a large amount of material is a key factor to its usefulness: “I can go in and compare the results of different sessions and very quickly break down a great deal of material. Then I can make decisions on what’s given me the best results. It’s a completely different approach and one that speeds everything up dramatically.

“Before Aperture I would be going through and trying to match up individual files and save them out at different stages — it was a very lengthy process indeed. What’s so impressive about Aperture is that it’s a whole workflow — from import to output”.

The job of the photographer doesn’t end when the best shots from a shoot have been isolated and the most impact teased from those images — there’s still a job to do in terms of distributing the final files, usually in different forms and for differing uses. Again, Aperture steps in. Earl notes: “If initially I want to email some pictures, there’s no messing around as the software is fully integrated on the Mac. I can just drag and drop and it’s there. It’s an extremely efficient way of working and it makes a lot of sense. Efficient working like this really counts on a professional level and means I have more time to be out there being creative and taking more pictures”.

The world of the photographer has changed dramatically in the last five years. Now pretty much anyone can have access to digital capture. This puts even more emphasis on the essence of great photography. As Earl describes it: “A photographer has always had his ideas and this carries even greater value now. When a piece of software lets you have more time with your ideas, then it’s actually helping you make the most of what’s personal to you and what makes your photography special. That’s ultimately important to me”.