How Upgrading My Computer Monitor Made Me a Better Photographer

Recently, we decided to upgrade the computer monitor for my work station.  It was a very welcome change which brought a portion of my computer into the twenty-first century.  What I did not realize, however, was how this upgrade would make me a better photographer.  Upgrading my computer monitor was perhaps the best thing I could do for my photography.

Cramer Imaging's photograph of a new high definition wide screen computer monitor for our workstation
This is our brand new monitor for our workstation.

We knew that a new computer monitor would be a nice addition and we even knew that we would enjoy some of our favorite computer games more with the higher resolution and the wider screen.  What we did not anticipate was how it would enable me to see errors I was making in my photography.  Upgrading the computer monitor turned out to be a better choice than anticipated.

When I brought up some of the full resolution versions of my favorite photos on the new monitor, I reeled with shock at seeing some of them.  There was a noise and grain issue with several of them which I had been unable to see before.  I also found photos where the focus was off just enough to make them unsuitable for sale.  I should not have even bothered with them if I could have seen those flaws.

Cramer Imaging's photograph of an old style CRT computer monitor which we used to use for our workstation
This lovely specimen was the height of high tech computer monitors in the early 1990’s. We used one just like this until very recently.

I fully admit that it was a rather painful experience but it was one which I have learned from.  I now understand the importance of why my photography teachers were encouraging me to print my photos in large format when I was in school.

Original with NoiseNew Version without Noise

Observe the noise in the sky with the original version vs. the new version.  You can see it best with a regular computer monitor.  I couldn’t see it before on my old monitor.  Old and outdated computer equipment can be a real problem in the world of high resolution digital photography.  This I learned the hard way.

Unacceptable photos have been pulled from the store and probably will not be used as illustrations anymore.  Nor will they be featured as “Photos of the Week.”  I will be much more careful in my selection process when choosing photos to process.  Noise and focus issues will no longer plague the work that I produce like they had before.