That day on the Rocky Mountain Front was as near a perfect day as any landscape photographer could hope to encounter.

There were no jets to mark the sky. The breaking light of dawn rose supreme.

"The wind stayed dead calm and the flowers were in bloom," said photographer John Lambing, recalling one of his more magical moments on the job. "This day, it all emerged into a perfect setting."

For a weekend hobbyist -- which is what Lambing likes to call himself -- his shots get their share of praise. His work is collected in two color photography books, "Montana: Impressions" and "Montana: A Scenic Treasure."

As for his work, Lambing calls that a "part-time second job." But while his real job keeps him busy as a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, his heart lies with his camera and those magical moments in the field.

"When I'm outside, I like nature's colors," he said. "When shooting landscapes, you're generally not in a hurry. You can take your time. You're out there to enjoy the scenery."

Lambing began shooting in earnest in his early 20s with a Kodak Instamatic. He moved from St. Louis to Montana in 1981 to bask in the state's sweeping landscapes and uncluttered views. Then, just 12 years ago, he invested a healthy sum into his current camera -- a Hasselblad system with a wide array of lenses.

In the midst of the current digital revolution, Lambing opts to stick with film and his Swedish camera system. While he admits that digital comes with certain advantages, primarily its tolerance for error and its ease in printing, the quality found in film he believes is still superior.

That's not to say he doesn't question the future of film. He quickly adds that the number of film manufacturers has decreased and fewer film cameras are sold on the market.

"Film may not totally go away," he said. "It may be a small specialty hobby, but the users of film will decrease dramatically."

Digital is advancing quickly, he said. The supporting infrastructure is already in place. The quality of digital cameras is improving. Access to computers is growing.

But film, he said, still offers duration over time, something that archivists fear may be the downfall of digital, or files recorded on magnetic storage devices.

The methods of reading the digital formats in use today may not be around in 10 years, which could make all those digitally stored photos unreadable.

"You'll have to sit down and reformat all your photos," Lambing speculated. "I don't want to spend my time sitting behind a computer reformatting photos. I'd rather be in the field."

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or at helenair.com">mkidston@helenair.com