Photography

 I have been taking pictures since high school. I never could afford a “good” camera nor could I afford a lot of processing. But I did buy used cameras and did what I could. It’s been a long learning curve. 

With the advent of electronic cameras and the cell-phone camera photography has skyrocketed. I have tended to say this is good.

 I do not favor a particular subject genre. I tend to like a well taken photograph without judgment to topic or equipment.

 Currently I use a Nikon Coolpix camera. It is an automatic camera with a few bells and whistles. My backup is my Moto cellphone camera. I tend to set more outdoor and varied shots with the Nikon. The cell-camera is great for quick snapshots. The cell-camera’s advantage is it is unobtrusive. They’re everywhere and seems almost a compliment to the subject for such an off-the-cuff photograph. Of the two, I prefer the Nikon because it has a lot better range. Does it match an SLR? I don’t think so but I am not sure that such a statement is completely true. Or necessary. A whole lot depends on what you want to shot at a given time and what you can manage.

 Probably, there are SLRs with a share feature. Does that mean you have a camera/cellphone and a cellphone with a camera and share is a cellphone/camera? Not sure where this blending leads.

 The best rule of thumb for any camera is to take a lot of pictures in order to learn it’s options and potentials. I also take several of a given subject (including a black & white) but I also ditch a lot of photos. My current collection on my computer is a modest 14,000 images. A key thought here is that I store my photos for the long term on the my base computer. I have met a few people who seem to save their photos on their camera or on their phone. I guess it works for them.

 Both camers offer plenty of options. I keep finding little things on the cell like a portrait depth-of-field option that is really neat. I have been learning to get away from changing the ISO to using the =/- aperature option. I use this for both color and black and white settings. I like the black and white on the Nikon more than the cell. But the cell takes some great blue skies that I have bit of a problem with on the Nikon. It has taken more than a few spoiled shots to learn each camera’s quirks.

 I doubt I’ll ever win any prizes but I like to think I can take some nice shots once in a while. Photography, like writing, seems to make a person stop and pay attention to details. We know from experience that journalism photography captures the thrills and tragedies of life. I don’t even imagine me doing that. But I have found it I start to shoot something --anything-- that next thing I am doing is shooting everything, stuff I hadn’t thought was even there a moment ago. This results sometimes in having a photo that is not pleasant to view. But, if photography is to capture the world around us then that ought to include the uncomfortable.

 The adage is that the camera never lies. More accurately, the picture never lies. No longer. And probably not ever. The photographer determines most of what you see. The photo-editor is next in line to filter image selections. Then another higher editor or publication owner has the last say. With the rise of photo-manipulations the game is really changed, not in a good way. It is as if you take a really good photograph and one of two first questions will be: “Did you photo-shop this?” And the second is: “I’d shop out that little teeny piece of white stuff in the bottom left hand corner.”

 Another adage is “a picture is worth a thousand words.” I like that approach. It allows, and makes, me to be in charge. The photograph, I hope, is me speaking. As an aside, this is part of the rise in graphic novels. A drawing is worth a couple of pages of tedious text. I should have ownership of what I photographed as opposed to leaving the message to others. If I do things right, the end viewer and I might have a meeting of the minds.

 That ownership comes from taking a lot of photos. Looking at good photographic work. Paying attention to details out in the field.

###