Photographic Memories

When I was a young child I remember going on vacation always taking a disposable camera with me when we went on family vacations. I would have several and would snap a shot of anything I found interesting. Sometimes I would run out of shots and would ask to get another camera from a nearby store. My parents would almost always acquiesce to my request and away I would go taking more pictures. When we got back home one of my parents would take me to the local drugstore, Longs Drugs, to get them developed. I couldn’t wait to get the pictures back and sit with my parents and go through them talking about the memories we had from that vacation. My father had a nice film camera that he would sometimes let me use but for the most part I used the disposable ones. I mean I was a young child between 7 to 12 for most of these trips and still learning about responsibility. Plus cameras were, and still are for the most part, not cheap. This was also before the days of the low end digital cameras. 

I didn’t get what I will call a real camera of my own until I was in high school. By a real camera I mean one that I had to buy film, load it into the camera, where I could switch out lenses, etc. I still have that camera and don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. This was also when I took my first photography class and fell in love with the practical and abstract in photography. I learned more about looking for the unseen or un-noticed that when caught just right made for some great photographs. How you could take something that was used or seen everyday and with the right light, angle and touch could look completely different  and give a whole different perspective. I, usually with my father, went to some great places that normally I either would not have gone to, or could not have gone to. Also, because I was a young photographer and had an assignment to do, I was allowed to take pictures of places that generally was not allowed. Granted, I couldn’t publish said pictures, but I will always have those memories. 

I will always look back at those times with a smile. For the pictures that I took with the disposable cameras, some were great and some were just terrible. The great ones drove me to continue to find other great shots, the terrible ones gave us all a laugh and I wouldn’t change that for anything. As for when I was in photography class, learning about the abstract and how to see things in a different view, I will always carry that knowledge with me and try to share it with those that are interested. With most classes in all my schooling I saw homework as a chore, but with the photography class I was excited and driven to find that shot that was just right, that would make my teacher look at it and nod approvingly. 

WIth the film camera I learned the patience and art of getting the picture right. It wasn’t like today where you can take one hundred plus shots and hope one of them turns out like how you want. You had limited exposures on your film and depending on the roll of film, they could be quite expensive. You also had to pay attention to what speed of film you had versus being able to digitally make those changes on your camera. As much as I love being behind the camera and then seeing how my pictures turned out, I don’t like sifting through a mess of pictures when if I had done it right, I have only a few to decide which is better. I will say though, carrying 1-2 backup sd cards with me is much easier than dragging around half a dozen or more rolls of film.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!