I had the honor of being able to review every photo submitted to The Northen Sentry in our recent photo contest. It’s always a pleasure to see all of the various photos as they capture the people and the lifestyles of ordinary folks.
In my younger days I was a very avid and focused photographer. My first camera was a Kodak instamatic. Simple because the film was in a cartridge and just had to point and shoot. On the top of the camera was a flash cube containing 4 flash bulbs. You may remember them…the flash cubes were almost as expensive as film to purchase.
The Wilson family, for some reason, seemed to stay on the cutting edge of the camera world. I do remember our first camera. You looked in the top of the camera as you struggled to frame your photo correctly. On the side was the flash, that you popped a flash bulb into. If you used the flash accessory you were also very careful not to prematurely grab the flash bulb. Many a finger was burned from trying to switch the flash bulb in a hurry.
Our next camera took us into the Polaroid era. Once you shot the photo, you had to quickly pull out a film sheet that had just been exposed. Then, you had to look at your watch and wait 60 seconds for your photo to develop. Last, you had what looked like a small bar with a sponge on it. Whatever the chemical was on the sponge gave the photo you just took the final touch. Quite honestly, the film was expensive, and the results were not all that great; but you had your photos instantly.
My journalism career would take me down many paths. Super 8 and 16 millimeter movie films were my start into film making. My first instamatic camera was replaced with a 35 MM still camera. Eventually I would make the jump to video and a 30 year career doing commercial video and still photography work. Never did I dream that someday I would carry a small phone capable of doing video and stills. Smart phones have certainly changed the world of photo and video capture. One of my friends told me she came back from a recent Caribbean cruise with over 600 photos and numerous videos.
It’s nice to have the convenience of being able to take hundreds of photos and numerous videos in a 7-day span, but my opinion is “less is more.” What in the world are you going to do with 600 photos. Even if you have the best photo archive in the world, there is not a need to shoot 100 photos a day, of any trip. That is where I have a distinct advantage over the young photographers of today. I learned on film. Film was expensive, and film processing was even more so. We were careful to make sure we had quality and did not lean toward quantity.
I spend a few minutes with my 11 year old grandson who was randomly photographing his friends and his friends and his friends. Had he ever heard the rule of 2/3? What is that BePa? Well Carter, you try to put the eyes of the person on the 2/3 line of your screen. That way you have them framed correctly. I also gave him the quality vs. quantity lecture. One nicely framed, thought out photo will have more of an impression than 20 photos “shot from the hip” as we used to say in our photo class.
My last lesson in Rod Wilson Photography 101 was: Look at what you are shooting and decide if it truly is going to be a great photo. My rule in shooting nature photos is: It better be a WOW!!!! or it will just be a very average photo. Sunsets are great, but we see everything in 3-D. Camera see everything as a flat image.
I don’t want to discourage anyone from taking photos. But there is another rule that I live by. Who, besides me, is going to enjoy this photo? Why ask that question? Because what I enjoy may not have the same meaning to anyone else. Always push yourself to improve the photos you take. In almost every case you should probably move closer. My photography teacher at the University of North Dakota hammered on us to fill the viewfinder with the real photo, and only use a zoom lens if needed.
I also believe that there is that saying about being in the right place at the right time. Good photos are often captured by accident. Keep your eyes open. Teach your kids, and grandkids, the basics of photography. And remember that a good photo, tells the complete story.
Best Kept Secret
A shout out to Oak Park theater and their famous movie theater popcorn. Stop in and see Al and take a bag home. I also hear that he will custom pop popcorn for parties. And folks, Oak Park Theater has the right product at the right price. Buttered or not, you will love Oak Park popcorn, fresh from popper.
Today’s Chuckle
Middle age is when you’ re grateful that the shower fogs the mirror.
