There’s something incredibly invigorating and inspiring about taking pictures. It not only makes me happy, but taking pictures teaches me a few things about life. When I take a picture, I’m capturing a fleeting reality of an intense moment in life. When I see something interesting – an emotion on a child’s face (anger, joy, sadness, love, or fear), a flower, a dog at play, a giant acorn in the middle of a garden, a glass building, or a sign advertising pig powders – I want to capture it and save it for later.
“I got a Nikon camera/I love to take a photograph/So Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away/Oh yeah!”
I have a new Nikon camera. It doesn’t take Kodachrome, but it captures nice, bright colors. I can take the greens of summer (or grays of winter) and make you think all the world’s a sunny day (or just the opposite). Having this camera, a gift from my Mom and Dad, also makes me want to sing that Paul Simon song just because it’s fun.
Although there’s no Kodachrome left in this world (sigh), there’s creativity and ingenuity – a legacy that George Eastman and Kodak left for us. I used to take pictures with a Minolta X700 – a gift from my parents – during high school. I still have that camera with all the lenses and filters, plus a roll of Kodak film. With my camera I took pictures for my high school yearbook, and film study class project, as well as of many, many friends and family.
Although the world’s turned its back on film, I just can’t bring myself to get rid of my SLR camera.
I can’t blame the world for believing digital is better. I also can’t blame Kodak for missing the clues. Heck, I feel partly responsible for Kodak’s demise. I hung on to film long after it was cool, shooting pictures with it well into 2004. I’ve been through two point-and-shoot digital cameras and yet my camera still worked long after the others died. (One camera fell off the roof of my car as I drove away and the other bounced on the floor one too many times.)
This story, however, is not about Kodak or cameras as my keyword analysis tool might suggest. This story is about having fun while taking pictures and learning a bit about life along the way. Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. I’ve discovered that the secret to improving my picture-taking ability is effort. As in life, effort is the difference between artist and automaton.
I see trees of green, red roses too/I see them bloom for me and you/ and I think to myself/what a wonderful world/
These words written by George David Wiess and Bob Thield, in 1967 was first recorded by Louis Armstrong. The song was intended to bring hope and optimism into a racially and politically charged climate of the 60s. When you take a picture, you’re putting part of yourself into it. What do you feel when you look into the viewfinder? Happy? Sad? Hopeful? Fearful?
Images are everywhere and photography is easy.
“You press the button, we do the rest.” Eastman used that slogan in its Kodak camera ads in 1890. That iconic phrase still rings true today. Just push a button and ta da! You have a portrait. Now it’s even more exciting to be interested in photography as more pictures are taken and shared than ever before. Pictures are instantly accessible on our phones, computers, tablets, and in the cloud.
My iPhone has a camera that takes pretty good pictures and is always accessible. There are also many great apps like Instagram, (free!) to help you transform the look and feel of your pictures and quickly and easily share with your friends.
I’m no expert, just a photography enthusiast. There are many of us out there who, like me, don’t know a lot about advanced photographic techniques. We love to take pictures of our kids playing sports, or partying with our friends, or celebrating with family, or smiling pets. I don’t know about you, but every so often, my son gets to the point when he’s had enough of my silly picture taking and tells me to stop. What he’s actually doing is inviting me to participate instead of observe. And that can mean all the difference as I explore my inner creative. So I’ve learned to pace myself. Don’t push too hard. Take it all in. Watch, learn, listen, and play.
Picasso said this: “All children are artists. The problem is to remain one when you grow up.”
I’ve noticed that children find, discover, look, listen, and engage. They are at ease with the world and that’s what’s so attractive to me in watching them play. Kids get caught up in creating their own world of fun and staying in the moment. I love to look at pictures, take pictures, talk about pictures, organize pictures, and make stuff with pictures. For me it’s play, and I’ve found the more I play, the more creative I become and the happier I am.
One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. – Goethe.
Feed and water your creative side often and well. A creative life is full of imagination. And imagination is for everyone. Take time today to stop, look, listen, and share a story or two. You might be surprised at what you find.
What did you learn today?
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