Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Young Moms Have No Idea How Good They Have It. Photography Then and Now.

A few weeks ago I did a link up in which we were asked "How are your photography skills?"

As all good linker uppers do, I went around to read other people's posts. Over and over I read answers similar to "I'm OK, but I'd like to get a DSLR and really learn how to use it".  It got me thinking.  Three thoughts to be exact.

My first thought was, "Ya'll are being too hard on yourselves.  Your photos are fine!"

A close second was, "Manual mode on a DSLR is overrated.  I had a photography business, and I know how to use manual.  And yet every photo I've ever put on this blog has been in an automatic mode."

And my last thought, which I will now expand upon, was, "You young moms have no idea how lucky you are!  With my first four kids, the only camera I had available was a film camera!"



Now:

Pick up the camera (or phone), turn it on and start clicking, regardless of the amount of light you are in.  The camera automatically adjusts to the conditions.

Then:

 Film came in different ISOs that no one ever understood.  You were supposed to pick out the film speed that was the right kind for the light in which you were going to be taking photos.  Outside on a sunny day?  100.  In darker conditions, say in a picnic pavilion on a cloudy day? a 400 would be your choice.  But say you are at an outdoor birthday party, which starts out beautifully sunny, then halfway through turns awfully cloudy.  What are you to do?  Keep taking photos, of course, because these are moments you'll never relive, even while knowing the photos you are taking are going to suck.


Now:

We take a photo and immediately look at it.  If it's good, we move on.  If not, we take the shot again.  And again and again until we get it right.

Then:

We took a photo and prayed it would come out.  We had to be stingy with our photo taking, seeing as how we only got to take 12-36 photos before we had to change the roll.  And rolls of film cost money.

First vacation with Phoenix.  That would be my hair falling in front of the lens, partially blocking that adorable face.

Now:

Within seconds of taking a photo, we can post it for all the relatives to see.

Then:

Once we got to the end of the roll, we had to take the roll to a store to have it developed.  It would be a whole week before we got to see our photos.  Only then could we mail (through the real, live post office) copies to relatives.

The other option (which is the one my older sister chose almost exclusively) was to throw the used roll into a drawer with all of the other undeveloped rolls of film and then forget about them until 11 years later when you were packing to move.  Years of birthday parties were stuck in those little canisters, never to be seen by a single relative.

Now:

On those rare occasions that we want to print some photos, we sit at our computer, send the photos we want to print to a store's site, and let them know how many of each photo we want.

Then:

As I mentioned before, we had to physically take the rolls to the store.  At said store, we had to fill out confusing and tedious forms to let the processor know what size photos we wanted and how many we wanted.  Mind you, this is all done BEFORE we even know what the photos look like.

We had two options.  First, we could get one print for each frame to see how we liked them.  Once we saw the photos, we could once again take the film back to the store and fill out yet another form, even more confusing and tedious than the one before to let the processor know what we wanted.  OR we just bit the bullet and ordered doubles the first time around.

Now:

Every photo we have is a good one, seeing as how we simply delete the bad ones.  They may not be frame-worthy, but they aren't bad.

Then:

A full half of the photos would be too dark or blurry to see what we were trying to photograph in the first place, thus getting immediately tossed in the trash.  The other half of the stack wasn't good, but we could at least see the person.

And this is one I kept!  Imagine how bad they had to be for me to actually throw them away.


Worst case scenario, we'd get the photos back only to discover the camera was broken and left big, annoying white spots on every single photo.


No, that is not a UFO. 

Now:

Our kids sneak our phones to take pictures, usually of themselves.  Since they are digital, we see them and can get rid of any embarrassing ones before anyone else sees them.  The good ones we post on social media so everyone can have a giggle.

Then:

Our kids would sneak our cameras to take pictures, rarely of themselves, seeing as how there was no button to turn the lens around.  It was the person who developed the photos who got to see them first.  It's really only a problem when the kids try to be like mom.  Mom the Photographer takes newborn baby body parts photos to make collages for clients.  Child the Copy Cat takes photos of her preschool-aged brother's body parts and makes the person who develops the photos question the pervertedness of the camera owner.

Now:

We take selfies everywhere with our phones, but with a real camera one must use a bathroom mirror.  We're getting pretty good at holding the camera out of the shot in order to get a good selfie.

Then:

We had to actually look through the viewfinder to see the photo were were taking.  No sly holding of the camera to the side for us.


Now:

We have to be careful not to get our phones wet, as our entire lives are on them.

Then:

The one advantage we had in using film was the invention of the disposable camera.  Especially the disposable water camera!  Yup, you could buy a cheap camera on any street corner, then turn in the whole kit and kaboodle when it was time to develop the film.  We were so excited when the water ones came out.  Now, we could expand our photo-taking to the depths of the sea.

Oh yeah.  Totally worth the extra cash to buy the waterproof one.
Yes, we had it rough compared to young moms of today.  We older parents have photo albums (or boxes) full of bad photos of our families.  I couldn't be happier about the invention of digital photography.  I have become a much better photographer with the improved technology, so my photo albums (and computer) look much better.

No one needs a big, fancy camera to take fancy photos.  Technology has made it possible for everyone to be a good photographer.  If you want to improve the quality of your shots, you just need to remember two things.

1.  Lighting.  Make sure you keep an eye on where the sun is in relation to the object/person you are photographing.  Any photo that has both shade and bright light at the same time won't be all that great, especially if the sun is behind the person or if the person is splotchy from sun coming through the leaves of a tree.  Interesting lighting makes or breaks a photo.

2.  Composition.  It's amazing what happens to a photo when you move the object off-center.  Or if you crop out the extra, non-important clutter.  Or if you get down on the ground and change the perspective.

Get creative with the way you take photos.  Take several photos of the same object/person in different ways to practice.  You'll be amazed at how different each photo can be.

But here's the thing.  I don't cherish those older, horrible photos any less than I cherish the more recent good ones.  Every photo I have elicits a memory from a day long ago.  Each photo has a story to go with it, and the kids love to hear those stories, regardless of the quality of the photo we are discussing.

Just take photos, lots of them, without requiring perfection.

Just take photos.

Because you can.

Have a lovely day!

37 comments:

  1. I so remember the 'then'. Yes indeed. I've got pictures just like these. Expensive and then some. Picture taking now is a breeze.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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    1. It was expensive to take photos. Between the film and the developing and the throwing away half the photos, I spent a small fortune.

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  2. What memories you brought back! Oh, and don't forget having to rewind the film back into the canister before removing it from the camera. Also, the wonder and magic of the Polaroid!

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    1. Oh good! I think. :)

      Ack! How could I forget the winding and rewinding? And how awful it was to think it was done, only to open the back and see the film still there, ruining the entire roll!

      Sadly, I never had a Polaroid. I knew people who did, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

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    2. Be glad you didn't have a Polaroid! All the pictures we have that were taken on one in the late 60s-early 70s have faded terribly!

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  3. OK, OK, you had it rough. :) But seriously, I appreciate the tips, as a mama trying to
    Improve her photog skills.

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    1. Yes, we did. :)

      I'm glad you found them useful. Whenever I give tips, I always think in my head, "Does everyone already know this?"

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  4. When I graduated from college, we took a ton of pictures all around campus in my cap and gown. Then I loaded up my few earthly possessions and moved out of state. I lost that roll of film somewhere along the way, and I've always wondered how those pictures turned out!

    I remember "then" well and Im so glad we have it easier now. The pictures on our family blog are almost exclusively from my phone because its the only camera I always have with me. Im okay with that. I'll take a camera pic over no pics any day!

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    1. Ugh! How disappointing! Yet another problem with film. Keeping a hold of those little canisters until we could get them to the developer.

      I'm with you! I always carried a small camera in my diaper bag in order to get those on-the-go shots as we went about our days. Not a chance I was going to carry the big one around everywhere we went. I love the fact I can now just use my phone. And get better photos.

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  5. The only problem I have with this "Everyone can take a good photo now thanks to technology" mentality is that too many people think they can stick a DSLR on auto then say they have a photography business. Umm, no. It doesn't work that way. And manual is overrated? Yikes. I'd rather have full control over my shots than hoping and praying auto gets it right.

    I have friends who still use film to shoot signs and other architecture. Realy neat stuff from what I've seen. Many of the signs are what I have shot with my DSLR. I'd love to go back to film but the cost is just too high now.

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    1. Kim, I stick by my sentence. People are perfectly able to take good photos. I didn't say they should start a photography business, and I didn't say they would be taking portraits to hang on the wall. They can, however, take interesting, good snapshots of their children. Kids move fast, and using manual all the time would mean missing out on a whole lot of photos. I'd rather use auto and snag the photo than use manual to only get the few perfect pictures.

      Film definitely has a different, lovely quality. I really enjoyed developing my own film and seeing how I could manipulate and change things. However, it's not something I did with snapshots. Digital is much, much better for us to capture our kids as they are in their every day.

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  6. Now that is a blast from the past - I have always been a pretty avid photographer, if not a great one, and I remember it being just like you have outlined here - wishing, hoping, hoarding film. it really is so different. I do love film, but the convenience of digital certainly does help capture things on the spot.

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    1. It really was a cross your fingers game. Pros could take lots of shots to ensure a perfect photo, but those of us just doing it for fun or to snap photos of our kids couldn't. It was just too expensive.
      It's amazing to me how much faster it is to improve photography skills with digital. You can immediately see the difference between the different settings or positions, (and then adjust what you're doing) versus having to take notes and wait for the film to be developed before seeing how it works. (Sorry, that was some bad grammar right there.)

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  7. I'm horrible at taking pictures, but you are SO right about the DIFFERENCES. Oh, to be a new mom and never have to scrimp on shots or waste film!

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    1. It's a whole new world thanks to digital photography. I love it!

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  8. Quote - 'We take selfies everywhere with our phones, but with a real camera one must use a bathroom mirror. We're getting pretty good at holding the camera out of the shot in order to get a good selfie.'

    I may be wrong but don't all real cameras have a self-timer/time delay facility? Every single camera I've ever had, right back to my first film camera given to me when I was 12, has had a time delay feature, and I well remember when I was still quite young being highly amused by my dad who would position his camera on a suitable wall and set the time delay, then run round to be in the shot with me and my mom.

    I must admit when digital photography first came into being I wondered what all the fuss was about, that was until a friend showed me what she'd achieved with her digital camera. So I bought my first one, a fairly simple Fuji, and have gone one better every time. My current one has so many manual settings it's unbelievable but I always use it on auto, saves a hell of a lot of messing about - and it's so much better being able to see instantly whether the shots are good or bad :)

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    1. AAAHHH! You're right! That is so funny! I probably didn't remember because I never figured out how to work mine. :)

      Until I got a smartphone, I always carried a simple Fuji around in my diaper bag or purse. They were quite handy little things.

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  9. You are so right! Photography is so much easier now. I remember waiting forever to take film rolls to the store to be developed and then picking them up only to find that none of the pictures came out. We definitely don't have to worry about stuff like that now, do we? ;)

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    1. I am so, so happy to be done with the days of expensive, bad photos.

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  10. It wasn't even that long ago, if you think about it! Usually being strapped for cash, I was one of the last people in the USA to get a digital camera. For a long time, my big trick was to take pictures with my film point-and-shoot, get them developed, take them to my mom's house, scan them on her scanner, and then edit them in the photo editing program that came with HER digital camera! And even before that, I thought I was extremely artistic and original when I would buy black and white film once in a while!

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    1. It wasn't long ago at all! I made the leap 10 years ago. We've come a long way!

      Oh my word, that is hilarious that you went to all the trouble.

      And this..."And even before that, I thought I was extremely artistic and original when I would buy black and white film once in a while!" made me laugh even more. Using black and white did make us all artistic and original! :)

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  11. I love digital photography! I am actually quite sucky at taking good pictures and the shoe boxes stuffed with bad photographs are a testament to this fact. I take better pictures with my iPhone than I ever took with my Canon AE-1 Program. Which I just found in the back of a closet. Can you even buy film anymore?

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    1. You can buy film, but I'm pretty sure you only can online. A few years ago, my brother absconded with my good film camera and used it when he lived in Hawaii.

      Digital has helped so many people become better photographers. The ability to immediately see the results and make corrections to try the shot again is invaluable.

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  12. We are lucky with all that progress!! Was just snapping pics of my little dog today!

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    1. We are very fortunate to have such technology. With your cute dog, why wouldn't you be?

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  13. few months back I found a very old roll of film and developed it....what a mess.....and it wasn't because it was old. It was because of the quality of a film camera. And exactly what you said about having to conserve photos and not knowing what you got on it....

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    1. How funny is that!?!? Where did you get it developed? Was it a big event you had wanted to remember forever or just everyday snapshots? Could you keep any of them?

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  14. I love this post because we are sooooo spoiled today! I probably delete way more pictures than I keep, and I just keep taking them until they come out just how I want them. Maybe it makes the older pictures more special because we had to work so much harder for them LOL

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    1. Good point! We did work hard for them (and pay a bunch, too). The change from film to digital was so fast. No wonder, once everyone saw how absolutely wonderful it was.

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  15. AMEN!!! *standing ovation and walks off stage*

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    1. Um, wouldn't I be the one on stage? I'm thinking you should be in your seat while you clap and I walk off the stage. After a deep bow, of course. :)

      (But thanks for the support)

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  16. Oh it is SOOO much better now. Of course I have no idea what I spent all that film and developing money on since that time...oh way...on a cell phone!

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    1. Ha!! Yeah, but your film couldn't check your email and facebook! :)

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  17. I love this, Christine!! I so remember waiting with huge excitement to pick up the photos from the store, rifling through them right then and there and realizing that there was maybe one or two decent ones in the entire bunch. Sigh. HAHAH to "I'm not bitter," that's awesome.

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    1. I'm glad!
      Ha! Yes, I would do the same thing, looking at the photos immediately, under the guise of making sure they were mine. Really, though, it just made the disappointment of lousy pictures come that much sooner. ;)

      I'm not bitter. I'm just glad I have digital now. :)

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  18. The best bet with those "then" photos was a cloudy day and outside - perfect - not matter what speed film you were using. Fortunately Christopher came along in the digital age. For him our then - take picture, go to Walmart to upload and get next day. Get an envelope and postage to mail to MIL. Today, upload pictures to Walgreens, pay and she can pick them up at her Walgreens. ;-)

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  19. I have several rolls of film in a drawer PLUS a couple of disposable cameras that have never been developed. Where do you even get that done these days?
    I remember standing at Sam's Club, endlessly filling out envelopes.
    You know, no one wasted film taking pictures of what they were eating! Except my Aunt Carolyn, who always took a picture of the Thanksgiving table before anyone ate. Years and years of nearly identical pictures....

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!