I have loved photography since I was about 11 years old. I’ve progressed from fully automatic pocket cameras to mostly manual 35mm cameras, and then full circle back to fully automatic digital SLR cameras. Recently, my Dad handed down one of his 35mm film cameras and I decided to play with it a little bit to see if it still works. I think the camera still works. Unfortunately, the user is the problem. I realize that I’ve forgotten much of the knowledge and skills I used to have when I relied on myself rather than an automatic camera. Technology may be improving my photography but it is also making me stupid.
My mom gave me my very first camera – a fully automatic Kodak
Instamatic – when I was in fifth grade. I fell in love with photography
immediately. The camera made it easy - with the press of a button, a moment was recorded.
Eventually, when I was in high school, I decided that I wanted to
upgrade to a 35mm film camera so I saved my money and one night, John drove
me to LaBelle’s in Burnsville to make my purchase. I bought a Pentax camera
with a standard kit lens and an accompanying telephoto lens. While some of the
camera operations were automated, many functions were not so I needed to learn
how to focus and how to set my aperture and shutter speed for correct exposure.
I loved to experiment – trying different settings and techniques –
and some of the photos taken during this time period are among my favorites. I also
studied processing film and could enter a dark room, unload the film canister
only by feel, add the appropriate chemicals, and process the negatives into
prints.
Years later, John gave me my first digital camera and I have to be honest…I thought
it was a passing fad – I thought film cameras were forever and I had no
interest in going digital. Of course with time, film options were diminished
and I transitioned to a digital SLR system. I’ve had many cameras since and
though they all have the capacity to allow me to set everything manually, I
often rely on the automatic settings – the camera focuses for me and determines
the settings for correct exposure. I understand how to adjust these settings
for the artistic impact that I’m seeking but in most cases, the camera is doing
all the “heavy lifting”. Also, I have the benefit of looking at the camera
screen immediately after taking a picture and readjusting my composition if
necessary or retaking the photo in an attempt to correct any number of errors
in the previous shot. I no longer need to wait for a visit to a dark room to
see what I captured…and wouldn’t recall even the first step necessary in film
processing.
Over the years, I’ve become the photographic repository in my family. Family photos, negatives, slides, home movies, and old photography equipment seem to find their way to me. So I was excited when Dad found this old film camera and was eager to give it a try. I went out on a beautiful Fall day and found the perfect subject. I lined everything up, tried to remember how to determine the best settings, and took the shot. I managed to get in one picture and then the battery died. Considering it had been in the camera for likely 20 or more years, it’s a wonder it worked at all. No rechargeables for this one….so it took me a couple months to find the time to seek out the appropriate battery and get it installed.
With the camera battery now fully functional, I headed out again this
weekend and realized that much of what I once knew about photography, has been long
forgotten as I’ve come to rely on allowing technology to take control. I had to
relearn how aperture and shutter speed work together. I had to relearn how to
focus the lens myself and had to relearn a proper photography stance which
would allow me to hold focus long enough to take the picture. After taking each
photo, I would out of habit immediately look to the back expecting to see a
confirmation of the picture I had just taken. But there was nothing there to
indicate to me if I had enough light, if the image was blurry or sharp, if the
composition was appealing. I found it very unsettling as I walked away from
each shot wondering “did I get it?” and knowing that there will be some time
before I know for sure as I wait for the film to be developed.
I’ve grown accustomed to having technology that makes my life simpler and to the instant gratification that it provides. Ironically, one of the reasons that I love photography is that it forces me to slow down and appreciate the moment. What I’m seeing now, is that even the tools I use can have an impact on how much I slow down and how much I actually contribute to that moment. I need to remember to continually stretch myself trying new techniques so that I continue to learn instead of losing knowledge that I once had. Using technology to make my photography better, to make my life easier, but not allowing it to take over for what I should know and do for myself.
Now….I wonder how I can turn the channel on my TV without using my
remote? I think I once knew how…
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