Back in the days of real film, I had the opportunity to take a photography course. We learned technical stuff like ASA/ISO film speed, apertures and shutter speeds, and I even knew how to develop and print B&W images. It was a lot of fun, but of course, the film cameras of yesterday are the dust collectors of today. (If anyone needs a nice Minolta, let me know.) I was a camera geek then and now I’m a point-and-shooter – and not even with a camera much anymore – with a cell phone. Sigh. It was a hard tide to swim against; the simplicity – and ultimately, the quality – won me over. I like the pictures I take on my phone just fine thank-you-very-much. They serve my needs.
The stuff I learned from my photography class that’s still useful is all the composition and lighting stuff. If I’m photographing people, it’s not straight on if I can help it, and I look behind the people before I take my shot. I don’t want trees growing out of somebody’s head or power lines cutting through a corner on a beautiful vista. What I do miss from time to time though is the ability to control depth of field, a wide-angle lens and real telephoto ability. Hasn’t made me buy a digital SLR camera yet…but maybe one day.
The stuff I learned from my photography class that’s still useful is all the composition and lighting stuff. If I’m photographing people, it’s not straight on if I can help it, and I look behind the people before I take my shot. I don’t want trees growing out of somebody’s head or power lines cutting through a corner on a beautiful vista. What I do miss from time to time though is the ability to control depth of field, a wide-angle lens and real telephoto ability. Hasn’t made me buy a digital SLR camera yet…but maybe one day.