Thursday, June 29, 2023

Shooting

In honour of International Camera Day: Cameras


I received my first camera the Christmas I was nine.
Together with one film.
A twelve exposure.
I hoarded those pictures judiciously. Carefully.
Only taking pictures of very, very special occasions.
And then, only when conditions were especially perfect.
Not.
I used up that first film in 32 seconds flat.
We had pictures of wrapping paper.
Kids admiring just-opened gifts nestled in a pile of wrapping paper.
And Mom stuffing more of said wrapping paper into the trash.
Okay, I admit it. Wrapping paper was the most exciting thing I could come up with.
Which says something about my life.
I should also mention, here, that my camera also came with a packet of little bulbs that you could press, one by one, into the flash. After they had been used, you pressed a little button and they would be forcibly ejected. This was an especially handy feature when brothers were hanging about. It’s amazing just how fast a brother can move when he has been shot with a little bulb of flaming-hot, molten glass.
Just FYI.
Moving on . . .
For the next few years, I snapped pictures of friends.
Doing . . . stuff.
Of pets.
Mine and other people's.
And vacations.
Most of them blurry and unrecognizable.
“Okay, this is a shot of Great Aunt Maud. Or of Old Faithful. Take your pick.”
In college, I was handed a ‘real’ camera.
With dials and buttons and switches.
And sent forth into the hinterland to ‘take some shots’.
Yikes.
I will admit that my picture-taking had improved.
Vastly.
Now, people were easily differentiated from, say, cakes.
And my basketball players looked like basketball players.
Not the LCC square-dancing team they were usually mistaken for.
On or off the court.
*snort*
In fact, my picture-taking skills had improved so much that I was given the position of official photographer in our Journalism class.
A promotion that came with its own dark room.
Yessiree. On any given Tuesday evening, I could be found in my darkroom.
Developing.
Now why does everyone smile when I say that?
It’s true.
I was developing.
Okay, yes, I usually had a young man in there with me.
But, inevitably, their idea of what goes on in a darkroom and mine were vastly different.
Hmmm. I think I know now why they looked so surprised when I told them to, and I quote, “Sit over there and stay out of my way!”
Back to my story. . .
Following college, I was given a ‘point-and-shoot’. A camera that guaranteed perfect pictures. Without any input from me.
Perfect.
For several years, it faithfully recorded early years of marriage. Baby arrivals. And family life.
With one ore two side trips into ‘someplace green’.
Until that momentous occasion when it died.
Never to go again.
After a normal grieving period, I got another point-and-shoot.
Digital.
No more films.
No more trips to the store, picking up or dropping off.
That little camera and I were inseparable.
Until that day.
When I got my new phone.
This was why.
Edmonton, Alberta at sunset.
Of course things have continued to improve, but I will stop there for now.
I admit that I sometimes think back to my little flashbulbs.
And the ejector that was so effective.
But only fleetingly.

5 comments:

  1. Oh, cameras ... I was only a bit older than you when I had my first. It has a four-flash cube, and cassettes for film. It was a wonder, I wore it out, and bought a "new" second hand of same brand to replace the cam wheel used to pull forward the film for a ned exposure. I had this camera for at least 20 years! The next one is still in working condition, but was outdated by digital ones. My next two only lasted 3 years each. And I think the one I have now will do no better. The best one was undoubtedly number 2, I never get same quality from the digital wonders ;)

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  2. I remember you with that camera and our brothers jumping out of the way when "shot" at! Fun times! Love, Chris

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  3. I also got a camera for my birthday as a kid and loved it! And yes, after the cell phone came along, cameras were never quite the same.

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  4. You brought back some great memories! Those little flashbulbs molten hot after you used them (although I didn't have siblings to shoot them at) Of film that never advanced, until you thought you were finished with the roll and opened the camera... the envelopes that came in the Sunday paper that you could send your exposed film off to and a week later, you'd magically get them back. Good times! Gee, I should write a blog post about that....

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  5. I never got very good with the cameras, no matter the technology, although i will admit you can mostly tell what's in mine these days.

    How come i never ejected one of those things at my stinky little brothers? Oh, the opportunities i missed if only i'd thought of it.

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