A couple weeks ago I was suffering a bout of writer’s block, and Brian said, “Why don’t you write about your budding interest in photography?”
At first I was surprised he knew about my interest in photography. I had merely asked him whether the x-rays that they use to check luggage were going to erase my film (it seems like a guy thing to know about x-rays), and he found the answer for me. I didn’t know he was going to read so much into it.
Of course, he has seen me lug my camera to every small group event in the past four years, so, you know, it makes sense that he’d know I was interested in photography. And he knows I scrapbook, so he knows I use a lot of pictures. But I guess there’s a bit of a difference between liking pictures and liking photography, at least in my mind.
I think the reason it surprised me was because I kind of am interested in photography. Not in that girly I-want-to-take-pictures-of-my-feet way, but in a sincere I-see-things-I-wish-I-was-skilled-enough-to-capture-on-film-but-now-the -moment-is-gone way.
This happened a lot in New York. I took my old camera so it would be smaller, and I loaded it with black-and-white film to be artsy . . . and I was too chicken to take very many pictures. I know exactly why. I didn’t want to be too touristy. I read all this stuff by New Yorkers about how annoying tourists are, and I didn’t want to be one. So I let moments go by and I left my camera in my bag, and I regretted it all the way home.
I do it in regular life, too. Notice how I mentioned that I take my camera to every small group event? And yet there are gazillions (yes, gazillions. That’s a scientific measurement) of moments that I want to capture but don’t. Because I don’t want to be annoying everyone by being that girl with the camera flash going off all the time. And because we have some people who take pictures already, and they are better at it than I am.
Every time this happens, I tell myself, “Next time I am going to do it. I will stick my neck out there and be annoying/touristy/embarassing, but I will have pictures of what I want.” I haven’t done it yet.
Maybe next time.
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14 Comments
It works both ways, sometimes I get caught up in taking pictures that I forget to enjoy the moment.
I’m very intelligent.
and I think we have more than a few pictures on our fridge that came from your camera.
also, how many times have I heard “you never smile in my pictures”?
Mark is right about that…but for me, I enjoy the moment most when I take a picture. But I never take a picture of other people…it’s always of inanimate objects.
Anyway, that’s all beside the point. The point is…take lots of pictures at the AP show!!! :yes:
I find myself in Mark’s shoes from time to time.
And Kari, if you get a digicam and some image editing stuff, flashes can sometimes go away … sure, I don’t get high-quality stuff without the flash, but it’s unobtrusive.
taking pictures of the homeless though could have gotten you killed! so your timidity might have saved your life. i am glad you are still alive.
Silly. I wasn’t going to take pictures of the homeless.
it would have been artsy.
because i have been banned from mentioning my A’s here, please let your friends who might care about how i am doing in school know about my blog. it is now up and running… http://rmfo-blogs.com/mike/
thanks love.
But I already linked you. See, over there on the side?
I dont have a “good” camrea anymore to take photos I wish I did. Im always the friend who takes too many pictures, but never once has anyone been sorry once they got copies of the photos. I think becoming good at taking pictures only takes time and lots and lots of rolls of film. I miss real photos a lot.
i see the link, but some may not see it. also some may not comment. i propose you make a special post about it. do it. do it.
so kari’s timidity is good…and mike’s is bad
i’m so glad a girl actually has this timidity (is that a word?). i take my camera on trips, and i end up taking like 10 pictures. and i have a digital camera with a 256 mb card, so i could take like 200. i always end up with a bunch of scenery shots and not of other people. i let girls do that.
i used to be ashamed of the flash and think i was annoying people. but you know what? people often value those memories as much as you. i’m a ’semi-professional’ photographer, so of course my room is plastered with pictures. but my suitemates don’t even own cameras. they just use the disposable jobs and get copies of stuff from me. everytime i have my camera out people are like “hey, can i get a copy of that”…
so i would encourage you to take the chance! oh, and about the touristy thing… new yorkers complain about everything. and you are a tourist. don’t stress. i have a ton of scenery shots of NYC if you want some for your scrapbook…