Talkin’ Bout my Ge-ne-ration…..

Ok, If you can’t tell by the title, I’m a baby boomer.  Folks from my era were not raised with the digital world.  We were raised on bad reception black and white TV’s of Howdy Doody and weather reports where they would write the weather info on a dry erase board.  There were no PC’s, no computer games.  Photography was film based, cameras not very user friendly.  Our lives were filled with darkrooms with caustic chemicals, enlargers and photo paper.  Unless you were very good at negative manipulation, your photos were limited to the success or failure of your camera settings and film speed at the time of capture.

The “digital age” seemed to happen overnight.  However digital cameras would be out of the reach of most photographers for another decade.  Advances not only in cameras, but also in the affordable memory market, made it cost feasible for everyday photographers to move to digital as early as the 1990’s to early 2000’s.  But technology was ahead of the learning curve for most  photographers and only those who dared to school themselves on the digital cameras as well as updating their home computers to handle large image files, and invest in new cameras and lenses were ready to immerse themselves totally into the realm of digital photography.

Today’s youth have no concept of a time before personal computers and video games.  Most were spoon fed on video games from a very early age.

Yes, we are dinosaurs.  So what?  We can and have learned how to exist in a digital world.

Digital photography has opened up a new avenue for photographers that understand the craft of photography yet must now be schooled on the latest of software to handle their photos, how to organize and store their photos and how to print their photos on multiple media platforms.

There are those who have been dragged into the digital age kicking and screaming.  Some of these are photographers who don’t want to move from the age of film to digital.  This was avoidable for awhile, however it is harder and harder to find an avenue for obtaining film and developing film.  They must now move to digital, like it or not.

My hope is that I can make this transition an easy one for you.  That is my goal.  Let me know if you have questions on gear.  The kind of gear a person needs is strictly based on what the application is…..are you shooting grand kids in the park?  Want to do some sports photography?  Vacations?  Move into the pro photographer realm with landscape photography?  The variations of applications are endless, as are the gear (cameras, PC’s, software applications).

I help those who need advise on camera gear and software needed to save their precious photos.

Are baby boomers behind the curve?  Some are.  Are we completely tech savvy, probably not, however we do have a zest for life and adventure!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘

Dog Days of Summer

It was a sunny, breezy morning last Sunday at the Maryhill Winery. The winery is located in Goldendale Washington on a bluff overlooking the fantastic Columbia River Gorge. It features a tuscan terrace with a grapevine covered arbor and a view that is second to none. The 4000 seat Amphitheater which features top headlining musicians from July to September, was bustling with activity.  This seems like an unlikely venue for a dog event, but here we were, preparing for the Dog Days of Summer. At Maryhill they feel that winemaking is not about lifted noses and highbrow personalities. They are a family and pet friendly establishment.  What better way to celebrate this philosophy than to have a dog event?

I was asked to participate as the event photographer and was happy to oblige. I arrived early to set up my equipment, as the local 4H club rushed to set up the obstacle course.  Others were busily filling the doggy pool, preparing the vendor booths and greeting the early participants as they began to arrive. People from all walks of life, young and old.  The dogs were as varied as their owners, from the smallest Teacup Chihuahua to the Great Dane, they began to assemble in the rich green grass of the amphitheatre.

I began to circulate among the crowd and watched the 4 H kids as they put their animals through their paces on the obstacle course.  Then all were invited to partake in the course.  A man jumped over the jump, hoping his dog would follow and we all laughed as the dog ran around the jump instead.  Who’s the smart one??

 

The day was filled with owners interacting with their pets over the obstacles, learning new things together with help from the trainers and playing relay “Pawty Games”.  Strangers no longer, people stopped to share stories of their pets with each other and introduce their dogs to one another.  Surprisingly, the dogs seemed to enjoy the interaction with strangers as much as their owners, and they were all on their best behavior. 

When photographing dogs it is important to place yourself at their level, which meant a lot of laying and crawling in the grass.  I loved it!  

 

Before we knew it, the afternoon had passed and it was time to call it a day.  Fun time was had by all. If you ask me, I think we all ought to take more breaks from our hectic lives and play in the grass with our best friends!

My thanks to the participants, both of the two and four legged variety, and to the fantastic staff of Maryhill for making this a terrific event.

 

Photography is a Passion

The digital age has made it easy to take very good photographs without an extensive knowledge of mechanics or composition.  From point and shoot digital cameras to DSLR’s the increasing resolution and speed have revolutionized the art of photography. 

The biggest advantages of digital over film is the instant gratification of being able to view your results immediately, allowing the photographer to make adjustments and shoot again to fine tune the intended results.  It is now possible to shoot in live view on several models, allowing adjustments in real time.

I’m a card carrying member of the baby boom generation.   There is still a great deal of trepidation, among people in my generation, when it comes to the digital revolution,  Some embrace it, others fear it.  I can’t tell you how many people come into my studio, point and shoot in hand, who don’t understand how the camera works, or even how to get the photos “out of the camera”.  Some of them  received cameras from their children as gifts, to help them keep in touch.  Part of my goals for this blog is to address photography techniques and camera functions in very human terms.  To over-think all the technical aspects is to sap the passion right out of the joy of photography.  

So here we go together.  To explore.. to learn…to love. Simply and with great passion!!