I am not excited about what technology has done in the world of photography. Last week I met a seventh grader who is learning Photoshop in school. That makes me feel inadequate. Photoshop, and phone/ camera technology has enabled everyone to now be a photographer, a videographer and a pain in the shall I say - neck? Possibly, I have a bad attitude. Do the phone photographers ever consider that maybe I don’t want to have my picture taken? Must I stop what I am doing so you can record it for being the moment that I was enjoying myself but had to stop to have my picture taken? Do I want to see the pictures on your phone? Your dog wearing sunglasses? Your cousin eating a sandwich? Her big toe? No, not really. Bad, Bad, Bad says the fussy old lady.
Wait. Stop. What about being able to see my grandchildren instantly on my phone with a video of them riding bikes, reading, playing and I even got to see my grandson’s first steps. Priceless. Oh. No problem, I can easily change my tune and say that photo technology is wonderful especially if you are distant grandparenting. It is not a surprise to be experiencing a love/hate relationship with my phone. My life is often a balancing act of two opposing opinions.
Let’s go back to when cameras were separate objects that were worn with a strap around your neck and when it was time to take a picture you lifted it up, peered inside and focused using a nob. That was only step one. The next step, after rewinding the film, was to remove the film from the camera and bring it to the drug store. Yes, youngsters—the drug store. You left the film there and in about ten days the pictures were ready to be picked up. Aah the good old days. My favorite camera was the Polaroid, a camera that did it all. The Polaroid enabled you to take a picture then after a short delay and some grunts the pictures magically emerged. I loved it. Instant gratification.
I like stuff, and technology has replaced stuff with electronic pictures of stuff. Obviously, the biggest example is online shopping. Remember the Mall? Stores are closing and this is getting scary. One of my best shopping memories was seeing an adorable four-year-old at a perfume counter testing every sample while wearing a hat she had picked up in the ladies’ hat department. The tag was dangling in front. Pretty cute. Her mother was nowhere to be seen. You won’t enjoy something like that shopping online. Yes, it is less tiring but what’s all the energy for if not to roam the malls in search of happiness? Hmmm maybe I need to rethink this.
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