First there was the photo booths, followed by Polaroid. Then came disposable cameras, point and shoot, Apple iPad, iPhone 5C, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 plus. These are photo devices that I used as far as I can remember.
I love the booths and Polaroid. Instant gratification of how the shots turn out. Gather as many peeps in the booth, the funnier the photos come out. For a mere buck, it gives four different pictures. Cheap thrills.
Then it gets expensive.
Disposable cameras are great on a need to have basis. Point and shoot requires rolls of films. Then the films have to be processed, developed and printed. What size do you want? Matted or glossy? Rush or regular? Cost all adds up. The finished product is a surprise. With 24 prints, maybe half is good if your lucky. Over exposure, blurry, or what is this? Storing the pictures into albums and the films in shoe boxes take spaces.
Photography became easier when the digital age came. No more films. Reusable gigs. Store them in the Clouds. Cost effective. Love it.
What do I do with these pictures?
One example is incorporating it with favourite poetry or essay. The prose remains, photos change in time.
Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples, and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.
Poem: by William Martin, Make the Ordinary Come Alive
Lucy, my niece, was the first model used for this sage advice. She is all grown up studying in university. Our family is growing rapidly, more children. Death is part of living.
Looking Back as an ending from Albert Camus
“In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realized, through it all, that…
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
– Albert Camus
Photographs and Memories 