Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.” ―
Everything comes into focus on June 29th when it’s National Camera Day!
Today commemorates the camera, photographs and invention of photography. To me, cameras are an irreplaceable tool for recording memories, events, along with people, places and even things. Before the invention of the camera, the only way to document a person’s vision was through drawing or painting. But few people can perfectly draw the likeness of someone, let alone capture the essence of an event. Look at court reporter’s sketches for an example. By contrast, the invention of the camera provided people with a simple yet fast and relatively inexpensive—unless you’re shooting film—solution.
Some History
George Eastman, who some people have called “The Father of Photography” accomplished what was, to my way of thinking, more like what Henry Ford did with the automobile. He didn’t invent the camera but brought cameras and photography to the masses and developed many enhancements to the process improving its use, ease, and production.
According to the National Day Calendar, “the first cameras were large and bulky but each later designs evolved until some cameras became as small as a pen.” (Do they mean, like a Pen F?) Today’s DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have many features and variations that appeal to people of all ages for their personal or professional use. Modern cameras are portable and easy to use and not only allow us to make photos quickly but we can even edit them on the fly. Many of us are also discovering or maybe re-discovering the joys of film photography using a camera that, to some. may seem like an antique but others, like me, are enjoying the simplicity of the design of film cameras along with the mystery of waiting to find out if their photographs “turned out!”
How I Made This Shot: In thinking about what picture to feature in today’s post, I first considered the one featured in my post My Favorite Photograph but then I thought about my most favorite portrait that I made but with portraits it’s often difficult to separate the experience of working with the subject from creating the image. So I decided to go with “homage.” This homage to legendary photographer Walker Evens was made on Main Street in Parker, Colorado with my Canon EOS 5D Mark I and an the EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L IS USM hand-held at 135mm with an exposure of 1/500 sec at f/9 and ISO 320. It may not be a great photo, but it speaks to me of a time and place in my life that was full of both highs and lows as well as being shot with a camera that changed the way I made photographs after I bought it in 2005. After all, it’s National Camera Day.
From a large boxy camera to owning one that fits in a pocket, cameras have come a long way. Whether photography is a hobby or your profession, celebrate the day by taking some photos. Snap a picture of something or someone that you love. enjoy and cherish the memory. Be sure to post some photos on social media using #NationalCameraDay.
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