Photography helps us capture life’s richest moments. Recording snapshots of life – those moments that make us smile, laugh, celebrate…live more fully. Come take a photographic journey with me!
Photography’s Memory Lane
When I was a child my mother had an Argus ‘Argoflex’ camera that fascinated me. Its viewfinder was mounted on top of the camera and I had to look down at the image I was about to photograph. I remember thinking, “How does this work? I’m not looking at my friend but I can see him in the top of Mom’s camera!”
Little did I know at the time that Mom’s Argoflex had a glass ‘viewing’ lens positioned atop the ‘taking lens,’ so the image I saw through the top viewfinder was very nearly the image as the camera ‘saw’ it. And an internal reflex mirror allowed the image to be reflected upward toward me. Photography sure was pretty cool back then! Here’s what the camera looked like:
I recall being fascinated with its dials and I loved the distinctive, kind of crackling ‘click’ of its shutter release. Plus I couldn’t understand how the film (‘620’ roll film back then) produced a printed photo. “Just how does that happen?” I used to think as I pondered the wonder of photography.
Another source of amazement was the large, metal flash reflector that attached to the side of the camera. It took large flashbulbs (remember them?) that got all bubbly and gross looking after they fired while giving off a bad smell. Ah, such memories…
Cameras for the Kids
As my sister grew a little older, she got a brand new Brownie Starflash camera as a birthday gift. There were those flashbulbs again! J We had such fun with that camera. We took pictures of our friends, our family members, our pets, our bicycles (we were so proud of our bikes) – pretty much everything! Here’s what it looked like:
Then, when I got a little older, it was my turn to have a camera and explore the world of photography on my own. Guess which type I had my eye on?
Well, my aunt and uncle had a really interesting camera that developed the photos right before our eyes. I was amazed by this camera. It was big, it had bellows (although I didn’t know they were ca
Yes, I had to have this wondrous device – a Polaroid Land camera!lled that) and Aunt Lee or Uncle Ken would pull the pictures right out of it! Of course we all waited a while (about a minute, if memory serves) before peeling off the printed photo from the negative.
The Magic of Instant Photography
The model I chose was Polaroid’s ‘Big Swinger’ model 3000 which was all the rage back in…well, some time ago. ;)
The Big Swinger had a really neat viewfinder and exposure control. See that red vertical dial? Turning it adjusted the exposure and the camera displayed “YES” in the viewfinder when it was set correctly for the shot. This new, larger model of the popular Swinger camera used 100-Series pack film (rather revolutionary it its day) instead of the older style roll film.
It operated just like my aunt and uncle’s larger, more sophisticated Polaroid; I snapped a photo, pulled it out of the camera, counted off the seconds (30 or so, if I recall correctly) and then I peeled the print off its negative. I remember having to be very careful not to touch the developer (caustic gel) that remained in the negative. Finally, I had to coat the printed photos with a special ‘stick’ that was moistened with an awful-smelling compound. But it helped safeguard my pictures against fading.
Modern-Day Photography
Today, cameras come in many formats, shapes and sizes to suit any budget. It’s astounding, really, to see some of the great photography captured by smartphones and compact, point-and-shoot cameras to say nothing of the superb results one can obtain with a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera.
Now there’s hardly any reason for us not to record the events of our lives and the special moments that bring us joy. Let’s get out there and take some photos!
Photography is in Gaming Too!
Did you know that you can take pictures in some games? It’s true! You can sharpen your reporting skills while snapping photos in Journalist Journey – The Eye of Odin. Maybe you’d rather be a nature photographer in Snapshot Adventures – Secret of Bird Island, where you can even upgrade to an X-ray lens! These games offer a rare mix of Hidden Object casual gaming and the opportunity to be a photographer. That means all the more fun for you!
We’d like to hear from all you budding photographers. What type of camera do you use the most and which type of photography do you enjoy? Are your subjects Friends and family? Your pets? Selfies? Please share you experiences on our GameHouse Facebook page and on Google+.
