The advent of the digital camera has changed the face of photography forever.
My kids wonder why we took so many pictures with our eyes closed back in the 70’s. The explanation (which won’t include the phrase LSD) will take some time…
We only had rolls of film, some with as little as 12 exposures. You had to take pictures sparingly, and only found out how the photos looked once the whole roll was finished, which, depending on the amount of pictures a person liked to take could be months into the future. Once the roll was full it got “sent away” to a lab and after about a week you got the packet of pictures back, at which point you could check to see if your eyes were open in the picture.
So, for example, if your birthday was in July and your Mom didn’t finish the roll until she captured you in your Halloween costume, you would find out in early November if your eyes were open in the photos of your 10th birthday party, or even if there was a finger in front of the lens. Or, if God forbid, someone had opened the back of the camera and let light in. Then, you got back absolutely nothing. The super thin packet was surely a sign of doomed film. You could hope that someone else may have gotten a couple shots, or you better have a good memory. Little too late for a do-over by that point.
Enter, digital photos. Now, like so many other areas of our lives, we can get instantaneous feedback on how we are doing. We can see right away if the light was bad, if the flash didn’t work, if the head got cut off or if Joker Jo has decided that bunny ears would be the most hilarious gag ever. We can even bribe the kids into getting a great shot. “If we get a great one, you can do a super crazy goofy shot too!”
So, with regards to today’s deal, you can now shoot pictures to you hearts content, and when you finally get the best photo you have ever seen in your life, (and you will know right away!) you can make it into art. The folks at Photobook Canada can take your photo and put it onto canvas that will adorn your home and remind you that you have yet another talent. Taking pictures with eyes wide open!