Digital Photography

Digital photography has become such a basic element of daily life that a cell phone which does not take a picture is well – almost an antique. Any self-respecting digital camera can also take videos and record audio. A dozen years ago, digital cameras were large and expensive and limited in their special features. They were instantly recognized as more flexible than film cameras but there were small problems such as finding ways to share the photos without having to use a computer. Emailing photos was not for everyone as the technology was barely able to handle the notion of sending large files by dial-up, which is what most people had in the mid 1990s.

One of the first moments of liberation when it came to using a digital camera was when I deleted some really unflattering photos of myself.  I mean, really unflattering. It was more than just a bad hair day – my eyes were half shut and the top part of my head had been chopped off. Other photos that were just as quickly deleted that day included ones that featured only feet, the bottom of the barbecue and the back of someone’s head.

The reality is that we do not need to record every sneeze and smile for posterity. One good smile is better than 10 out of focus attempts at a smile. Delete, delete. Never mind that moment is gone forever. It was not much of a moment anyway.

Digital camera allows us to share our lives online on social networks and it closes gaps for families separated by geography.  These are wonderful things and in a way this ability serves as a replacement for the long-lost extended family. We don’t need to get together at Thanksgiving to see how Aunt Tessie looks or to find out how her Pekingese is doing. She can put her photos up on Facebook and record her mood and her most recent status. This makes Aunt Tessie more real to us than the once a year forced joviality of a holiday meal. We get to see her in her garden or with friends thanks to the miracle of digital photography.

Digital photography is changing the way that we understand our lives. The posed family portraits on our office desk are quickly becoming things of the past and slideshows of the new baby on our laptops have become the way that we share our lives.