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Blog: Today’s picture is tomorrow’s story

After many years of lugging all sorts of camera gear, instamatics, Polaroids and various film and digital SLRs, I still see and hear the same things repeated, which I think proves we are creatures of habit.
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Such classic pictures as these were not planned, but rather, someone was there at the time with a camera and just took the shot, no way of knowing the impact of the picture made at that very moment. Supplied photos.

After many years of lugging all sorts of camera gear, instamatics, Polaroids and various film and digital SLRs, I still see and hear the same things repeated, which I think proves we are creatures of habit.

When I start out with a new bunch of eager photographers seated in class, I ask them to go around the table, tell everyone what they do, what they want to learn, and what types of photography they would like to shoot.

For the most part, it’s almost the same reply from every class. On occasion, and it has happened to me, I get an eye-opener.

Once everyone has done a brief intro, I explain myself and who I am, what I do, etc. Then I also tell them how I see the camera, rather than what I see with it. I always tell people that while my camera takes pictures, it’s in reality a time machine to me.

For me, what I see in other people’s pictures is a brief snippet of time, time that’s captured and suspended for all to see, and for all to think and ponder about ... today and maybe tomorrow. It's a statement and a comment on whom or what it was at the very moment that shutter released and caught that very image.

History is full of incredible news-breaking images on just about every possible subject you can think of: some people having lunch on a high rise being built back in a day was a very famous one, or what about the Marilyn Monroe shot over a grate blowing up her dress with a blast of air from below ground.

These, of course, are the famous ones that got the most attention at the time. Interestingly enough though, a lot of these famous shots were not planned, but rather, someone was there at the time with a camera and just took the shot, no way of knowing the impact of the picture made at that very moment.

Now about the eye-opener I occasionally get. On one occasion, I had someone make the following remark in class for all present to hear, and it went something like this:

“I have always had an interest in photography, and love to take pictures of just about anything and everything. I would like to learn more about how to do that, but I also want to do it because I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s not looking good, but I want to make sure I have a record of the things I love and enjoy, which also includes my family. I want them to see my pictures so they get to see and know me a little more perhaps, or not. At least there will be some added evidence of who I am.”

I am pleased to say that so far this individual has been beating the odds and goes on to fight another day.

But sometimes things happen without any warning. In another totally different instance, I went from having a jovial conversation with a whole family, and even asking for them all to get together for brief and routine run-of-the-mill shot — you know the one: where everyone stands, the kids fidget and so forth.

Little did I know, that picture would end up being the very last picture they would all have of each other as a family together. It’s just a picture; it wasn’t a Pulitzer prize winner or anything, just one of many thousands I shot that month.

Sadly it will be the last one with that person to ever be taken again in this lifetime.

I did say time machine, right?

Perhaps one day that very picture you took will answer all the questions that someone had, or perhaps shed light on what it must have been like in that time, or what was so very important then, so much so that in it had an effect even today.

It is because of you and your wonderful time machine, and the very second you chose to capture that fleeting moment for all of us present and in the future to see.

So keep pushing that button, someone in the future will be quite grateful for your efforts.

Chuck Swinden is a professional photographer and photography instructor at Rodenas Photography. For more information, visit www.rodenasphotography.com.


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