Where Did Pictures Come from, Anyway?
Musings of a Seattle Photographer
I’m in my thirties. It’s easy for me to remember a life without smart technology- cell phones, laptops, internet. I remember typing papers on a typewriter, looking for library books in the card catalog, and using an atlas to get directions. As I turned on the water in my kitchen, I wondered about the people who remembered a day without running water. Perhaps it was a wealthy man a hundred years ago in America or a woman in a third world country who suddenly got this luxury in her home. I wonder about the first families who bought a camera and a portrait. Now here I am, in 2018, a Seattle Photographer. My entire career revolves around cameras and portraits.
We take photographs for granted in so many ways. We can take them with our phone, upload them to our computer, and edit them at will. We can write on them and insert dinosaurs chasing us. Prior to 1816, the only portrait one might have had was an artist’s interpretation available only to the extremely wealthy. It wasn’t until 1888, with the birth of Kodak, that film was available. Think about this. Our great-great-grandparents most likely grew up in a world without photographs. That’s only five generations removed.
No photos of babies. No first steps. No high school graduation. No wedding photos. No wall of portraits in their living rooms. In 1900, the Brownie, which produced a snapshot, was introduced to the market. Snapshot photography available to the masses was invented in the same century I was born. Wow.
So the next time you pull out your phone to take a selfie or hire a photographer to capture your newborn, take a moment to appreciate the generations before you who had to rely on their own memories to remember those fleeting moments.
A super fun Maternity Photography Session, my Over the Rainbow Package done in the studio as well as at Lincoln Park. This client, perhaps unknowingly, pushed my creative limits. I admit I get into my comfort zone and do a lot of rinse lather repeat. I am so lucky I met her because she stretched my rubber band to try something new! I also have never met a woman so honoring of her body, she is an inspiration. I hope you enjoy these!
