“You Don’t Make a Photograph Just With a Camera” – Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams has long been a favourite photographer of mine. Not just for his stark, beautiful photos, but also for his thoughtful reflections on the act of taking photos. He understood better than most WHY he took each photo, what compelled him to take each carefully considered shot. His full quote reads as follows: “You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

I must agree whole-heartedly! Most of you who follow my photographic adventures regularly (thanks for that by the way) know that I bring each of you with me through the act of taking photos. And it does not matter much to me what camera I use to capture each image; an iPhone or my 7D or way back in the day, my Fuji film camera. It is the picture that counts, and the story it tells. But that does not mean that I’m not interested in the brilliance that makes up a camera. Far from it! I am fascinated with how a camera works, and how this intricate piece of technology has evolved over time to make picture making easier so that the picture taker can concentrate on composing the shot, not on the technology.

You can see from my collage above that I have a small collection of some amazing pieces of camera history, from an early Kodak, to the aesthetically divine first Polaroid, the SD-70 Land Camera. I picked up most of these gems at the Nanton, Alberta shop Lost Ark Antiques in my travels last year. Each represents  a leap in design, an evolution in picture making that reflects the milieu in which each was made. Today’s explosion of “iPhoneography” is no different. I take as many snaps on my iPhone as I do with my “serious camera” not only because it is always with me, but because it represents a stunning convergence of camera, editor and an instantly share-able photo album. The tech behind the camera/phone is no less a marvel than the intricate workings of the beautifully-designed cameras above. Yet, what remains the same is the final product, the photo. What story does it tell? How does it make you feel? Why did the story teller, the photographer, take THAT shot? What story is not being told? Why?

Speaking of technology convergence, today I’d like to give a shout out to a fun app that was just released called Enlight. You can learn more about it here. I was intrigued by Enlight as it promised to be “the one stop shop” for all of my photo editing needs; a Swiss Army Knife of photo apps. Well, it is! I have a stable of 5-6 apps that I use to edit my iPhone shots when necessary, each serving a different purpose. Enlight contains all of the features of these apps from photo-taking, to filters, editing, text-adding…pardon the pun… but you get the picture. You can see some of the app’s effects in the shots above, from sketches to water colours to meme-makers. For folks looking to create images for a variety of purposes, this app could be “the one.” Until the next “one” comes along…I can hardly wait!

I promise to head out onto the road soon for a new Vagabond Photography Adventure. I hope you will come along! Until then, I’ve created an album of iPhone shots taken with the Enlighten app over on my Facebook page. Pop around for a visit if you are interested? Have a great March Break!