My Daughter-in-Law Is Not a Photographer

My granddaughter Marlee, all dressed up for the prom. 

Kim, my daughter-in-law, is not a photographer. Yet, she takes more pictures than any non-professional I know. In that, she's like my sister Anah. I have a secret suspicion that the reason Kodak went out of business is that Anah passed away and stopped buying their film and ordering double prints of everything. Kimberly does it all with her little cell phone.

I could say that I wish she would use a real camera that would make pictures with better technical quality, but the truth is that she would probably be impatient with the complexity of a real camera and not use it much. She also wouldn't like that she could not post her photos on line immediately. The upshot is that most of the pictures that give her and her family and friends enjoyment would not exist.

In short, she loves pictures but isn't interested in photography. The cell phone is the right camera for her and many others. And that's the camera she used to make the stunning portrait of her daughter Marlee all dressed up for the prom.

Almost the whole history of photography is about the continual effort to make picture-making easier and more convenient. At a time when most photographers were using large cameras with the film emulsion on heavy glass plates, George Eastman revolutionized the photo world with his Kodak box camera preloaded with a roll of film good for a hundred pictures. When the picture-taker used up all the film he sent the camera to Eastman's lab and got back his pictures plus his camera loaded with a new roll of film. Kodak's slogan made history: "You push the button and we do the rest." 

The cell phone is the ultimate heir to Eastman's legacy. You push the button and the camera does the rest. Quickly, conveniently, and cheaply. In fact it's not just cheap -- it's free if you already own your phone.

So am I ready to give up my cameras and make photos with my cell phone? Not a chance! I'm a photographer. I love my cameras and everything about the photographic process. And I can make better pictures with my equipment. But not everyone is willing to carry a camera around all the time as I do. For Kim, and for millions of others who don't care about the limitations of the cell phone, it's the right camera. 

Just be sure to save your pictures and back them up. If you don't your children may have no photo-heritage.

Photograph copyright Kimberly Jenkins 2022. Text copyright 2022 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone

My book, Backroads and Byways of Georgia, is now out of print, although copies are apparently still available from Amazon, and possibly other sources. The second edition is now in the editing stage and is scheduled to be released in December.