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LETTER OF THE WEEK
I was sorry to read that John Heywood now finds photography boring (Inbox, 9 January). I am only slightly younger than he and can remember as a schoolboy developing and printing photographs at my local camera club on a cold Saturday afternoon.
The thrill of seeing pictures being created will live with me forever. I look at some of the photos I took then and wonder how, technically, I was able to take them with pretty basic cameras.
However, time moves on. Whilst it is true that technology means even toddlers can now take technically proficient photos, it’s the creative element that makes the difference and there is much to celebrate. Just look at Jo Bradford’s excellent photos which she takes on her mobile.
Mobiles also mean you are more likely to capture that moment. I attach a photo which I took on my mobile and which gives me so much pleasure. For me, it’s my Cartier-Bresson ‘moment’. The unselfconscious joy that the little boy is showing would have been missed had I been struggling with a conventional camera. Okay, I’m maybe kidding myself about the quality of the image, but because I had my mobile in my pocket, I was able to capture an image that no one else did. This gives me so much pleasure and which proves that photography need never be boring. Just think of all those moments waiting to be captured!
What do other readers think? Do you also feel jaded with modern photography, or, like Bill, do you continue to find joy in the ‘decisive moments’ of everyday life?
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The good book
I must admit to being disappointed by your feature on self-publishing (AP 9 January) as I expected more than a taster featuring someone who had made just one book. I am now on my ninth book having started in 2009 with a collection of pictures recording the slow demise of the old ways in Scottish malt
