How Photography Has Changed My Life

By Valerie M. Almeida

December 25, 2009

I would like to begin this post by wishing all who visit the Whaling City Camera Club Website a very Happy Holiday Season. I certainly hope that all of you enjoyed family and friends and were able to capture some special memories over the past few weeks leading up to today for clearly the feel of the “season” is no better excuse to pull out our cameras. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t take much for any photo enthusiast to reach for the camera. I can at least admit in my case I need absolutely no reason at all. I am a photo junkie and proud of it.

Upon some reflection, I would tell you that my interest in photography began many years ago. Okay, I will admit to be exact I can pin point the time frame circa 1983 ish. At the time I was a mere 22 years old just out of college and ready to take on the world. I had owed cameras but mainly like most people used my camera to photograph the standard snapshots that are in every family album~ first day pictures, Christmas and birthday pictures and of course the famous vacation accounts. Looking back, that was all fun, and it also brings back many clear memories of photo disasters.

Most of my old colleagues still chuckle when I bump into them and recount how I spent over $200 developing photographs of the Panama Canal locks in panorama. Realistically, I could have upgraded to a master suite on the cruise line for the foolish money spent on developing the world’s “most boring” photographs. More importantly I could have saved some innocent people some valuable life time moments to do something much more important like reorganizing the dark dreary Court vault. What was I thinking?

Back in 1984, I was determined to turn my mishaps around and took a class by a local photographer Tom Pacheco. I had spied a 5 week course in the Standard Times and thought it might be fun and actually learn something in the process. So off I went and without any disrespect to Mr. Pacheco personally must report partly due to the occasional amnesia I experience due to my aging brain cells, have no recollection of what I learned. Thus, I wasn’t inspired nor did I see the “light” but instead continued to be a casual snapshot taker.

But, after a major career change four years ago, (I quite by chance or should I say not by chance. Things do happen for reason as I believe), found myself picking up a camera again for the second time. This time however the result was quite different for me. After a simple trip to the library, I noticed an ad for the forming of a camera club in New Bedford and my interest was perked. What did I have to lose? Well, I guess the rest is pure history. This second stab at what I thought was a simple interest turned into a pure obsession. In the last four years photography has taught me more than I ever bargained for and I still can’t get enough. It has changed my life in so many ways. All for the good I might add. Being a photography junkie has given me so many unique opportunities.

Here are my top six that I would like to share:

1. “Now I am a looker!” ~ Stop there! I am not being egotistical and referring to my physical self. What I mean to say is that I am constantly looking at the world and my surroundings. I find myself centering on many details of things. And when I say look I say really look. No detail large or small is within my effort to visualize how it might look in a photograph. As my best pal and fellow photographer have taught me, “there is a story in everything”.

2. “Looking for the not so obvious.” ~ Although I have covered looking in the previous paragraph, frequently just looking isn’t good enough for me. I have been taught by people much more talented than I to look at all the different angles, the different sides, the different light sources from many different vantage points. Patience is not one of most evident qualities. I tend to be a bit trigger happy with the shutter and have learned although “still a work in progress”, to slow down a bit and take the photograph from the angle that I think most enriches the moment I am trying to capture.

3. “Time” ~ succinctly put for me, time used to be how long it took me to get from one place to another. It was always being on the move constantly. As a Court Assignment Clerk for 20 years managing schedules was imperative. It was amazing how time would pass from month to month into years before my eyes. Now, as a result of a career change and my passion for photography, I choose to use time in a different way. When photographing, I am extremely centered on trying to improve my ability to see and look in advance on how capture the object I have visualized in my warped artistic brain. Most times, I admit I fail miserably for I am my worse possible critic, but every once in a while I manage to get lucky and produce a photograph that makes me feel that I have made some improvements from those dreadful Canal Snapshots of the 80’s.

4. “Learning” ~ I am a firm believer that you learn something every day if you take the time to pay attention. Since joining the Whaling City Camera Club and meeting some far more extraordinarily talented people than myself, I have learned more photographic as well as life lessons that I can begin to count. It is amazing the vast amount of knowledge one can absorb through osmosis just by going out on a weekly scheduled field trip. All of us have such a subjective way of seeing things and a fresh prospective or approach is so valuable. I am in awe when I observe other work and admire their talent. Even when learning about the new, the old is equally important to me. One of our most educated members is a dedicated film photographer and at the age of 15 has taught me the art of developing, an experience that I highly recommend to every photographer on this earth.

5. “Focus”~ all of us photo enthusiasts know that focus is so crucial to what we hope our final image will try to convey. I use the term “personal focus”, for focus is relative to what we are trying to convey in the image. Some of my favorite photographs taken by fellow members have had parts of their image out of focus and that is what makes the photograph powerful and captivating to me.

Not only does a photographer have to focus on the object he or she is trying to capture but it is equally important to be focused on one’s camera settings, the camera battery, the camera memory card and of course the light and the list goes on. For me, it is a great sense of accomplishment as I am getting to a stage where I can actually shoot in manual attempt to create a specific effect.

There is also no greater sense of distress than when you think you may be on to your own personal work of art, to press the shutter at the exact moment you see your LCD screen light up with the painful message :“ Memory ‘Card Full”. Unique moments in time sometimes only happen once. It truly pains me when I forget to take my cap off because I have failed to focus on what the heck I am doing.

6. “Appreciation”~ Finally with a camera in my hand I have gained a much greater appreciation of a special smile, a gesture, a beautiful flower, a knockout sunset or the face of a child. Photography has brought much more to my life than a set of images. It has exposed me to people that have made such a difference in my life and have inspired me.

As for my personal talent, I firmly believe that we only have to satisfy ourselves. I photograph to please myself. It is great when you win a competition but in reality as long as I am pleased my job is done. It is all about having plenty of fun, making lifetime friendships and enjoying special moments with others who enjoy the same passion.

That is how photography has changed my life.

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It was a nice evening at the Century house where we had our Holiday Party!

Happy Holidays to All from the Whaling City Camera Club