Photography in the new world

By Frans Kemper, from São Paulo.

I am a passionate photographer, by hobby. So far I only managed to spend money on it and never got anything out of it that allows me to pay with at the supermarket, or any other store for that matter.

But it gave me back the pleasure of shooting beautiful pictures, and some say that they like it as well.

(At least my mom tells me so).

When my dad gave me my first camera at age 7 or 8, I don't remember exactly, I got hooked. It was this type of square box camera with a big roll of film, able to shoot 12 photos.

Rolls and development was expensive, so one thought very carefully before pressing the shutter. Up to even discussions, should I take the photo like this or like that, and what should I use for the settings.

A nice pass time. So much for quick action photos, once ready for the settings and position, the opportunity was gone. The good thing was that due to limited quantity of photos, filling a photo album was still doable.

Which in its turn was a good thing for the family visits, because there was only a limited number of albums they have to go through.

Fast forwarding to present, we all have several photo taking devices always at our hands. From the most simplest cellular phone to the digital point and shoot type of cameras and occasionally a digital SLR, and we shoot at our leisure.

As such filling up hard disk space and no idea whatever to do with all this digital photo material. The life of today's born babies are recorded very precisely from minute to minute and posted on whatever social network, and kept on the hard disk. Imagine the baby in its adult years and looking back to those photos? Embarrassing!

Vacations and trips are experienced with a little rectangular device in front of our head, or kept at arm length, depending on the device. The bill for the physiotherapist comes later.

Over the last 3 decades, I went with the technological developments of photography, and builded up a collection of impressive zoom lenses, filters and whatever else what was introduced at the market.

I carried heavy loads and spend more time in fiddling around with the equipment.

Until I saw the light last year.

I went on a trip to Europe carrying only my camera loaded with a 50mm prime lens, en enjoyed the heck out of it. It really made me think about every photo I took. If I needed to be closer, I stepped forward and if I needed a wider view, I stepped backward.

Call it a technical limitation that I needed to compensate by my own abilities. A 2-week trip gave me around 300 photos, but with a much higher satisfaction rate than the usual 300 a day. I thought about every photo before "squeezing the trigger" and made several approaches before deciding the take the shot. Now that combined with all the computer technology has to offer these days, makes me a very happy shooter.

You ought to try it and drop me a line with your experiences, and in the case of any problems, take two shots and call me in the morning.

Dutch born Frans Kemper after a long and fulfilling professional life in the US and the Caribbean, decided to live in São Paulo. Surely a passionate and very skilled photographer. If you wish to contact him just send hermo@hermo.com.br a note or check his marvelous photography at www.photosbyfrans.com