Digital photography. Really, I could just stop there, but I’m not going to.
When I was a little kid, I remember being with my dad when he bought an Olympus camera for my mom. Birthday or Christmas or something, I don’t remember exactly. As it was a long time ago, I regret to say I don’t remember the exact model, but I do remember it had a little bubble shaped thing on the front that slid open, similar to the one pictured below.
My cameras growing up weren’t this snazzy. I had some sort of 35mm camera. For some reason I picture it being turquoise, which would make sense seeing it was the ’80s and all (that or someone else had a turquoise one and I was jealous). When that broke I used disposables, because they were all the rage.
And can I just say, what a pain in the ass! Film was a bitch. First of all you had no idea whether your photos turned out. And there were limits! At first I’d go all willy nilly snapping photos, but as the counter started getting higher and higher, panic would set in. I had to save them! There were still photos I wanted! Did I wind it already? Crap, was this a 12 or 24 roll? Can I squeeze in a couple extra at the end?
Once the film was done, you’d have to wait for them to be developed. There was nothing more disappointing than picking up the photos only to find out they all sucked.
The only time I actually enjoyed using film was in a high school photography class, where we got to use 35mm SLR cameras and develop our own photos.
I got my first digital camera in my early 20s. It was the awesomest thing ever at the time. It probably had 1 megapixel and a 64 MB memory card or something lame like that. Oh, and it was HUGE. It didn’t matter, though. I could take all the grainy pictures of Boo that I wanted!
Boo then (click for crappy full image)
Currently I own two Canons: a green PowerShot SD1200 and Rebel T2i. I love them both.
Boo now (click for awesome UHQ image)
Nothing beats digital photography. You get instant gratification. Electronic copies take up less space, are easily shareable, and can be backed up. Organization is a breeze. It costs the same amount whether you take 1 photo or 1,000.
Also, the more pictures you take of your kids today, the better you can embarrass them on first dates later.
**REVISED**
OMG! And lettuce not forget the cell phone camera. I think 90% of the photos I take now are on the go, and they look pretty good these days. I love my cameras, but having a reliable camera built into my phone means one less thing I have to carry in my purse.
sheesh your recollection of disposables made me laugh so hard, all the issues with them. As for the Olympus…i didn’t recall that camera till now….and in thinking about it i paused and went to a drawer and pulled out its successor- tucked away for years-the Infinity Zoom200 which took awesome Pics on the 1st Hawaii trip, pics that mirrored the quality of postcards for sale. Loved that camera till Scrat bit off the buttons and now my Canon Powershot SD1300 is my ‘baby’ thanks to your recommendation !