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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: PHOTOS and/or SOUVENIR(S) (vacation) (07/16/15)
A roll of undeveloped film once topped a list of gift suggestions for people you did not like…

If those folks had no camera, they’d have to buy one so they could use the film you gave them. And then further expenses: like a projector, and a screen, and maybe thick curtains and an extra lounge suite in what was to become their home theatre...

But payback came when they happily invited you in for a meal―to be followed by a marathon of blurred images, headless friends and family members and the inevitable smudges of double exposures. All accompanied by the commentary... er debates... er arguments... er denials that attempted to define the moments and the stories behind the unwitting or unwilling folks who were frozen in time within these casseroles of photographic flubbery.

What was worse, they thanked you afterwards for introducing them to such a rewarding new hobby. And worse still, they were telling all your friends how grateful they were to you for your thoughtful generosity.

From then on, as each Christmas approached, you wondered how many of those friends would respond by sending you your own personal roll of undeveloped film. Or a twelve-thousand piece jigsaw depicting a sea of icebergs. Or maybe there would be a box on your doorstep with a cuddly, playful female kitten inside….


Back then; if you had a blackberry, you ate it; if you had a Bluetooth, you made an appointment with your dentist; and cameras―with light meters, time exposures and rotating flash bulbs―required a PhD to operate. (That’s a “Press here, Dummie!” button)

Taking pictures was literally a roll-play, with a maximum of twelve or twenty four snaps per roll; so you really had to weigh up whether you had the best time or the best angle for the shot. And your precious memories were maintained or mangled by what returned from the processing laboratory two weeks later. And so many snaps were somehow taken in total darkness – or at least that’s what came back.

Best left to the experts…

But times have changed.

In this digital age, our kids and grandkids are the experts―and the teachers. Armed with Facebook and twitter accounts; and cameras, tablets, and I-phones that produce instant movie footage; there’s no such thing as a production delay. With worldwide circulation a mere click away.

These kids will take no excuses like “but I take a terrible photo!” But, dear Anonymous Aggrieved, that’s what you actually look like! Scottish poet Robbie Burns once wrote of his desire for us to see ourselves as others see us; for we need to remember that our mirror-image actually shifts our facial features like hair partings, dimples or wrinkles from right to left. Where other people see them.

Yes, the kids know only too well that Photoshop can sweep any visual challenges aside; however this reassurance also creates a new world of challenges.

Court cases could once be clinched by photographic evidence―because the camera does not lie!―but now cameras can lie quite convincingly.

Family photos taken years apart emphasise the changes that cameras cannot hide. The old don’t look quite so old and the young don’t look so young; especially as we see their heads getting further and further away from their feet. And then, as they also become parents to affirm the cycle of life―not simply from a seasonal need to instinctively reproduce in order to ensure our species’ survival―but as a further extension of the love that got the family started.

Briefly, harking back to Robbie Burns, it’s those candid snaps that produce most surprises. For though a sure sign of reaching middle age is to hear our parents speaking when we open our mouths; it can be a little disconcerting to see the familiar background of a holiday somewhere―and to then briefly wonder how and when our parents suddenly invaded the foreground …

And they were even wearing our clothes!!!!

It’s reassuring to know that cameras only record these outside changes; while God’s grace keeps reaching into where and who we really are, to keep growing us into eternal life.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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This article has been read 737 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Beth LaBuff 
07/24/15
That “roll of film gift” :) followed by the meal and “casseroles of photographic flubbery.” Your progression to the “parents… even wearing our clothes!” was entertaining humor at its best. :) I appreciated your message of what cameras record compared to God’s grace reaching to who we really are. You have a great title! I enjoyed your entry that dares the reader to smile.
Danielle King 
07/24/15
I echo Beth's comments above and laughed all the way through. Especially 'a jigsaw depicting a sea of icebergs.' 'If you had a blackberry you ate it,' and 'heads getting further away from feet.' It was all so funny and yet led smoothly to that one-liner affirmation at the end. Job's a good 'un, as they say.
Deborah Engle 
07/25/15
This was a great read, though I didn't expect to have to focus so closely this early in my day. That turned out to be a good development, though.
Zacharia Fox
07/25/15
"Casseroles of photographic flubbery" haha! You have a true talent Noel:) I was hooked, and on a piece that wasn't a narrative; (that doesn't happen for me) which is just a testament to what good writing does for the reader. Great work here!
Bonnie Bowden 
07/26/15
This was a fun read. So true about the young kids as teachers.
Gregory Kane
07/27/15
Delightful trip down memory lane. Especially loved the PhD!
Rachel Barrett
07/27/15
Oh, your puns made me shutter! But I guess the subject lens itself to such... >.>

I am indeed very spoiled with my digital camera. Lucky, very lucky. As evidenced by the 5 million pictures I brought back from our recent vacation to Idaho. And some of them are even pretty good. :P
C D Swanson 
07/27/15
You have quite an audience of fans my friends! Ha-Ha!

Anyhow, this was great fun and a brilliant approach to the topic. I loved it.

I especially loved this part:
Back then; if you had a blackberry, you ate it; if you had a Bluetooth, you made an appointment with your dentist; and cameras¯with light meters, time exposures and rotating flash bulbs¯required a PhD to operate. (That’s a “Press here, Dummie!” button)
 Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha! Great stuff.

You are an original my friend, a true original. Picture perfect...and nothing negative to be found in your flawless writing!

Great job! This will garner a win for sure.

God bless~