Seniors and cameras: Time for New Learning
By Steven Hoffman
For seniors like me, the photography we grew up with changed
dramatically about 20 years ago with the arrival of digital cameras.
Looking back to earlier times, it was like this: we bought a roll of
film, placed it in our camera, hooked the tag to the advancer, closed
the case and shot 12, maybe 24 or more, scenes.
We took the spent film roll to the drug store, and in a few days
returned to pay for the prints we had taken and a handful of dark
negatives.
We hoped at the time they would be good, because when we shot scenes,
we had no way to check. If they were bad, it was money lost.
Fast forward to the 21st century: We can see immediately what we
shot, the images are free, and we can even take pictures with the new
toys—our phones.
Still, for folks in their sixties and seventies, most of us still
have remnants of those old habits hanging around and weighing heavily on
our minds: Film, disposable flash bulbs and picking up prints at the
drugstore.
Perhaps that is why, about 15 years ago, Andrea Durynski, who was
then the Kennett Area Senior Center program coordinator, asked me to
establish a photo club to help the members to adopt new skills. She
tapped me not only because I had aged with the rest of her flock, but
because, in my capacity as a newspaper editor, I had been forced to keep
up with the changes in photography.
My attitude helped as well. From my standpoint, I see most humans –
no matter what their tools, age, or learning -- as natural
photojournalists whether they are professional or not. The only
qualification for the class I established was that they have a camera
(or phone with camera capabilities), however humble. There was no need
for a big SLR camera that cost thousands of dollars.
With that invitation at the center, about seven or eight people
joined, and thus began this more-than-decade-long adventure with
cameras, pictures and shows.
Initially, I thought my task was to teach the members – pedantically –
how to frame a shot, upload it to the computer and then adjust it with
Photoshop.
I was wrong, because initially I failed to listen to their wants and
needs: to capture a lovely sunset; to record a family gathering; and to
memorialize the great features of last summer’s vacation. These seniors
were happy that their cell phones could take pictures, and they had
little interest in the fine points of elite photo correction programs,
settings and expensive accoutrements.
I came to realize that my task for them essentially involved three things:
~ They needed to get the feel of the new cameras and know how to use them as their personal tools;
~ They had to open their minds to the vast array of subjects that would be fun to photograph;
~ They needed to expand their self-confidence and realize that
photography is not an elite, expensive, or exclusive dalliance. The fact
is, the minute they click on a scene, they are real photographers.
First of all, the tool: The cameras of today are not the cameras of
yesteryear. There are buttons and accessories that bear little, if any,
resemblance to the old days, and most of the point-and-shoot cameras are
not much bigger than a can of sardines. Some are so amazing, however,
that you can send an image to another person’s phone as soon as you
shoot the picture.
We had to sit around and play with their cameras and the buttons.
Everyone needed to see what happens, for instance, when they tap a
button once, then again a couple times. They needed to see where you
grip that little slider helps you zoom in or out.
Unlike the cameras of the old days, the new cameras give no tactile
feedback to the shooter about what is going on, so it must be learned.
“How do I turn the flash off and on? Which button activates the video? Can I keep it in a hot car over vacation?”
For example, one member, Carmela Contro, had a camera that apparently
had a mind of its own and continued to switch from single photo to
video without being prompted. She kept bringing in what she hoped were
pictures, but they turned out to be movies. We called it “The Devil
Camera” and finally told her to get rid of it.
Another issue was batteries. All of us at one time or another failed
to keep the batteries charged and we show up missing shots the next day.
The new habit they needed was setting those batteries in a charging
block each night so they were ready for what would come tomorrow.
There was also the issue of all those little pieces of hardware. With
the purchase of a new camera came little accessories (or needs for
them), like flash drives, memory cards, tiny batteries and card readers.
It was a daunting challenge to remember all those things, so we sat
around, talked about them, had them in our hands and played with them
over and over again until they were our friends.
My second challenge was opening our photographers to the multitude of
subjects they could shoot and the angles they could shoot from –
expanding their minds.
Everyone likes to shoot a beautiful sunset and a rainbow, but in reality, just about everything is fair game.
Arlene Kolowski was intent on shooting an artsy picture of a covered
bridge from a hundred feet away. Growing weary of that, she returned to
her car and, as they drove through, took one more shot from the inside
with her phone camera.
It was exquisite.
Contro, a passionate cook, happened to take a shot of her
Thanksgiving turkey and warming Italian bread loaf in the oven. The
picture was so compelling you could almost smell the dinner.
Bob Cossaboon happened to have his camera with him as he was walking
up the steps at home. His dog was reclined at the top of the stairway.
He took a shot when he was about four steps down from the dog. In effect
he created a shot that captured the dog’s stare head-on because the
camera and the dog’s eyes were on the same level.
Mary Webb had just taken her Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven and
was letting it rest on the counter. There on the floor, looking up and
salivating was her dog, Bobby. Quickly she grabbed her camera and caught
the scene. It turned out to be a compelling shot of canine appetite.
You never know what’s going to turn out to be fantastic.
In that regard, we had to keep pursuing activities that offered more possibilities for fun shooting:
Among other things:
We went to Longwood Gardens for flowers in the spring. We went to the
park for autumn leaves in the fall. We photographed portraits of all
the members of the senior center at Christmastime. We took Christmassy
pictures and turned them into cards and ornaments, among other things.
My third task was to convince members of the class what I believe
about anyone taking pictures: They are, indeed, photojournalists, from
the ancient record-keeping petroglyphs of to the hot shot media shooters
of the networks. The mere fact that they hold up their tool to a scene,
push a button and want to share the image with others qualifies them
for the title.
I was not surprised that when they came to the club with inexpensive
point-and-shoots, they were in awe of professionals who had thousands of
dollars in heavy camera gear. I told them they could aspire to that and
the investments if they really wanted to, but it was not necessary.
Even as the ancients carved their historical impressions on rocks for
future generations to partake, my class members were similarly using
their tools to record events for those who come after, or even to remind
themselves of the beauty and excitement they were experiencing now.
For six years now, we have displayed the best of what we have on the
wall at The Market at Liberty Place in Kennett Square, courtesy of
owners Larry and Geoff Bosley. Each year, even in this horrific year of
2020, as we behold our work, we exhale a breath of satisfaction.
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