Photography

I have developed an obsession with taking photos. For my first two blog posts I didn't initially include pictures, thinking I would just tell Nicholai's story in words. That'd be fun and interesting, right?

Seeing my computer screen full of endless words quickly changed my mind. I can read tomes with hundreds of pages and never long for a photograph. But here, on the net, on the glowing screen, I find I have different expectations; here in cyberspace my attention span for the written word is shorter, my mind and eye anticipate being dazzled by photos and videos. Influenced by YouTube and Facebook, Google, and even reality TV, I want to see the subjects of stories – and suddenly, I knew it would be the same for my readers.

All my Montana pics were shot with a Nikon 35mm digital camera; the Rocky Mountain state was reliably dry and I didn't hesitate to tote my high-end toy along.

Many Portland environs photos come from an old Canon digital point-and-shoot. Love the Canon for its ability to slip into a pocket, both unobtrusive and protected from the elements. But it has a finicky battery that sometimes doesn't hold a charge for the length of a whole hike, and that's annoying.

Canon point-and-shoot

Every day, I have my Motorola cell phone stashed in a jacket or pants pocket. Many days, its teeny-tiny camera has been my only photographic equipment. The quality of snapshots coming from the Motorola is unimpressive at best. Still at times I pinch myself; standing on the beach at the Sandy or Columbia River, I can snap a photo of Nicholai with a tennis ball in his mouth, punch send, type in an address, and mail it to my computer at home. Later the same day, that photo might be in your living room. Voila! Pure magic if compared to the photography experiences of my childhood. I remind myself not to complain too much about this situation.

I've put up a few photos by Dennis Gillson of Pics of the Litter – such as the photo with my bio. He's done professional sittings, not only for me and Nicholai, but for our entire family – two adults, two kids, and up to four dogs. We're a regular circus when we show up there and he and his partner in photographic crime have managed to not only handle our crowd, but produce some fine photos as well. A few additional photos predate the digital revolution, glossy paper pictures finding their way to the blog via scanner magic.

Family photo by Dennis Gillson

I love my Nikon and plan to purchase a zoom lens and a sturdy compact traveling case so my digital plaything can accompany me during deleterious weather; I foresee a day coming soon when I'll be thankful for this period of intensive photographic documentation.

Plus, shooting photos is just plain fun.