A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words.

Today's Word of Mouth: The Amon Carter Museum's photography exhibits:

Ansel Adams
May 29-November 7

Masterworks of American Photography
August 14-January 23

American Modern: Abbott, Evans, Bourke-White
October 2-January 2

Most people think it's easy to point and shoot a camera. How hard could it be? People do it all the time and these days everything is done on the computer. Anyone can buy a digital camera, take a photo, and post it online. But the true art of photography is something of a real challenge.

I took a couple of photography classes in high school. I bought a 35 mm Minolta. It was my baby. I remember when I first started to learn "photography 101". There are so many rules and methods to remember in order to take a brilliant photo. Taking a picture in manual mode is all about knowing how to play with light. You have to memorize f-stops for the aperture. The aperture on a camera refers to the size of the opening in the camera that lets light in. The larger the aperture number the smaller the opening is. The shutter speed refers to the amount of time the shutter on a camera stays open to let light in. When someone takes a photo at night they need the shutter to stay open for a longer period of time in order for enough light to enter the camera. And then of course you have to learn about depth-of-field, action shots, and how to use the chemicals in the darkroom. (I'll be honest and admit that one time I spilled the chemicals all over my clothes and smelled heavily of vinegar and bleach for 2 days)

It's been some time since I've used that 35mm Minolta. Oh, how I miss the days of the dark room. Maybe some day I'll get to go back to one. Until then there's always the Ansel Adams exhibit and my old art portfolio. Take a look at one of my photos right here.

-CKB