I remember my first camera—it was a kid camera using the micro 110mm film format. It was a miniature little camera with no settings and with the “curly” kind of film. My family was going on vacation to San Diego, and my sister and I each got one of these little cameras to take pictures with. I think of the whole roll of film, only one or two photos actually had a distinguishable image on them, and even then the photos were filled with bars and other items other than the magnificent animals at the San Diego Zoo. How I could miss the greater part of a giant elephant beats me, but this camera definitely didn’t have image stabilization.
Although the photos from the zoo outing would never win awards, I remember feeling the thrill of having my own camera and being in charge. I didn’t want to waste my precious film, so I chose very carefully what subjects I’d actually take a photo of (I’m a frugal girl by nature). Instead, I tried to get my sister to take photos of other things I thought were cool, but didn’t want to use my own film on. But that’s a different story.
My name is Lisa Mabey and I’m excited to be blogging about photography as well as LDS families. My favorite photography is simple imagery and ideas with an artistic twist. I get excited by the beautiful lines and symmetry in architecture, nature, and in life.
I love looking through the camera and trying to get the cool things my eyes see to translate into a still photo. In addition to years of taking photos, I am fascinated by and love the amazing things you can do to digitally enhance photos. I completed my masters’ degree in multimedia marketing communication, and one of the most enjoyable portions of my program involved analyzing and incorporating photography into printed pieces.
Although film was a precious commodity back when I was growing up (and you can’t blame my mom for not running out to buy loads of film that would largely turn into orange blobs), each time I got a new roll it was an exciting adventure. Since that time, I’ve experimented quite a bit with photography, always preferring to be behind the camera rather than in front of it. I no longer have to worry about wasting film, and I find that this luxury makes me much more adventurous in my shooting. Now, I’m excited to share what I’ve learned and what I continue to learn.
All those years ago, the few images that did turn out became prized possessions. I felt the wonder of converting the live animal in front of me into a photo I could hold and take with me, and I had my little camera to thank. I think that wonder has just grown with me.