[philmont] photo options at Philmont

My film camera, for many years, has been the Nikon FG. It does everything but focus itself, the camera body is lightweight, but you do have to carry the film (a smellable), and a selection of lenses soon adds to the bulk and the weight for a trek. I'm on about my third or fourth body now, having found that I can pick one up used for about $125.

In 2005, I went digital, and bought a Nikon Coolpix 7600. Very small, 7.1 megalpixels, 1 gig memory card, and it uses rechargeable AA's (or over the counter AA's) rather than a proprietary battery.

I found with the film camera (about 20 years old now), that I got pretty good with "telling a story" with the photos when I used it frequently, getting the photos developed promptly, and mounting them in an album before anyone got a chance to mix them up or put fingerprints on them. An important part of this process was critically appraising each photo, while the circumstances surrounding its taking, the camera settings, light conditions, etc., were still fresh in my mind. Using it less and less frequently, sometimes I feel I've "lost my touch".

With the digital, I have to confess that I haven't yet gotten to the point of getting the photos out of the camera. I bought a new computer this week, so I'll probably take the time to figure it out, print them or save them to disc, and all the other wonderful things that can be done. I can't even see the display well enough (compared to focusing tight and sharp with my FG) to know if it's a good shot or not. I guess it's "idiot proof", but it has an awful lot of different settings that I'd like to learn how to use, rather than just waving the camera at the subject and pushing a button.

Turning to video cameras, obviously the weight of previous models ruled them out, but this is no longer the case. I could easily afford such a camera, but I have hesitated because I have a certain amount of fear that I would be recording hours of stuff no one would want to watch. A film that did not "tell a story". (I'm also a counsellor for photography merit badge-obviously there's more even a counsellor can learn). Good to hear that some youth take to it naturally and capture stuff worth viewing, saving and viewing again.

My point is to practice, practice, practice before the trek, with this as with all pieces of equipment. The ability to edit and erase with the digital format makes this easier than with film or tape formats. Film the shakedowns with a view towards telling a story and getting familiar with the capabilities of the equipment. View the results CRITICALLY to make your next movie that much better, and the next one that much better than that. These cameras have amazing capabilities, and trial and error remains one of the best ways to optimize their use (together with reading the manual). (Long way around to finally get to the point, don't you think?).

We've all been treated to "home movies" where the "photographer" simply turns on the machine and lets it run, pans up and down the Empire State building in half a second, takes hour after hour of subjects waving at the camera or hiding their faces. Toting hours of digital memory can exacerbate this trend. Practice and self criticism of the results, long before stepping off on the trek, can alleviate some of it.

Well, that's all I've got. Perhaps one kid in your crew will be the next Cecil B. DeMille. (or produce the next "Mr. Bill" video for Saturday Night Live).

Bill Sheehan, ASM
Troop 55, Pitman, NJ
Philmont '70,'72, Autumn Adventure '01,'03,'05

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Received on Sun Feb 11 17:52:18 2007