I started my career in the advertising business at the tail end of the Mad Men era, just as everyone started to rein in some of the worst excesses so, sadly, I never personally experienced a two-martini lunch. After learning the ropes selling toothpaste and burgers, I spent about 5 years working on the Kodak account when Kodak was the way most Americans captured and shared (in pre-social network days) their most cherished family memories -- or "Kodak Moments," as they were called.
My tenure there happened to coincide with the birth of my first child and I instantly joined the ranks of Kodak's "Heavy Users" -- first time new moms who typically used (burned, in industry parlance) 36+ rolls of film in that first year. Second births prompted another spike in usage, but only about half as much as the first, and our inside joke was that the 3rd child got recycled pics from baby #1 since by then, Mom was too busy to take pictures, and all babies look alike those first six months anyway, right?!
Those of you who may never have shot a single roll of silver halide film may not know, but those with family albums printed on Kodak paper will recall -- that stuff was expensive!! The film itself was not cheap, but the processing was what really hurt. You had to process an entire roll, hoping to find a few shots that were in focus and well-framed, which you then had to duplicate and snail mail to all your friends and relatives. It was my good fortune to be part of the Kodak team for baby #1 because free client product was one of the few perks left in the now post-excess ad biz. And I both appreciated and took wild advantage of free film and processing. I knew just enough about optics and exposures to get myself into trouble, so I'd burn through 3 or 4 rolls with abandon just to get one or two good shots. The high point came when one of my pics was actually used in a Kodak commercial!
At 8 months old, my daughter appeared in the commercial as "a hungry newshound!"
There is a point to this, really, and I will get there.
Fast forward more years than I will admit, Kodak has been humbled, and digital photography is a daily habit -- even reflex -- for just about everyone. Once again, I find myself the beneficiary of outrageous good fortune at exactly the right time. There's no cost associated with a lousy shot, so it doesn't matter how many I take to get the good ones. And since today's digital cameras take care of all the important details like aperture, shutter speed, etc., the odds that I can turn out a decent image are greatly improved, even though it's the camera, not me, with the improved skill level.
So, finally, we come to the point.
At certain times in the season the flowers in our garden leave me speechless. (Mr. Mulch really appreciates those moments.) The range of colors and shapes that emerge -- despite all the mistakes and inadvertent neglect (pruning at the wrong time; digging up bulbs I forgot I planted) -- is nothing short of magical. I find myself snapping ridiculous numbers of photos daily; from near and far, and from more angles than I could ever possibly use, with no anxiety about how many will turn out well. And really, these portraits don't need many words; they're worth the proverbial thousand. So here, without much narration, are some of the wonders that speak to me...
A collection of Columbines, all related, but each a unique individual...
Big Puffballs of Allium
And more wonderful creations of nature; take a moment, and enjoy...
