Picture This
There were two things that I dreaded as a child. One was getting a shot. I still do. The other was having my picture made.
I’m sure you all understand about the shots. Let’s face it, most people are afraid of needles. But are you wondering why I had as much fear about having my picture made? Actually, my issue was with how the picture was taken. For those of you who haven’t turned 40 yet, that’s probably confusing and I can understand why. In the last few decades, taking pictures has become so easy. Nowadays, you simply aim and click your electronic device or digital camera. If a flash is needed, the device will adjust for the needed light. But when I was a kid, it was a totally different story.
My grandparents had a Polaroid camera they bought back in the ’60s. At that time, it was top of the line. The body of it stayed inside of a case. There was a bar above the lens that had to be slid to adjust the focus. Speaking of the lens, it was on the end of what looked like an accordion. That way it could be physically pushed back into the camera. Then the top case could be put over it so you could carry the camera anywhere. Fancy for that time. But what made it a torture device for me was the flash. The bulb was placed into the flash holder. It held one at a time and was shaped like a mini satellite receiver. Or maybe like a soup ladle. There was a clear piece of plastic that covered the front once the bulb was popped into it. I thought that was to hold the bulb in place. I was wrong.
Now, if you have ever read any of my stories, you know that I hate suddenly loud noises. A good example of this is a balloon popping. Let me tell you, when that camera flash went off, the sound was like a mini explosion. It felt as if every molecule in my body jerked and jumped at once. No kidding. I literally hurt on the inside. But that wasn’t the only pain I had from it. The flash of light was so intensely bright that it hurt my eyes. For a few seconds, I couldn’t see anything but spots in front of them. By the way, there was no way to tone down the amount of light from the flash. Why? The flash was a result of a mini uncontrolled explosion. There were times when they opened the plastic cover to change the bulb only to discover the old one was in pieces. So, the cover was a safety feature to keep the glass pieces of the bulb from flying out and hurting someone.
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Philippians 2:4 (KJV)
As much as I complained and whined about the flash, my family simply didn’t understand why I hated it so much. In all fairness, as a child, I probably didn’t articulate it to them very well. So, always keep an eye out and an ear open to somebody else’s point of view. This could lead to an opportunity to minister to them in some way.
Do you think I wanted nothing to do with cameras after those “flash” experiences? Nothing could be further from the truth. While I hated the flash, I was absolutely fascinated at how the image was captured onto the film. In fact, one of the bigger things I wanted for Christmas as a kid was my own camera.
I thought it was amazing and I wanted to capture a picture on film as well. At first, I took a couple not using the flash when we were inside. That way I could prove that it wasn’t needed. I was very wrong. That’s when I realized just how much of a difference that flash made in the quality of the picture. While I did feel bad about having to use it, I was glad to be on the other side of the camera.
Then came the Christmas of 1977. I was 12 years old and I had asked my parents for a camera. Nothing fancy. Let me tell you, when I saw the small rectangular present under the Christmas tree, I immediately checked the name tag on it. Yep, it was mine. In fact, it was a Kodak Instamatic camera. It wasn’t much bigger than my hand. As soon as my dad got it ready, I began to take pictures. By the way, its flash wasn’t near as loud and the light wasn’t as intense as my grandparents’ old camera. After that, there wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t take a picture. To me, it was a thrill to take each one. Naturally I carried my camera everywhere except school and church. Actually, I did try to do that, but my parents wouldn’t let me.
Over the next few years, I had a couple of other cameras that I enjoyed. Then came the Christmas of 1984 when I received two awesome gifts. One was an engagement from Tim and the other was a 35-mm camera from my dad. It came with a strap and a nice carrying case. Over the next few months, I scrimped and saved my money so I could buy a zoom and a wide-angle lens as well as a few lens covers. It made me feel like a real honest to goodness photographer. That’s when my real photography adventure started. If I saw what I thought would make a great picture, I would climb, crawl, run or do whatever I had to in order to take the picture. One time we were at the beach, and I wanted to get a picture of two waves colliding. So, I stood in the water with my camera ready for I don’t know how long. Finally, I managed to get the shot I wanted. To this day, it is one of my favorite pictures.
One fall when the TVA & I fair came to town, I read an article where they were having photo contests. Plus, they were going to display some of the entrants. By that time, I had amassed photos that I really liked. I decided to enter some into the contest. I chose four of my favorite ones and had them framed. In those days, there were no emails. Tim and I had to physically take them to the Jacob Building on the fairgrounds. We went back after the judging. When we walked into the portrait section, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Not only was one of my pictures hung on display, it had a red ribbon on it for second place. Two more of my pictures were also displayed even though they didn’t win.
The picture was of my great grandfather: Papaw Janeway. He lived in a log cabin in Union County. In this picture, he had on a long-sleeved shirt and suspenders. The top of his hair was slightly messed up. Behind him was the log cabin room. He was looking straight into the camera with a slight grin. I wish I still had this picture, but after our move a few years ago, I can’t find it. Of course, I couldn’t wait to tell everybody. We didn’t have any social media in those days, so I couldn’t post about it. At that time, there was a girl I worked with who also loved taking pictures. She meant to enter some of her pictures as well, but she didn’t have the time. Of course, she had to go to the Jacob Building to see my pictures. When I came to work the next day, she began to ask me questions about my family. Confused, I ask about her sudden interest. Apparently, when saw the picture of Papaw Janeway, she recognized him. Specifically, his ears. Come to find out, he and her grandmother were brother and sister. So we had worked together for over a year and had no idea we were related. How cool is that?
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20 (KJV)
One of the things that I absolutely loved about looking at my pictures was how I could see God. When I say that, many think I am talking about a colorful picture of a sunrise or sunset. While that is true, I also see God’s presence in images of animals and even people. He is truly everywhere. All you have to do is open your eyes and you will be amazed.
As you can see in the first picture, I have my 35-millimeter camera around my neck on a strap. Of course that is my husband Tim sitting next to me. In the other picture, I was 14 years old. Standing behind me was my Papaw Janeway. Sitting in front of me was my Mamaw Girdle/Myrtle. Since they are both gone, I really treasure this picture.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.
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