Strike a Pose II

Strike a Pose I

Watched a cracking program on the gogglebox last night about soldiers photography during WWI. The most popular camera was the Kodak folding vest camera which retailed for about 30 shillings or several months salary for the average soldier. It had two shutter speeds (1/50 for sunny days and 1/25 for cloudy days) and a variable aperture.

The pictures themselves were pretty tiny but nether the less, when blown up on the TV screen, they really captured the mood of the day and in many respects are so much more personal than the official photographs. Picture quality on the whole was far from perfect but it didn't detract from the impact of the picture which for me at least was a reminder that the subject is so many more times important than the technical quality of the shot.

I sometimes agonize over a picture because it is not really crisply focused, but really, if it's a good picture, that doesn't matter too much. Of course, my own words will soon be forgotten and it will be only a matter of days before I am dismissing a picture because it is not in focus.

Maybe I need to start a new challenge. Photos that are technically imperfect and yet very satisfying to look at.