Time to dust off your cameras

Fall is a fantastic time of year to dust off your camera and explore the vibrant colors of the season. As someone who has retired from photography, I admit that I've become somewhat lazy during the summer months. The heat can make it challenging to lug around all the gear required for a professional shoot, and I often rely on my iPhone to capture quick moments. However, while camera phones are convenient, they don't compare to the quality of a good digital or manual camera.


In my opinion, there's nothing like a manual camera for capturing the essence of a moment. And nothing can replace the hands-on work of developing and printing the film in the darkroom. For me, that was the most enjoyable part of photography - playing and painting with light. Nowadays, I can simply pop a photo into Adobe Photo and it's done. But it's just not the same.


So, if you have a digital or manual camera lying around, I encourage you to take it out and experiment with the beautiful fall colors. And if you don't, you can still use your camera phone and let your eyes be the judge of a good light.


It's possible that this post will become obsolete in a few years, as camera phones continue to improve. But for those of us who are old-timers, we will always insist that a negative from a manual camera, developed and printed by the artist in a darkroom, will be superior to any machine.