Don't miss it
Photo by Rikard Öqvist
The company Kodak had a slogan many years ago – The Kodak Moment. That was a very good tagline that meant that the best photos aren’t the ones that are staged and prepared. The best ones are taken in the spur of the moment. Because they are real. The picture you see here is one of those moments. I was visiting my great grandmother this weekend with my family, and when I was playing around with my son I looked out through the window and the view stunned me. The lake was literally 100 % calm, like a mirror. Not a single ripple on the water. I knew instantly that this was a picture that was to be taken now or never. So, I grabbed my phone and took the shot right through the window. It turned out pretty good. This is one of the best things about modern smartphones. A great camera is always nearby when you need it.
A couple of years ago when the Iphone X was released I bit the bullet and bought the top model. Still using the same phone today, by the way. The primary reason I bought that ridiculously expensive phone was the camera. I had seen what you could do with the portrait mode and even though it’s just a fake filter that mimics a real camera with proper optics, the effect is good. Really good, if you get it right! I was about to enter the next phase in life with a dog puppy and soon a son. With so much fun on the horizon, a camera upgrade was a no-brainer. During these years I have snapped some mind blowingly good pictures that simply would not exist today, without my phone. The funny thing is that by now, modern cameras have probably evolved so much that the image quality of my beloved iPhone X is like using a potato as a camera today.
However, I want to make it clear that the art is NOT primarily determined by the equipment. That is something I have learned decades ago in the music business. Give a skilled audio engineer a Shure SM58 and a handheld recorder and a complete noob access to a million-dollar studio. There is no doubt in my mind that the pro will create a superior product ten out of ten times. But one cannot deny the fact either, that modern smartphone cameras with all their AI magic goodalizer filters have clearly helped average Joe to lift his pictures from mediocre to decent. Even with zero skill in photography. And that, is a good thing. The same trend has also been visible on the audio scene by the way. It is just a lot simpler to create good content today, when the equipment helps you out and takes care of most of the settings for you.
As always, a smartphone camera can never ever beat a real system camera with proper optics with regards to image quality. But with regards to user friendliness, the smartphone leaves the real camera for dead. The threshold to use a real camera is much higher, and it is also much more complex to use. The inevitable consequence is that you will capture fever “Kodak moments” if you go for a real camera, because you don’t always have it on you. And the best camera is not the one that captures the best image quality. The best camera is the one you have nearby when you need it. For that purpose, I bought a 2nd hand DSLR with a huge tele lens which I always keep on a shelf ready, in case an eagle lands in my back yard or some other nice animal drops by. I can grab it and snap a long-distance photo in a matter of seconds. Even if smartphone cameras are nice, they cannot do proper telephoto without accessories.
So, the bottom line is, if you want to take not just great but amazing photographs, you have to strike like a cobra. The time window to capture that perfect shot is often only a couple of seconds. So DON’T hesitate. Just grab your camera and start shooting. For example, I even managed to capture a bat in flight with my smartphone cam this summer, which required some Kung Fu speed to get a shot. You have to be present in your mind to even recognize that photo opportunity when it comes.
All this talk about Kodak moments concludes with another life analogy. Your children are just like a Kodak moment. Seize the opportunity and “snap the shot”, because in a couple of years they will move out and leave you. Cherish the moment and be present. Don’t miss it.