Taking pictures

Over the past few years, whenever our family went on vacation I was the primary keeper of the camera.  When we purchased our first digital camera, I was the one who researched which one to buy.  I was the one who read the manual enough to actually understand the various modes and options.  It made sense then, that I should be the one to take the pictures.  To be honest, digital cameras are pretty simple to operate.  My wife knew this, but she still allowed me the opportunity to play with my toy.  This was pretty gracious of her, especially since many of our vacations involve hiking and I naturally tend to hike behind the rest of the group.  This results in a lot of photos of backs and behinds.  I've tried to make an effort to move to the front, but eventually I find that I've drifted to the back again.

Of course, the main reason I like taking the pictures is that it means I'm not in many photos.  I swear, there are some vacations where it looks like A. and the boys went without me.  Usually, I just show up in the group shot where I prop the camera on a rock, set the timer and hustle over to the others.  Consequently, in the few shots of me that exist I typically looked a bit harried.  In a couple, I have a quizzical look as I try to determine if the camera has taken the picture yet.  I've never been real fond of having my picture taken.  The camera's dose of reality tends to throw cold water on how I imagine myself to look.  I'm happy enough to live in my little fantasy world - especially if I can limit an evidence to the contrary.

On our last vacation, the boys also had a digital camera along.  B. used it mostly, but N. tried his hand now and then.  Having never used a film camera where every shot is a precious commodity, they showed little discrimination or self-control when deciding to shoot.  See a grasshopper? Take fifteen shots.  See another grasshopper? Do another fifteen, or maybe a movie.  The sheer quantity of pictures taken was driving me a little crazy - just because of the frequent pauses in the hikes.  Every time B. stopped to take a picture or three of a flower, I stopped to maintain my position as last in line.  After all, one of the reasons I like to be last is to ensure that no one is left behind.  What I found is that B. also enjoys the back of the line.  Our group often hiked in pairs with A. and N. well ahead of B. and me.  And yes, we took pictures of their backs and behinds with both cameras.

Having another camera along meant that I appear in more photos than in past vacations.  It's like Dad finally got to come along on one.  Yep, there I am, fatter and balder than I imagine myself but there just the same.  The rest of the group has confirmed that I do indeed look like that so there's no need to have the camera checked for some malfunction.  And they seem okay with my appearance so maybe I should just adjust my mental image.

The really great thing about the extra camera is that we have a vacation that isn't mostly documented from one person's perspective.  Even though it was a little aggravating at the time, all those pictures of bugs and leaves capture a part of our experience that I largely missed with my camera.  It's easy to forget sometimes the sorts of things that matter and are interesting to young boys.  Looking at the pictures they took gives me a glimpse back into that world.