Jen Jeffrey
With Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and other programs which host photographs of our families, our surroundings and our passions in life, the word ‘thumbnail’ has derived a new meaning. In this digital era, haven’t we all become photo-journalist? As a writer, I have always had a journalistic heart.
Now that I am two years shy of age 50, I feel I can say “in my day” when referring to my childhood. When capturing memories or creating stories with photos it consisted of developing a roll of film unless we had the instant cameras – which my oldest sister did.
It was like magic to me when she would take a picture. It had a piece of paper covering it and she had to wait a couple of minutes before she could pull it off. If she was too eager and didn’t pull it off slowly, it could mess up the photo.
As cameras progressed, my dad had an instant camera that took color photographs which spat them out immediately after the picture was taken. My next to oldest sister had a small camera that required loading a film cartridge, but in order to have her pictures we had to drop the film off at the Photo-Bug.
We lived in Lexington, Ky., near James Lane Allen Elementary where we attended school. Past the school was a shopping center where Kroger was and there was a little hut-like building but it was shaped like a giant mushroom with a yellow stem and a red bulb top. On top of the bulb was a bumble bee sitting and holding a camera.
I remember it vividly, but no matter how many different keyword descriptions I typed in the Google search bar, I could not pull up any images that held that childhood memory. Why was it so significant to me?
First of all, because it was enchanting to a four-year-old. If you put your film cartridge into an envelope and placed it in the slot, you could go back later and pick up all your memories that were documented in photographs.
Secondly, because that bee was wearing my shoes. I like to identify with people (even giant bumble bee’s sitting on top of a mushroom house) and just knowing that the famous bee was wearing my shoes - the white saddle oxfords with black on the saddle part; made me feel like I had the best shoes ever. The love for pictures and capturing memories came way before I was old enough to even use a camera.
But, I had too many other interests to think I wanted to be a photographer when I grew up. My first love was writing and making up stories and I learned that I liked putting pictures with my stories. I would make my own books by writing a story on notebook paper and taking Elmer’s glue and sticking the photos I liked, to the pages of my stories. I don’t think Mama was very happy to see ‘her’ pictures taken for my own pleasure.
Keep in mind, that photographs in the 70s were gold. There wasn’t the option to take unlimited pictures and deleting them if they weren’t good. You had 24-35 pictures allowed on a roll and if you missed your shot you just missed it or if your hand shook, it came out blurry. And, the cost of developing the pictures and the time it took to get them back made them priceless.
As a teenager in the 80s, I got my first 35 MM camera at age 16. The quality of the photos seemed grainy and I always admired the clear photos I would see professionally displayed in magazines or books. Coffee table books were my favorite! I loved the oversized books of pictures and written descriptions and, as they say “A picture is worth a thousand words,” I would look at one picture for quite a while taking in everything about it and ‘reading’ its story.
With my love for pictures, it might be surprising that I still don’t want to be a photographer. In my early 20s I had ideas of possibly doing that and I wanted a darkroom and the whole works, but it was so expensive that I put that notion aside.
Now that we are in the digital age, so much has changed with pictures and, the people who take them. “The Selfie” is a controversial term people are picking apart wondering if it is a good thing or not, but I have been taking my own ‘selfies’ since the day cameras came with a self-timer button. The headshots for my column have always been taken by Jen Jeffrey.
When Barbizon, the top modeling school and agency of the 80s was in Chattanooga, I modeled and I learned how to smile after having many terrible school photos each year and spent endless hours in front of the mirror practicing a confident smile. Somehow, the modeling school taught me how to be natural and not so stiff when being photographed.
I admire a good photographer and I have a handful of friends who are very good photographers. Then there are people like me who love photography or photo-journaling and some have made it their business. To me, being a professional photographer is more than a love for taking photos. It is an art.
I have seen posts on Facebook of my friends’ children’s senior photos or even engagement photos taken by a person who decided to start their own photography business.
They may not have gone through training and just had a ‘knack’ for taking pictures or ‘had a good eye’ for great shots and so they were confident to begin a business and now … it seems everybody is a photographer giving those who went through training and have years of experience a run for their money.
I have to admit though that some of the self-made photographers are blessed with talent and they truly found their calling. When the World Wide Web made so many opportunities available to us as self-starters of our own business, the world became our oyster. I am one of them.
I did well in English – it was the only subject I liked in high school (well, that… and boys) but I did not attain a degree in writing. I became a mother. The first half of my life I threw myself into my passion for my family.
When my children were grown and I was presented with opportunities during the second half of my life I decided it was time to do what I loved and, that was writing. I was ready to jump through as many hoops as I had to – but fortunately in this era of online publications it was easier to get my foot in the door. I also had a great coach who took me under his wing.
With the ‘everybody’s a writer’ and ‘everybody’s a photographer’ scheme playing out, I decided to pick the one I was most passionate about in which I felt I had the most talent. I listened to others encouragement and feedback and I listened to my heart.
But I still have a love for photo-journaling. I have a beat up old camera that was reliable enough to take me through the hundreds of photos I had to take for work when I visited local farms or interviewed people for stories.
Now that I don’t have those two assignments, my photography is just a hobby that I enjoy. I really got into taking photos this summer of Kentucky sunrises and sunsets as the farm as provided me with such a beautiful open landscape. And of course, being a grandmother, I enjoy taking pictures of my Grand Darlins!
When I share my photos on Facebook, I wonder if I am like that ‘annoying neighbor’ my parents would talk about who always invited them over to see their slideshows. As I post an album full of photos of a recent hike or a recent sunset, I have a few ‘fans’ who will comment on them.
When I post more than four photos or post a whole album of photos, Facebook only shows the ‘thumbnail’ of a few of the photos. I have a few friends who will click the “like” button under my album or make a comment about them immediately when I know they didn’t have time to view all the photos. Maybe people don’t take the time that I do to look at each one for a while and that’s okay, but I do hope my friends will at least view each photo.
There may be a few people that don’t realize there are more photos than shows up on their timeline and they have to open them up by clicking on them to see them fully.
I like for my friends to visit me. Go on walks with me, delight in God’s beauty and take something from it – after all, I feel I am sharing His gift to me and it is a gift I want to share.
I understand with a grandmother’s love and taking a bazillion photos of my ‘grands’ may not be something my friends will take the time to go through each one – that kind of post is basically for other family members to be able to have the pictures to save to their computers.
But, when it comes to something that is for all of us… God’s beauty of a rainbow, a falling star, the super moon …whatever my friends take photos of that I may have missed, I love that they have shared with me so I could get an idea of what they saw in person and I feel like I spent a little time with someone who may be a few hundred miles away.
I hope, therefore, that when my friends click the “like” button under an album of photos I posted on Facebook, that they will actually open them up fully and view all of the pictures and not just look at my thumbnails.
jen@jenjeffrey.com