There were no selfies before cellphones.
In the days of cameras, we took one photo and hoped it was good. When we got the pictures back from the processor, it was a crapshoot. Someone’s eyes may have been closed, the flash may have failed or the background was unrecognizable.
Toss them? Not on your life. They went into the photo album. Even if someone’s finger was in front of the lens.
Vacation pictures were considered a success if one was good enough to show others. A keeper was rarely spontaneous and, if possible, it included at least five people in the frame.
Looking back through family albums, I realized most of my grandparents’ photos were posed by a photographer and done in a studio. They all looked stiff.
My parents were a bit more active but frequently dressed up. If you were going to lick a flashbulb, apparently, you wanted to make sure it was worthy.
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Somewhere in the 1970s, Instamatic cameras became the rage and, frankly, the results looked like someone with cataracts had developed them. Everything was fuzzy. Some had rounded corners, others were rectangular. All were ones you’d delete now if they turned up on a cellphone.
The “flashcube” was apparently too close to the lens, so we had to get extenders to remove the red eyes. The pictures? Just as bad.
Somewhere after the Instamatic era, I got a 35-millimeter camera and decided it was time to be artsy. So, a wedding could be the occasion but few of the photos included the bride and groom. Instead, there might be a centerpiece or a slice of cake. Out of focus and in the background: the wedding party. Artsy, I guess.
Light became another tool from this era. If I used the right filter I could make the light behind you look like a star. I was great at sharpness. If you had a line in your face, I could capture it.
The only problem? No one wants their face to have more rings than a redwood.
Surprisingly, I loved black and white pictures back then. I could be shooting someone in front of a waterfall in Yellowstone and still choose black and white film.
Polaroid cameras followed and they, too, had their drawbacks. When you had to “fix” the frame with a pink goo, you could miss a corner and the picture would fade in that spot. If you waited too long, it could disappear entirely. Because the film was expensive, we didn’t bother with retakes.
Luckily, the pocket camera followed and it encouraged a second shot. You could capture any moment. Spontaneously. Even if the lighting wasn’t all that good.
Then, cellphones arrived and gave us the opportunity to shoot until we got a decent picture. With each new iPhone, the lenses got better and we tried more poses than a supermodel.
By iPhone 12, we had learned how to pose for maximum effect. One shot and we got it.
The downside? Those photos haven't gone anywhere. The only time I print out a photo is for a Christmas card. Otherwise, I just scroll and scroll and scroll to find them.
Now if you've got an hour, I’m sure I can find a picture you’d love to see.
Somewhere on my phone, I’ve a got one of me at Yellowstone.
I took the color out of it and it looks very retro.
Who knew?
The Journal’s Jared McNett shows how to download and browse the new Sioux City Journal app.
