Hey, join me and take a run through a short series of articles in which we will explore some of the remote corners of the photo world and try to bring a new thought or twist to the notion of simply taking photos. Just call it some Random Shots through time.

Running across some photographs the other day, I got to thinking how much general knowledge about the old (old?) film world of picture making has been lost or more aptly put, just ignored. Then it occurred to me that I actually knew a bit about this "grand old process". So why not jot down a few notes and let some of you folks, who may have some nostalgia or an inkling of interest in taking pictures, have a go at what could be called a combination of history, suggestions, comments and critique.

Right off, today's technology has made almost everyone a high pro photog, or so it seems. Just the other day a guy forgot what his wife wanted from the drug store and called for instructions. Right then a robbery happened and the wife watched it live on her cell phone. It could happen but the point is that this is a long ways from the 4x5 Speed Graphic of yesteryear that took so long to set up for the picture, that the robber would be gone before a photo could be made.

That era of picture taking might be better left in memory or history; however we will trip back once in a while and see if there is some angle to be gained from the old days. Who knows, you might just come up with a winner and compete with one of those pictures on Bing that I’ll bet were helped with Photoshop and good pictures at that.

Really, there is little doubt about it, competition is out there and to get that very best photo, might take a little effort and some thinking about the whole process of picture making. This is where a little knowledge of the past might give you a thought or idea or a decent exposure, with your clothes on, of course.

At any given point we will bump into some of the old chaps, the real pros of yesteryear, get under the dark cloth with them and take a look at what they see. Dark Cloth… now just what the hell is that? Well just stick around and it will be explained. In my case, colorful… in other cases, we'll see.

This is what we will do. Dance around this image world and pick up a hint here and another there and maybe, actually improve our exposure. Speaking of which, we will discuss exposure somewhere down the line and if you are lucky enough to be invested in a camera that doesn't run you, it could be that you could use some proper exposure.

This is something you need to think about at your next formal affair… Proper Exposure!

Next time we will take a look at where these pesky photo machines came from and maybe introduce you to the PinHole Club.
Wade Swicord spent some fifteen years as an architectural photographer. He stopped looking at buildings and started building them and now lives in Chattanooga, TN. For some very strong free instruction on how to use Photoshop, do click on [http://photoexpertshop.com]