Have we lost the art of the holiday snap

[JR1]

I have been thinking lately, when I was younger, and perhaps up to my 30s when I went out with my girlfriend, I used to take photographs to remember where I had been, of "enjoyment" like the bridge being raised in Weymouth harbour to let the boats through, and reflections in oil on the water.

No I take photographs and think too much about what I am doing.

I used to keep photo albums, I have many with snaps of my sons growing and places we visited.

Well today I have started again.

I have re bought my first camera, a Nikon F Photomic Ftn, Apollo, with f2 50mm lens and 35-105 zoom

I don't want to return to the past but from reading many a post here I do think there is a lot to be said for re trying film, home development and so on, perhaps to bring back memories if nothing else

[Kodiak]

•
What appears to be a camera to everyone…
feels more like a time machine to me!
Pure nostalgia!

[Mike Buckley]

I can relate at least a little bit to what you mentioned in that my wife and I regularly capture scenes so we can preserve the memories. (Cue the song, Thanks for the memories.) We keep the photos even if they are only memorable as a reminder of what we saw, what we experienced, or whatever. As one example, even though we're serious about our photography when we travel, our first priority is always having great travel experiences, not coming back with great photos.

As for going back to a manual focus film camera with no motor drive, I'll leave that to you.

[Kodiak]

As for going back to a manual focus film camera with no motor drive, I'll leave that to you.

+1

[Wayland]

I still use my old enlarger.

I hang the Colormunki from it over my monitor...


I must confess to some nostalgia about the film days. That's why I couldn't bear to get rid of my old equipment even though it would give me far more space in the Dark(Light)room that I still use to process my images.

I used to shoot B&W because it gave me more control than Colour in those days but now I have the same if not better control with digital and a whole world of colour to play with.

I discovered when my Dad died, 25 years ago that I didn't take enough snapshots. What was true then is still the case today but I don't think digital is to blame. More pictures are taken today than at any time in history and the huge majority are snapshots and selfies.

I think we make a choice as photographers and unfortunately, part of that choice is sometimes to forget that important reason to take photographs.

[JR1]

•
What appears to be a camera to everyone…
feels more like a time machine to me!
Pure nostalgia!

Is that a bad thing, LPs, cassettes, 8track, vinyl, old cars

[JR1]

Manula focus and no motordrive, hmmm, Leica

Or E type Jag, and cars people collect and use, perhaps not every day but, what's wrong with a little of the past coming back for a little fun, what about re enactments etc.

[Shadowman]

I think our displeasure with the quality of the "holiday shot" is what turned us towards the darkside of photography.

[ajohnw]

I needed some passport photo's the other day and went into the local "photolab". They do the usual things with digital images mostly of the holiday variety. Much to my amazement there was a whole rack of colour negatives there. He tells me they are getting more and more of them lately so I asked him if I obtained a Fuji 6x9 could he handle the negatives and print them. Seems so except he has problems with his 120 holder.

Actually given the state of many current compact cameras it doesn't surprise me that people might go back to film and a photo album. I sometimes wonder what has happened since a simple sunny, cloudy, dull day switch was needed and even managed to get most of them usable. Really advanced cameras had a back light switch too and it worked.

In some ways it's tempting but I wouldn't want to get into D&P again especially colour. People tell me I would need a closely controlled temperature bath. Can't imagine how I got on without one and just bought a precision thermometer even on slide.

John
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[Inkanyezi]

In fact, I think I never took those "holiday shots"; on second thought, I have once or twice done it, and the one I remember in particular is the one of Julio and María in Siboney.

We made a trip along the southern coast of Cuba, and on our way back, we stopped at the beach of Siboney, to relax a bit. Julio had his camera, and he asked me to take a picture. I lay in a hammock and Julio passed me his camera, as María came up behind him. I took one picture, zooming in a bit, to frame them in a way I thought nice, and it came out as one of the best portraits of them ever. This was not very long before they finally could leave Cuba for Miami.

A funny detail is that he hadn't ever used the zoom on the camera, so that was a new encounter - didn't know the little Kodak was such a good camera.

And if I have lost the art of the holiday snap? No, not at all, I just found it.

[JR1]

I needed some passport photo's the other day and went into the local "photolab". They do the usual things with digital images mostly of the holiday variety. Much to my amazement there was a whole rack of colour negatives there. He tells me they are getting more and more of them lately so I asked him if I obtained a Fuji 6x9 could he handle the negatives and print them. Seems so except he has problems with his 120 holder.

Actually given the state of many current compact cameras it doesn't surprise me that people might go back to film and a photo album. I sometimes wonder what has happened since a simple sunny, cloudy, dull day switch was needed and even managed to get most of them usable. Really advanced cameras had a back light switch too and it worked.

In some ways it's tempting but I wouldn't want to get into D&P again especially colour. People tell me I would need a closely controlled temperature bath. Can't imagine how I got on without one and just bought a precision thermometer even on slide.

John
-

I don't think it is going back to, what I mean is that I am starting to use albums again, and for pleasure taking a film camera about.

Just as no one would, (well some do) go back to a car with no airbags/ABS etc, I would not be parted from my D4s, but the pleasure of simply taking a photo for pleasure, and looking forward to the developing is nice.

I have also just got the Epson V600 scanner for my MF negs and slides, I once took, but I don't think I will be tempted to get another Bronny SQa

[Mike Buckley]

I am starting to use albums again

I never used albums but I always used a slide projector. I always shot color slide film and never considered it bothersome, as everyone else seemed to think, to set up the slide projector and to put the slides in the cassettes. My wife and I did that often for our own pleasure. I even cataloged my slides in the film days.

I still use a digital projector when showing photos in a home that has no large-screen television. My wife and I regularly review collections of our photos, which explains why maintaining a catalog for retrieval purposes has always been important.

[JR1]

I think it a shame that people either have not used albums or find them a problem.

I have many from my childrens days, all my sons are in there, I always took loads of photos, perhaps because my parents took none of me, and I would have liked to have seen the "old days", my gran owned a sweet/handy shop, NO photos.

I always say to people take as many as you can, they grow up fast.

Remember people, one day the ONLY thing you will have to "look forward to" is "Memories"

[Wayland]

My mother has a few old biscuit tins full of family photographs that we are in the process of slowly digitising and cataloguing while someone remembers who they all are.

No small job I can tell you.

An album with annotations would have been a big help I must say.

[carolus]

My 'album' is a box of prints and negs somewhere in the barn, with the vague intent of digitizing them "one day".

My holiday snapper . . .



. . is long gone and was replaced by a Kodak P&S, which, in it's turn, was replaced by a Nikon D50+60mm macro for serious table-top work. That, in it's turn, was replaced by Sigma DSLR housebricks for their color sharpness.

Be that as it may, I too have stepped back in time slightly with a Foveon-powered Polaroid:



With a 1/1.8" 1.5MP sensor, picture quality is just about good enough for 'snaps' ;-)

Chas

[Manfred M]

Not at all. A certain component of all of my holiday shots incorporate the "traditional snap shots"; although I do draw the line on keeping them in focus, properly exposed and of course decent composition.

Much of my serious photography is travel photography and these tend to be shared with family and friends. The occasional shot that have something more personal about them allow people to connect to your work; otherwise, they might as well just buy a copy of National Geographic...





As you can see here, with my wife posing with a few new-found friends...

[Loose Canon]

The happy holiday snap is more alive now than I have ever seen it. With the advent of digital I have seem more (bad) happy shots of where people are/have been and (bad) photos of little (insert name here)’s first birthday in the last few years than in my entire pre-digital life put together. Facebook alone says they have over 200 million photos uploaded per day, 90 billion per month. I suppose not all of them have to do with holiday snaps, but that is one heckuva lot of photos and only the one site.

Sadly, with this advent many are becoming Wal-Mart “professionals” and now trying to sell these happy snaps as serious photography. But that’s another story!

Personally I could do with a little less of these happy holiday snaps!

[Mike Buckley]

Personally I could do with a little less of these happy holiday snaps!

Please PM me your snail mail address so I can send you all of my left over holiday cards...every year

[mknittle]

Not at all. A certain component of all of my holiday shots incorporate the "traditional snap shots"; although I do draw the line on keeping them in focus, properly exposed and of course decent composition.

Much of my serious photography is travel photography and these tend to be shared with family and friends. The occasional shot that have something more personal about them allow people to connect to your work; otherwise, they might as well just buy a copy of National Geographic...





As you can see here, with my wife posing with a few new-found friends...

Now that is very festive.

[Manfred M]

Now that is very festive.

Yes, the warrior with the AK47 was definitely a nice touch.