Memories Of a Childhood
Maximillian F.
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I had gone for a walk on a trail that connects my house to the elementary school I went to. I've called it the "School Trail" my whole life. Its real name is "Ye Olde School Trail", but I've always thought that was a mouthful. I took some pictures of nature on the trail, small animals, leaves, trees, and the landscape. It was a nice walk but I wasn't satisfied with the pictures I had been taking. After a few minutes of walking and taking pictures, I finally got to my old elementary school. It was the very tail end of summer so I was able to have more light later in the day compared to now. But when I got to the school I wanted to revisit my old hangout spots. And I noticed that the view was amazing. A little foggy but everything was still visible. And big cargo ships have always fascinated me in a way almost nothing else does. I see them all the time but I'm still flabbergasted at the sheer size and mass of them. I set up my tripod and spent a solid five or ten minutes getting the framing right. I had to be sure to include the trees that I climbed up as a child, the bridge I would drive over with my mom every day to go to her work, the hills I had mountain biked on years prior, the cargo ship that has always amazed me, and the four-legged cranes that always make me think of AT-AT walkers from star wars. And I was set up right next to the Wall Ball wall, where I would play Wall Ball with friends every recess. By the time I had set up the framing I was running low on sunlight and the fog was rolling in. I had minimal time to get the shot and go home. It was the first real picture I had ever taken on a camera so it took me a while to set up my F/Stop and shutter speed. But after a bit of trial and error to figure out the correct settings for the shot I was ready to get my real picture. It was capturing years of my life experience and memories in one single shot... *click*... I was nervous that I had to do more setups with even less light. I looked at the shot... There was a black crow that had flown into the middle of the frame. It was perfect. It captured more of my childhood than I planned. Black crows have always been around me, always annoying me, always getting in the way of things. They would take up space on the playground, they would poop everywhere, and they would steal my food. It was perfect that one got in the middle of my shot. I loved it. I only got the one real shot. I packed up my camera and tripod and ran back home with the little light I had left. Once I got home I immediately put the SD card in my computer and started to brighten up the image to make the fog less noticeable. Some minor adjustments and I felt like it captured the first half of my life. (Besides the fog) I couldn't be any happier with the outcome. I was so proud of my first real photo using a camera.
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Photography gives me something to do during the day rather than lay around and waste my time. Photography also lets me show off my interests in a more tangible way compared to explaining what I like to do. It is also just a fun way to pass time. It is (mostly) stress-free, relaxing, and expressive.
