Way back when..... Old photographers talk endlessly about the film days. It was really something. We took our know how and applied it(sometimes with crossed fingers) and did our job. Manual exposure, manual focus...sometimes carrying this other piece of equipment called a light meter.... and we shot pictures. Then after the event was done and it couldn't be re-thought and tried again, we developed our pictures to see what we got. Digital has certainly changed all that and I'm one of those older dudes who thinks digital has made us better. What was great about the old days is we really had to think about the technical stuff and then work our eye...but now we can think, but test it immediately to know--then give over to our eyes knowing everything is working....we spend more time thinking about the image and a little less thinking about the technical stuff(Yes the best of us still dwell on the technical...but boy its great taking a quick peak at the back to know we're on !!!) In the last few weeks I've photographed two weddings--one officially...it has really made me think about alot of things. I was remembering bringing my new camera and lenses that my mom and dad bought me for graduation because I was showing an interest in photography and decided to try to go to photography school to my brothers wedding and making this picture(well this is only part of the picture and re-shot on the iphone) of my new sister in law Fran in the doorway of the church. I remember at the time thinking this was a great photo and maybe I could do weddings. I quickly talked myself out of it because I remember how much I hated photographers at weddings---always butting in and making you pose. Years later I realized--partly because of my work at the newspaper that the best pictures weren't the posed one--they were like this picture of Fran---something I saw and captured--something real. This is what I try to bring to weddings and photographing my niece's wedding as an uncle with a camera and photographing a wedding this weekend I realized that, more than ever, that I'm right.... the best pictures capture what is there unfolding before us...real moments, not posed or staged. Even when I've felt I could be in a better position, I feel like if I shot a picture...it was a real picture...it was a real moment. Photograph by brother-in-law-Dick of Fran Powers Sayer.