Kittv, originally uploaded by Tonya Doughty.

I bought an old Kodak Duaflex camera from an antique dealer recently. (OK, I bought 3 old cameras, but I couldn't resist, really!) There is a way to shoot images using my normal camera but focusing on the viewfinder of the old camera, called TtV (through the viewfinder) and it's pretty addicting. This one could have benefitted from a "contraption" (a tall black tube looking device that goes from the main camera lens over the viewfinder) to block the unwanted light reflection off the viewfinder, so I will work on that, but for now, LOVE!

Speaking of imperfect images, photography is so much more than taking technically correct photos. I was at a wedding recently (as a guest) and the photographer for the event was ring-leading like she worked in a circus. Yelling out directions, staging shots, stopping natural motions, asking for re-enactment...it wasn't pretty. I realize there is a "standard" set of images that most wedding photographers want to capture (perhaps at the client's request) but in my opinion, faking these moments is a disservice to the bride and groom. Ten years from now, when looking at the photos, I promise the bride or groom will see that image and say "remember when the photographer made us re-do the toast so more bubbles could be blown?" Across from the couple, the bestman, who had just given the toast, was wiping tears from his eyes. That was the moment, not the bubbles that she promised "you will love on film." I think the best photographs come from being observers, not instigators.

Please chime in, other viewpoints always welcome...

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