Memories of Old New York City Photos
We are living in a wonderful age of technology right now as the third generation iPhone makes its appearance with more applications that literally makes it a pocket computer. As a filmmaker and photographer, it is amazing that you can shoot a little video with the iPhone or a cell phone. I think back when my father carried a boxy camera around the streets to New York City to catch photographic glimpses of the world he loved. All of the images were in black and white, which gives the old New York City photos depth, contrast and a simplified beauty.
I’m not knocking the technology of today. While I might have edited actual film where each piece was physically cut at a certain frame and spliced to the next frame of another shot, the advent of non-linear digital editing was a blessing to film editors. Every time I use my Avid or Final Cut Pro and edit in frames to get to the perfect in point or out point, I appreciate the precision of the process. With film, the idea of cutting frame by frame was too arduous and it would have driven the Assistant Editor crazy keeping track of each little frame.
Yes, I am a true advocate of progress and technology but I must admit that my mind does linger to the past when my Dad had to frame his shot, check the aperture, focus, shoot and then wait until the film was developed before he knew the outcome. If anything, I thank technology for the memories of the old New York City photos.