Cherished Blogfest 2016

I’m taking part in the Cherished Blogfest where people are blogging about an object that they cherish.

It’s hard to pick just one cherished object as I love so many things but I’d have to say that one of my most cherished objects would have to be my camera.

I’ve always loved taking photos right from when I was a young girl back in those days of film cameras.

I remember I had one of those instamatic type cameras that were popular in the 1970's. 

They didn’t take very good photos and you couldn’t do much other than point and shoot, but I still thought they were great.

When I was 13, we lived in Deep River on the Ottawa River. One Saturday morning, I got up early and walked down to the river and took all kinds of photos. I still remember how the sun glistened and sparkled on the water with that magical morning light. 

When I studied graphic design in the early 1980's, I bought a manual SLR Pentax film camera for photography class where we learned how to develop black and white photos in the dark room. Developing my own photos was labour intensive but so worthwhile.

Later on, digital cameras came on the scene and revolutionized photography. No longer were we limited to film with all the expense and time waiting to get the photos developed. We could take as many photos as we wanted instantly. I can definitely say that my sons’ childhood has been well documented.

These days, I love my digital camera even more and take hundreds of photos of people, pets, birds, furry friends and whatever else captures my attention. I try to get those photos into photo books or printed out and framed. Keeping them on the computer is no fun. Photos need to be shared with others and enjoyed. Here is a photo of the cheeky squirrel who raids my dad's feeder here in Cape Breton. What a complete brat!

I am visiting my dad in Cape Breton right now and my camera is working overtime. I also have my mom’s camera to use so I’m taking even more photos than ever. I am enjoying comparing the two Canon cameras. My mom’s camera is an SLR unlike mine. Her camera is much faster and crisper but I do like the Zoom feature on my old camera, too. Now I walk around Cape Breton with two cameras hanging around my neck. Do I look like a tourist or what?

Here are some photos taken on our walk and visit to the Dundee Resort just down the road from my dad's house.

 

Now that my mother has passed away, my photos of her are that much more precious. Here is the one of the last photos I took of her in the summer of 2015 before her death last November. 

I am so grateful to have had my camera with me over the years to record those moments with my mom and the boys on our vacations in Cape Breton. Now I’m taking more photos to remember the special time with my dad and Eric on this vacation.

My camera is like an extension of me and I do cherish it for allowing me to express myself creatively, capturing the precious moments and people that are gone far too soon.