Squares are cool when they’re photographic images! Have you ever thought about the actual shape of an image when you look at it? Have you ever considered how shape alone may influence your perception or emotional reaction to an image? Until recently, I hadn’t given aspect ratios much thought. My digital cameras have a 3:2 aspect ratio. This ratio is the “norm” in digital cameras today and results in rectangular shaped images. My cameras have always generated rectangular images so that’s what I’m accustomed to seeing. In fact, rectangular images are so common today that their shape is somewhat subconscious. Even televisions are now designed with rectangular displays. While it’s true the majority of images we see today are rectangular, things were not always this way…
I recently visited the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. Two of the more popular items on display are a former Air Force One jet (you can see the nose of this aircraft in the upper-left corner of this image), and a former Marine One helicopter. This image is one of my favorites taken during my visit. I have always loved helicopters. Their ability to gracefully hover and pivot is simply intriguing to watch. With their long blades and sleek designs, helicopters look every bit as impressive sitting on the ground as they do in flight. While serving in the military, I had the incredible opportunity to spend an entire afternoon repelling from a UH-1 helicopter. Amazing fun!
I’m intrigued with cameras – especially old ones. By today’s digital standards, even the most sophisticated film cameras of years past seem primitive. Primitive or not, there’s something undeniably elegant about old cameras. They have character and function-driven style. They’re a physical testimony to a simpler time in our history. The camera you see here is the Kodak Vigilant Junior Six-20. It’s a folding camera produced by Eastman Kodak between 1940 and 1948. It uses 620 film and originally sold new for about $11.
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