its a kodak moment

The madness must stop.

It seems every time my family gets together, there comes a moment that really isn’t defined or obvious. It is just a moment that parents and relatives seem to have an instinctual nature detecting. Everything seems normal, then suddenly it happens. Yeah, it’s that Kodak Moment.

I often miss it, and I consider myself a somewhat keen and observant individual, or maybe I’m just looking at the wrong thing. But whatever it was, I could tell it just happened by the sound of the swooshes and clicks that quickly follow, as a million cameras whip out and flash. Sometimes I think if we put all the pictures together, we could make a flip-it book, so it looks like motion.

I exaggerate of course, however, there was a moment a few years ago – I forget the exact occasion and place – when one of those Kodak Moments occurred. So we all did the usual snapping of pictures thing. I took my picture as always. Then I looked around. My dad was clicking away with his zoom lens. Mom was with her small point and shoot. To my left F was with the video camera (and when he wasn’t using that, he had an old hand me down manual). And even AA had a camera over my shoulder.

“Oh my god,” I thought. “Everyone in my family brought a camera.” The moment of clarity was so freaking hilarious to me. We must have looked like the family press corps.

My dad has always liked his cameras. He was the main picture taker of the family on all the family trips when we were young. In fact, I don’t remember mom taking many pictures growing up. I’m not exactly sure what transformed her into the picture taking machine she is today. Anyway, dad liked the manuals and semi-manuals. He was the type that had to get the telephoto lens. He still prefers the film cameras, but he is getting used to the digitals. I don’t think he has a real preference, other than making sure the picture looks good.

Mom evolved into the picture taking thing overnight it seemed. For some reason, she has the need to take a picture of every little thing. And if you happen to do something spontaneous, and she missed it, she wants you to do it again so she can get her picture. Or if she is alert enough to catch you in the act of spontaneity, she wants you to hold the darn pose until she can frame you perfectly or adjust the zoom or something.

One of her favorite subjects is flowers. I can’t tell you how many times she showed me pictures of her latest trip, and half of them are flowers. Close ups. Her other favorite subject, of course, is her grandson (my nephew) T. Every little thing he does warrants a picture. T seems to be a good sport about it (he is a camera ham anyway… J, my sister-in-law thinks its part of our family trait… who, us? Nah…). Although, T has taken to making silly half-hearted faces lately. I understand the picture taking thing is a grandma thing… although I don’t recall either of my grandmas taking a single picture of me. Ever.

Once she got into the digital age, all hell broke loose. Now she is getting more proficient in playing with her pictures on the computer. She is trying to learn Photoshop with my help as well. (I debated for a while if I really should teach her.)

Mom’s picture taking has evolved into a scrapbooking hobby, which is another story. The scrapbooking thing, though, has fueled her desire to take closeups. Lots of closeups. Of many things.

I never really saw my brother AA as a big picture taker. Whenever I see him with a camera, it still surprises me for some reason. Between him and J, though, they usually just bring one camera. That seems reasonable to me – a one camera per couple or family of three rule. (Obviously my family broke that rule a loooooong time ago.) “Besides,” J once told me, “We know your family brings more cameras than a movie studio.” Like mom, their fave subject of picture taking is T.

F, like me, has calmed down with the picture taking madness. From what I have seen, he tends more towards the artsy shot or the candid. He is the only one from our family that has actually taken a class in photography. I guess being a film major had something to do with it. Not surprisingly, he is the first one my parents and relatives turn to when they happen to need someone to operate the video camera. Ironically, I don’t think he owns a camcorder any more. Although, in our recent Florida trip, one of my aunts was thinking of giving him one she wasn’t using. Naturally, that means we have to watch what we’re doing around him.

As for me – I don’t take as many pictures as I used to take. Whenever I go on a trip with my parents, there really isn’t a need to bring a camera, since they have it covered. Most of the pictures I tend to take are buildings – I know, I’m sad. I like to go for the artsy shots as well, but I have to admit my candid resume is pretty thin.

Anyway, there is a family weekend trip to Hershey Park this weekend (and a zoo…no really, a literal zoo). I’m sure the madness will continue, despite my best efforts. I guess it wouldn’t be my family if it didn’t.

So go on and smile for that Kodak Moment.