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Orio
Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 29545 Location: West Emilia
Expire: 2012-12-04
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:01 pm Post subject: Three Friends |
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Orio wrote:
I have a nice story to tell you today, with pictures and words.
I was out in a parc to photograph blossoms for my work (besides: first time that I use manual lenses for my work!). There are three young boys playing football near to the apricot tree that was my destination.
When they see that I have two cameras on my neck, they ask me if I am a photographer. I say "Yes, in a way". And they "could you please take a photograph of us three?" And I say "Sure, no problem".
After the first one, they ask for more: "Can we have one each alone, doing karate moves?" (and one of them explains to me, that they are in a karate course). I say "ok". And then they want one each with the foot ball. And finally a last one together again, with the foot ball this time.
They made me lose quite some time, but I did that happily. They made me think of me at their age, when I was playing football with my friends, on the street, and in the meadows, in the early 70s. Long lost friends. Some are gone for good, and will never come back. Many have been driven by life on to different ways, many I never saw since then, and many for sure, I will never see again anymore.
With these kids, today, I was thinking with myself, how good it would have been if somebody took a picture of us, back then. How good it would be to have a more tangible memory of those days, that were some of the happiest days in my life. But unfortunately, no one did take a photograph, and so I am left with only my memories of those times and friends.
So I was very happy to do this favor to these boys. Thanks to me, they will have a nice souvenir of their happiest days, in thirty or fourty years from now. I was happy to have done that.
One of them, after the photos, seemed to realize something and asked me with fear: "Will we have to pay for this?". And I said "No problem, kids. That's why I'm here"
They were very thankful. They must have thanked me, like, 10 times. Even too much. At one point I had to say "No problem boys. You don't have to thank me anymore. I was happy to do it". They were very, very polite boys. That was a surprise, also.
One of them also followed me a while while I was walking to the tree, saying that I should be careful because there is a cut tree root that is hidden and he fell on it, just a little before I arrived. He of course was caring for me and because I had my two very nice cameras hanging from my neck. He was very sweet
All in all, a nice meeting. It was especially nice to see that those young boys did care so much about their friendship, to be wanting so much to have their photo taken together. This hit me because when you are young, you usually don't think about these things. You just live, you don't care about the photographs, these are usually things that more adult people thinks about - people that have an experience of what the passing of time is, and what memories are.
So I think that maybe the youth is more wise and less stupid than we old folks think it is. To see those young guys value so much their friendship, in an age and society that only teaches you how to be selfish and to win over each other, gave me so much hope in the future.
I left the place after a short while. It got too dark to photograph my trees. But I made an encounter that really was worth the time and made my day.
These are the things that really make me love photography so much.
Direct links:
http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/1111/3friends01tt0.jpg
http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/6756/3friends02sb7.jpg
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/7853/3friends03vw5.jpg
http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/3999/3friends04xn7.jpg
http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/6811/3friends05uq3.jpg
I was forgetting about the equipment used: EOS 5D, with my newly arrived Elmarit 2.8/35 mm. _________________ Orio, Administrator
T*
NE CEDE MALIS AUDENTIOR ITO
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Katastrofo
Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 10405 Location: USA
Expire: 2013-11-19
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:38 pm Post subject: |
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Katastrofo wrote:
Some great photos by a skilled shooter and the equipment ain't bad,
either! Are you making prints or did one of the boys give you an
email address to send all these? I'm the same, so many memories
and no photos to share with someone, except words.
Made your day? You made theirs!
Bill |
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Orio
Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 29545 Location: West Emilia
Expire: 2012-12-04
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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Orio wrote:
katastrofo wrote: |
Some great photos by a skilled shooter and the equipment ain't bad,
either! |
Thanks. They are just simple photos. But simple is straight and true and sometimes that's what you need.
katastrofo wrote: |
Are you making prints or did one of the boys give you an email address to send all these? |
They don't have access to Internet (not surprisingly), so I gave them my cell phone number, I will give them a CD.
katastrofo wrote: |
I'm the same, so many memories
and no photos to share with someone, except words. |
In part I think that that's our generation, Bill. Photos were not an everyday thing then. They were usually taken on vacation, or special occasions. Everyday's children play wasn't either of those. Then wehn you grow up you realize that what you miss the most, it's not the special occasion, but the everyday things in the everyday life. That is why I say that there is nothing so banal or so stupid in our lives that may not deserve a photograph.
katastrofo wrote: |
Made your day? You made theirs! |
I sure did! They were so happy. But they made me happy too. It was sweet to remember the bygone days, and it was good to know that I did something good for them. And it was good to meet these young people so spontaeously nice, open, and sincere. Folks our age live behind masks every time, children are straight and candid. They will lose that. Probably in a few years from now they will not find the courage to stop an unknown person to ask him to gave them photographs. They will be stopped by social conventions and "do-nots". But at this age they are just direct in their communication. I love that. I have a very nice memory of the years that I have been teaching in Junior High in the afternoon courses. Kids their age can be so sincere and open. It s such a pity that our society makes us lose that with age. Reports of travels in the Pacific Islands in the past centuries tell us that the native Polynesian cultures were much like that even in the adult age: open, sincere, straight, honest, warm, friendly. No wonder we exterminated almost them all: they kept reminding us what we have lost. _________________ Orio, Administrator
T*
NE CEDE MALIS AUDENTIOR ITO
Ferrania film is reborn! http://www.filmferrania.it/
Support the Ornano film chemicals company and help them survive!
http://forum.mflenses.com/ornano-chemical-products-t55525.html |
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peterqd
Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 7448 Location: near High Wycombe, UK
Expire: 2014-01-04
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:58 am Post subject: |
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peterqd wrote:
Nice story Orio. In my book you can keep all your rusty nuts and bolts and bits of seaweed, THIS is what photography is for. Can't stop _________________ Peter - Moderator |
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zipp
Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Posts: 36 Location: Montreal QC, Canada
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:09 am Post subject: |
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zipp wrote:
I can feel the nostalgia leaking from the pictures and from your story. Touching, Orio. Touching.
... _________________ Angel |
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LucisPictor
Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 17633 Location: Oberhessen, Germany / Maidstone ('95-'96)
Expire: 2013-12-03
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:51 am Post subject: |
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LucisPictor wrote:
Very nice story and very nice of you, Orio!
That will be great for the boys one day. _________________ Personal forum activity on pause every now and again (due to job obligations)!
Carsten, former Moderator
Things ON SALE
Carsten = "KAPCTEH" = "Karusutenu" | T-shirt?.........................My photos from Emilia: http://www.schouler.net/emilia/emilia2011.html
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Old list: http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic.php?t=65 (Not up-to-date, sorry!) | http://www.lucispictor.de | http://www.alensaweek.wordpress.com |
http://www.retrocamera.de |
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