I got my first film camera in 1998 for $400. It was chunky, gray, and too heavy in my hands. I bought a roll of Kodak film, asked the store owner to load it into the back panel, and then rolled the dial forward to the first frame.
“You have 24 frames,” the clerk said. Then he sent me on my merry way to make art.
And so I did.
I was very careful about every shot. A mistake wasted one of my 24 frames. I learned quickly to think before pushing the button. How was the light? Was my composition right? Do I really want this picture?
And then digital cameras came along. Suddenly we were able to take as many pictures as we wanted with the ability to delete all the bad ones. It sounded amazing, but what I found was that I didn’t care about the “process” or the “art” as much. It cost nothing on my end, and that somehow ruined my love of photography. It cheapened the experience.
When I read a book, I try to think like a film photographer. I want reading to cost me something. I want it to matter. Instead of speed-reading, getting the basic synopsis from ChatGPT, or blazing through Spark Notes, I want to enjoy the process of learning. I want to make sure the light is right, analyze the composition, and give myself plenty of time to think.
I’m not interested in listening to a book at 3X speed on Audible.
I’m not interested in reading 200 books a year.
I’m not interested in speed reading.
I’m interested in thinking.
Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notes – apply the ideas.
-Eddy
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