(A PREVIEW)
There are very few situations in which it is wise to literally
shoot first and ask questions later. Photography is one of them. Of course, back in the old days when dinosaurs ruled the earth this was not always true. There was this stuff called “film” that came on rolls or even cartridges and loaded into the camera in various ways taking up a great deal of space in both the camera and the camera bag.
This stuff was tricky because it was all chemically based and real sensitive to light. It was also expensive and here’s the weird part – you could only use it once. No kidding. One of the most famous types of film was called “Kodachrome.” Someone even wrote a song about it.
Sarcasm aside, I’m part of the minority who will never 
really forgive Kodak’s euthanasia of its iconic brand. Neither will Paul Simon. But this is the digital age and data has its advantages. Cameras are smaller, lighter, faster and more advanced than most of us ever thought possible a decade ago. And the traditional idea of a device dedicated to a single function is all but dead. Today every digital camera shoots video. Then again, so does my phone (an increasingly painful reality for camera manufacturers).
The advantage in all of this goes to the traveler. For those of us who live life in a constant state of motion all of this hi tech downsizing means that a big bag of camera gear is not always necessary.
In the next installment of The Backyard Tourist we’ll explore some of the latest options and innovations for the traveling shutterbug, get some professional input and take a Point and Shoot Photo Safari through Beaufort. In the meantime we’d appreciate your input. Email us at backyardtourist@gmail.com
