Georges has taken an interest in my Nikon D70 Digital SLR camera, even to the extent he wanted to read the book I bought a year ago (but of course have never made the time to read) to help me learn more about the camera. I've had the camera for about two years and absolutely love it, but there are still so many things I have not mastered that I used to be able to do easily with my old manual Nikon FG-20 film camera. This thing is so complicated with the fancy menus and dashboard and dozens of tiny buttons, that learning all the features feels a bit like learning to fly the flipping Space Shuttle. So I'm thrilled he is the kind of person who is interested in digging in deeper, because then he can just show me things, and I won't have to R.T.F.M.*
He had fun experimenting with the camera over the weekend, and his youngest (and the neighbor's little boy, who came over to play) delighted in being the subject of most of Georges' photos. Picture lots of "action shots" of small children running back and forth across the room squealing with glee each time the camera clicked -- kids just love having their pictures taken.
But Georges did take some of me, too. I haven't seen all of them yet, but he did send me this one, taken at his kitchen table while I was blogging yesterday's entry. And I was astonished at how much I loved it! Honestly, I haven't liked a photo of myself this much since a professional photo I had taken in 1996!
Here's the color original:
And, I liked it so much I cropped it, changed it to B&W and am now using it on my professional web site as well, where it replaces a nice but very outdated image (that sadly, now appears on the back cover of my book). Finally after all this time, a decent current photo! Merci, Mon Parisian!
But really, if he continues to bring out the best in me, photographically, like this (but of course, this is not the ONLY way he brings out the best in me), what will I do with all that spare time I used to spend avoiding having my photo taken? I may be forced to take up knitting after all... or worse yet, learn how to COOK.
I guess this is what is meant by: "when you're in love, you see yourself through new eyes".
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* R.T.F.M. = computer geek talk for "Read The F---ing Manual"; what all computer nerds think when people won't bother to READ the user manuals provided with the technology before asking questions or whining "but I can't get it to do what I want!" I used to think the same thing, but with this camera I have become one of those lazy, exasperated people who just wants someone to come along and give me the easy answer. God forbid I should read a book.
