TRIGGER HAPPY

THE REAL PHOTOGRAPHER in the family is our eldest son, Christopher. In the 70s he was a stringer for the Glendale NewsPress. I remember saying that I'd taught him, as a kid, not to chase fire engines, but I never thought to forbid the practice of following helicopters......police helicopters. He did what he had to do to get a picture worthy of being in the newspaper.



It wasn't long before he was hired by the newspaper and he could write a book about his experiences. He was on the staff when Captain John Orr was doing his dastardly deeds.  I realize that I'm his mother and therefore you might raise an eyebrow when I say that he had/has that special, indefinable something that makes him an outstanding photographer. You can see if you agree by going to this site. Then, if your interest is piqued, click "Gallery" and see what I mean.

Christopher has advanced equipment and I'm almost embarrassed to wield my little point and shoot camera in his presence. It was from observing his newspaper assignments that I learned that taking lots of pictures increases the chance of getting one good one. He covered the city of Glendale by moped, putting 10,000 miles on it before it was stolen and he started using the car he had purchased a year previously.

Now that I'm the family chauffeur, I no longer have the opportunity of taking random shots as we put miles on the car. I think using a camera while driving would be just as law-breaking as texting or using a cell phone. Mr. Bob doesn't have the same proclivity for taking pictures, so I often cry out, "Oh, damn! That would have been a wonderful shot!" as we zip past some scene that begs to be documented. I'll give him credit for taking a lot of pictures at the Manor, though. After all, he bears the title of Historian/Photographer.  Chris is the photographer at his son's pre-school and has taken some really breathtaking shots of the students in their school routines, enough to bring water to my eyes. It's a Humphrey tradition, working in reverse, it seems.

"There are always two people in every picture:  the photographer and the viewer."  

                                                              ~Ansel Adams