On Border's, Photography, and the Digital Revolution

I recently went into my local Border’s and purchased three books on photography. They were 70% off; for a little more than 26 bucks I was able to get $90 work of reading material. Not too shabby, you ask me.

I’m sad to see Border’s closing. They're yet another victim of bad economic times, bad corporate mistakes and the digital revolution. There’s a Barnes and Noble over near Valley River Mall, but it’s not as convenient. Powell’s doesn’t have a local shop, and Smith Family Books and Tsunami books are also not as convenient. (And living here, I really miss Moe’s.) 

But my trip to Border’s books-and subsequent purchase-got me to thinking about another loss to the digital age: good photography-and the stores that supported it. 

It’s my opinion that the web is full of bad pictures. Not evil, not adult-though you can make an argument for that as well, and you’d be right-but just simply bad. For every five good pictures, there's at least a dozen bad ones. Sometimes they're blurry or out of focus, sometimes with no thought given to any sort of composition...and sometimes they look like they were taken by a three year old. Tops of heads missing, cut off at the knees, etc. Add to that the fact the most cellphones are the functional equivalent of an old Instamatic-or my Ektralite 10. They really weren’t designed to take photographic art...they were designed to take pictures of Uncle Art at the family picnic. 

Please understand: I have used my iPhone’s camera on more than one occasion, usually when I don’t want to haul my Minolta DiMage Z6 around. The iPhone’s okay-with 5 megapixels it’s better than many-but still no substitute for a real camera with a viewfinder. It’s hard for me, on a bright day, to shoot without a viewfinder-and I find I can’t compose the shot quite as well. (You can read about some of my cameras here.)

In the old days, there were stores that helped you with getting your gear, and at the very least showing you how to get going with it. When you were tired of that Instamatic and its fixed-focus lens...or of that Starflex with a fixed focus lens...or of that Polaroid that ate film like I eat pizza, you went to these stores and got better equipment. Once you had that, you went back for film, developing, additional lenses, flash equipment, camera bags, tripods, and so forth. There were books that showed you how to take better pictures, and things like gray cards and light meters. Fotomat kiosks dotted the landscape; if you were willing to pay for it you could get your prints back in a day.  

Then larger chains started eating away at those businesses, and when digital cameras really took over, they vanished. Fotomat was the first casualty; some stores started offering your prints in three hours or less...for less. Which was great when I was shooting 110 in high school; I took my film to Safeway because I could afford it on a high-school budget. 

But that came at a cost. Now places like Reed’s Camera in downtown Walnut Creek and Gerlach’s in Eugene, over by the UO-gone. Wentling’s in Concord, where I grew up, which still exists-but mainly does studio work, as near as I can tell. Dot Dotson’s in Eugene has made the transition to the digital age, and is still going but it isn’t quite as large as it was even a few years ago. Some places survive by having a broader appeal: Adolph Gasser’s in San Francisco, Helix Camera in Chicago, Pro Photo Supply in Portland, and B&H in New York are some great examples.  

But what’s sad is that people are taking scads more pictures. They take them, then attempt to photoshop them into something decent. News flash: A bad photo is still a bad photo, even after you’ve cropped it, colored it, added effects to it, and massaged the thing to the point where it no longer resembles the original work. Note: I do not have Photoshop. For the time my shots are on the MacBook, they reside in iPhoto, where I may on occasion crop a shot, lighten a dark shot, or color-correct a shot. I’m not against things like Photoshop...I am against taking something really bad and attempting to make it into something great online. 

In short: I’m the same way with cameras that I am with computers. Learn to use your equipment, please.

Which brings me back, in a roundabout way, to my final trip into Border’s. I went in there originally to see if they had one book on Applescript. They didn’t; the one copy that they did have before the chain tanked was sold at full price. Interestingly enough, many of the books on photography were now right in the computers section...which is why they’re now in my possession.

Seems appropriate enough, somehow: both books and photography are victims of the digital revolution.

Enough for now. 

On Bible Bookstores

Since we’re coming up on Memorial Day, take time to say thanks to a vet for being willing to keep America free. Freedom isn’t free by any stretch. Also take time to thank God Almighty for living in a free country, and pray for America. She needs all the prayers she can get right now.

I’m not going to comment on the idiocy regarding “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at this point in time. Suffice it to say that I’m hideously disappointed, as a Vet, that this is even being rammed through-and down-the throats of America’s fighting men and women.  

No, today I’m remembering something else. 

This morning, I was wandering around one of the last remaining Christian bookstores in the local area. (I went to where one had been in West Eugene yesterday, only to discover it was long gone.) I was looking for a few books that might help me in my dissertation work. 

No such luck. (I’m not surprised. I suspected this would be the case as I’m looking for some pretty specialized, denominational type books, not just general stuff.) 

But it also got me to thinking about the demise of bookstores in general, and the Bible Bookstore in particular. You remember Bible Bookstores, don’t you?

When I first became a Christian, they were somewhat more numerous. They carried a little music (the bigger ones actually had a music section), reference tools, some rather predictable novels and books by well known preachers, church supplies, gospel tracts, VBS materials, hymnals for general use, Bible studies, and Bibles. In those days, your choice was the King James, the Revised Standard Version, the New American Standard, and maybe the New International Version. (They also carried the most amazing amount of junk with a Jesus sticker slapped on it.) 

Then there was a sort of Christian publishing revolution. Christian self-help, Christian novels and fiction, and so forth sprung forth. Reference tools started disappearing. The music sections got larger (and the music got better). Study Bibles started exploding out of nowhere. VHS tapes started showing up, and even the junk with Jesus stickers got better. Christian publishers got bought by mainstream publishers, as did Christian recording labels. And that’s when they became a bigger business, quit being Bible Bookstores, and became Christian bookstores.

Then something odd happened. Bible studies started going the way of the reference tools. The same can be said of gospel tracts. The music started changing, keeping more “modern” sounds. (Some of which I like, some I don’t.) VHS tapes were replaced by DVD’s, and the stories keep getting better, as do the production values. (Actually, that’s A Good Thing.) There are Christian computer programs that have reference and study helps. Christian Fiction has taken over, most of it geared to women. Christian self help is pretty good sized, too. Some stores even look like Christian gift boutiques. This is no great surprise; I asked the young lady behind the counter about a year ago about this and her reply was “basically, women do most of the reading and shopping in these stores anymore.” Of course they do...most men aren’t comfortable going into a place with a more feminine touch. 

Here’s a clue, kids--most men I know don’t wear scarves (Christian or otherwise), and would like a t-shirt that fits them. You know, like in sizes XL or bigger. Even I take an XL, and “tall” or “stout” are not terms used to describe me terribly often. And when all the books for men are clumped together with books on finances, on one rack (one rack=four shelves), you kind of get the picture that men have become something of an afterthought. 

You want study Bibles? They have them in very flavor going, in more translations than I think is safe. In fact, I saw two Bibles today that made me feel like I can die now because I’ve seen it all: The “American Patriot’s Bible” and a waterproof NIV. (“Perfect for beach/pool, bathtub, missions, vacations, sports.”) Somehow, spending time in the shower with the Word of God seems wrong to me. I understand His Word cleanses us...but I don’t think that’s quite what He meant. (On the other hand, I can see a use for this in a baptismal service.) 

Now I know that there’s lots of reference tools online. (Studylight.org is a great example of that.) And I know that a lot of books can be bought online from places like eBay, Amazon, CBD and Cokesbury. Ultimately, I will end up going that route.  

But there was something...different...about those stores. Not that they were holy, but there was a sense of being about the Father’s business (or at least, being in His Presence) when you walked in. These places were calm, almost tranquil. (I remember one in Concord; it felt like God had His Presence there. Since it was two doors down from the local porn theatre, He probably did.)   

Enough for Now.