The ritual of taking pictures with friends before high school prom was dreadful and exciting and unavoidable. Adding parents into the mix raised the risk for embarrassment even higher. The friend group picture was far less excruciating than the group picture that included dates, which is why I think it usually came first, as a kind of warm-up. The day of my prom was overcast and nearly raining. I remember being all lined up with my friends inside a big outdoor gazebo and our parents were calling our names to look at them and smile. I caught my friend Carrie’s face and it was burning red and her expression could only be described as horrified. Glancing back out to the parents, I noticed her parents right away. They were totally lovely but a bit older than average. This was 2005 – there were no iPhones yet. Most people did have pocket digital cameras, or even really fancy digital ones. Some people still used film cameras, but even simple film cameras were starting to look a bit retro. Carrie’s mom (who was also over 6 feet tall, very thin, and wore enormous glasses – not exactly blending in) was using a giant film camera with a separate flash attachment. I was a bit impressed, and a bit blinded.
A couple of years ago I found a picture of Carrie with her parents that my mom must have taken at some point during these pre-prom proceedings. They were all laughing. The camera and flash that Carrie’s mom was holding were so big it was almost like a fourth person in the picture! I regret not seeing how any of her pictures came out. I’ll have to ask her about it.
Anyway, I think that memory is what drew me to Technology Connections recent video about flash photography. It’s amazing to think anyone came out looking anything but stunned or squinting back in the day. No wonder Carrie’s mom’s camera bag was so big, she probably had extra bulbs in there! Check out the video in full for details and more.