Skipping the Retake

Two decades ago –

This was me. “Aditiiii !!!!!!” dad used to call me in an affectionate tone to attract my attention and I used to respond by looking at his face that hid behind the camera. “Click!” a flash would appear and each time my face would light up in amazement. This was in the era when digital cameras were not ubiquitous and owning a camera that could deliver coloured pictures was a luxury in itself. The photos would be developed only after the whole reel was exhausted and the average time taken to have a look at what was captured would be around four weeks. The only way one could ensure that the pictures are perfect would be to take multiple shots.

Present -

“Oh, Please take another click !!!”  I pleaded to my friend when a look at the embedded screen made me realize that despite the careful selection of my attire, the extra inch was still visible on scrutiny. I got myself clicked until I managed to get a shot which finally was able to deceive the shrewd eyes of the lens to my satisfaction.

As we grow older, at times the drive to modify things according to our preferences takes a toll on us. Technology becomes our accomplice saying that moulding the first draft to make it look perfect is perfectly acceptable. Innocence, the most important attribute of a child is best captured in the first shot itself and the essence of the picture would be lost if the child is made to pose the way the photographer wants. Likewise, sometimes the best output is obtained in the first take and over-analysis of details sucks out the spirit from an unpretentious task. Skipping the retake can actually help us get the best results, and that too in a single go.

It takes a lot of effort to become childlike again. To start with, I now try to restrain myself from peeping into the LCD screen of the camera after each shot to see how I looked. The single takes are still the ones that top the "Like it" count on my Facebook profile!