“Everything changes”.
A cliche, of course. But sometimes – like this past week – it’s hard to ignore just how obvious “change” can be. Even in those instances when you know that change is imminent, there’s still considerable shock when it actually happens.
Like the death of Joe Paterno. After he was fired during the Sandusky revelations, and soon after diagnosed with lung cancer, it wasn’t hard to see that the end might be near for the old coach. Forty-six years and 409 victories. An amazing run. Then, suddenly, it’s over. But still a shock.
Or the Kodak debacle. If you live here in the Rochester area, the Chapter 11 filing wasn’t (or shouldn’t have been) a surprise. The company that once employed about 60,000 people locally (including my father and one of my brothers) has been in a death spiral for years. Well, maybe not a “death spiral”, but something awfully damn close to that. People used to say that if you owned Kodak stock, it was like having a money tree. You just couldn’t lose, they said. Well, Friday it closed at $0.31 a share. Retirees are worried about healthcare benefits. Current employees don’t know if they have a future here or not. Film is just about dead as a money-making commodity. And Kodak failed to take advantage of nearly all things digital (much of which they actually invented). They may survive, but I personally doubt it. What’s left will get split up and sold. No more “big yellow box” and no more “kodak moments”.
On a much lighter note, there’s the most recent developments in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. A couple of weeks ago most people thought (me included) that Newt Gingrich was politically dead. You might as well stick a fork in the Pillsbury Doughboy. He was beaten. He could pack up his round little self and head home, just like Rick Perry did. Mitt Romney was as good as nominated.
Then a Las Vegas casino mogul gave him $5 million. Armed with lots of money and his usual nasty personality, he went after Mitt in South Carolina and turned the tide. He won by 12 points. Holy crap. I guess it really isn’t over until the fat lady – or in this case, the fat guy – sings.
Things change. Don’t dig your heels in too deeply, folks. It could all look a lot different tomorrow. Forget the status quo. It doesn’t exist. Probably never did. Just one of those intellectual illusions.
But as photographers, we already knew that. Didn’t we?
I love the last line: But as photographers, we already knew that. Didn’t we?
Just ask any photographer driving in his car, witnessing a particular type of light, such as storm (pre or post) light, trying to pull his/her car over to get the shot, knowing that it is only a matter of seconds, missing more frequently than capturing. LOL
Yeah, things change in a hurry!
Comment by Paul — January 24, 2012 @ 12:02 pm
The point of the last line, Paul, as you’ve no doubt guessed, is that even those of us who should know better too often figure that tomorrow will offer the same “opportunities”. So what if I left the camera at home on the shelf today? Tomorrow or the next day will be just as good. What I didn’t capture today will still be there tomorrow. When all we really know for sure is that the image we didn’t get will be different when we next see it. Maybe better, maybe worse. But definitely not the same.
The older I get, the more I know that that’s the way things work.
Comment by Paul Maxim — January 24, 2012 @ 2:32 pm
Nice image and an interesting post. I had posted on another blog how change is the only thing that’s certain (well, that and taxes). Kodak going away is a sad thought and I hope they come out of the bankruptcy and are still Kodak, though even if they do, they’ll need to figure out a direction that will make them successful again, otherwise they’ll only have bought some time. Change, major change, seems to be more frequent these days as the world economic markets struggle to find a way to survive. Frankly, I think the EU will disintegrate and we’re probably heading for a very, very deep depression. I hope not – I’m just hoping to live out my years in relative comfort and have a bit of income from my photography to allow me to buy more photography gear. Mustn’t give up hope!
Comment by John - Visual Notebook — January 24, 2012 @ 12:03 pm
Thanks, John. But I sure hope you’re wrong about the “deep depression”! I’d hate to end up spending my retirement on a street corner selling apples! I’d much rather spend it driving around the country.
As for Kodak, I personally think that they need new leadership. The last couple have had all the forward vision of a blind cow. But it might still be too late. In fact, I just drove past the old Kodak Park area this morning. Not many happy campers walking around…….
Comment by Paul Maxim — January 24, 2012 @ 2:40 pm
I have been following the Kodak story the last few months. Sad that such a giant of innovation didn’t see the future coming. Incidentally, I watched parts of the debate last night. Ron Paul was the only one who seemed to have ideas from the heart. Whether we agree with him or not, at least he has logical reaons for his beliefs. Everyone else seems to be trying to say what politics demands. Too bad there aren’t more people willing to go out on a limb like him.Then we could return democracy to the people.
Comment by themiddlegeneration — January 24, 2012 @ 6:58 pm
While I could never vote for Ron Paul (because of his ideas on foreign policy, the Fed, etc.), I do like the guy. As you say, he usually says what he thinks and he usually doesn’t make things up. During that most recent debate, he was the only one who got his facts straight with respect to why Newt couldn’t keep the House Speakership in 1997. He simply didn’t have the votes. His fellow Republicans had had enough of his antics. A year later, he quit altogether. Simple as that.
Comment by Paul Maxim — January 25, 2012 @ 10:45 am
As they say………….Life Goes On Polaroid, cassettes, 8 tracks and Pontiacs
Comment by Don Cooper — January 24, 2012 @ 10:52 pm
Absolutely right, Don. Just the other day I finally threw away a bunch of “old” ZIP drive disks. When they first came out I thought they were a great “long-term” solution to backup storage. So who’s got a ZIP drive these days? Not me. My disks could have been used like flat stones to skip across the lake, I suppose. Otherwise, just dead weight.
Comment by Paul Maxim — January 25, 2012 @ 10:49 am
Paul, good photo. The old cedar tree behind perhaps an even older wall with the iron gate standing open…leaves lots of room for interpretation. Those warm tone works well. It also fits the topic of things changing.
Comment by Earl — January 25, 2012 @ 3:24 pm
Thanks, Earl. I have to admit that as I get older, images like this one are more and more appealing to me. Like the crumbling wall and rusty gate, we’re all a little less functional than we used to be. Not surprisingly, there’s a small cemetery behind this wall. In fact, you can see a small headstone “hiding” behind the tree. But that metaphor, I thought, would be just a bit too strong………
Comment by Paul Maxim — January 26, 2012 @ 9:56 am
I didn’t originally spot the headstone…but of course easily see it now. I’m drawn to these types of images as well.
“…a little less functional than we use to be.” What a gracious way to phrase it.
Comment by Earl — January 26, 2012 @ 10:26 am