Capacitors

This is a chapter from my seventh book called Bookeh - Through the lens of a Trinidadian photog


It is raining heavily at the moment. I just came from the shed where I took this photo. This is the top of an old capacitor from our air conditioner sitting on top the cover for our sewer tank. When I saw the capacitor on the ground this morning I told myself it would make a good subject. It looks like a face, especially since I added a piece for the mouth from our sewing kit that forms part of a hook-and-eye. Looks like a ghost. A ghost from a robot. A relic from the Jetsons. The rusting gives it character. I want to believe it is a friendly ghost or maybe not. Maybe it is one of those ghosts that causes the electricity to go out when we need it the most. Like on a hot night when the mosquitos are out in their numbers. Maybe I should have chosen a curved mouthpiece to give it a friendly and welcoming smile.

My friend Gemini tells me how capacitors help us in photography. Capacitors, essential components in photography, store electrical energy for a quick, powerful burst to ignite the flash. Their history intertwines with photography's evolution; early glass plate cameras used flash powder for illumination, a dangerous process. Capacitors replaced this with a safer, more reliable method. Today, they power modern electronic flashes, enabling precise control over lighting and capturing stunning images, a testament to the enduring partnership between technology and photography. Pieter van Musschenbroek invented the Leyden jar, the precursor to the modern capacitor, in 1746.

We all have the capacity to be great. We all have the capacity to be great photographers. Photography is accessible to everyone, and with passion, practice, patience and a unique perspective, anyone can capture remarkable photos. It is about finding our own artistic voice and capturing the world in a way that resonates with others. Ansel Adams tells us that, "You don't take a photograph, you make it." We all have the capacity to make it in life. They say that life is how we make it and I guess photography is no different. I like how a piece of trash on an ordinary day turned into an opportunity to make a photograph and tell a story and be artistic. We do not have to wait for the right moment, we can create the moment. Photography is the art of capturing not just what the eye sees, but what the imagination envisions.

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