Idaho Falls

62 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE JANUARY 2019 Out There by Gregg Losinski They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This phrase probably originated even before the camera was invented when some Neanderthal was brag- ging, using burnt sticks to draw a bigger buck than he actually harvested on the wall of some cave in France. Then came cameras and while not impossible to distort the truth they, for the most part, captured what was really going on. I say "not impossible" because all anglers know the trick of hold- ing the fish far out in front of them to make that just average trout look like a real hawg. Today, thanks to cell phones the entire planet is blanketed with cameras able of not only taking pictures but even video so that we are able to capture what we consider to be our reality 24/7/365 worldwide! When I was in college, back in the pre- digital days, I had to take a course in pho- tography that not only required me to take artistic photographs, but to also develop them. Because the developing process was so temperamental, we only took black & white pictures. Color was an advanced class. Today, our smartphones are not only capable of capturing images in incredible detail, but also have the ability to crop and add an unlimited variety of effects. I remember learning how the secret to Ansel Adams' success was his ability to use a piece of cardboard in the developing process to shade various portions of his images from light while developing them in the darkroom. Today, we can not only be Ansel Adams with the flick of a finger but we can be as creative as Andy Warhol. I have been fortunate to travel the world a bit and aside from the "selfie," which is a universal phenomenon, the one photo- graphic commonality I have found is wed- ding pictures. Whether in Idaho, Poland, or Indonesia, the sight of young couples having their matrimonial bliss captured for posterity is commonplace. We here in Idaho Falls are fortunate to have either the LDS Temple or the dramatic falls or both, to serve as the backdrop for our wedding pictures. Rare is the day that you go down to the river and not see some young couple being posed to capture their undying devo- tion. Hopefully, their marriages will at least last longer than it takes to pay off the pho- tographer's bill. When it comes to capturing stunning scenic and wildlife shots, there's little need to even leave the city limits. In addition to everything the greenbelt has to offer, the sunsets here are naturally wonderful. Throw in a little smoke from forest fires or dust from the spud harvest and they become truly spectacular. A photo safari to the zoo formerly known as Tautphaus will yield all types of exotic critters in natural settings. A trip to the Caribou-Targhee National Forest could net you everything from an eagle to a grizzly bear and just about anything wild in between. Once upon a time, a person had to be either of wealth or have an extreme interest to pursue capturing the perfect image. While incredible cameras certainly exist today, it is truly amazing what types of image that the "simple" smartphone can capture. Thanks to apps like Instagram and Facebook everyone has their chance to be an Ansel Adams or capture Andy Warhols' fifteen minutes of fame! What's stopping you? Everyone has their chance to be an Ansel Adams or capture Andy Warhols' fifteen minutes of fame! IF PHOTO COURTESY GREGG LOSINSKI

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