maybe…
One of the most innovative inventions of our time must be the camera. Here, “our time” would be taken to mean that we get to use this invention when we are here and alive.
In 1816, Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce invented the first photographic camera. (1) Think of it. We don’t just get up one morning and say to ourselves, “Today, I think I am going to invent something. Hmmmnn. What shall I invent?” And in Joseph Niépce’s life, “I think I want to invent an image capturing device. I will call it a camera. “Today, the camera comes in all shapes and sizes and used for almost everything. Yet, it does not seem to have even scratched the surface of its full potential.
How many of us think that we aren’t smart (enough) to invent something. Yet, many inventions are by accident or a stroke of luck. A good example is “velcro”. George de Mestral was a Swiss electrical engineer who invented the hook and loop fastener which he named Velcro.
Story has it that de Mestral’s clothing became entangled in a patch of burrs and, this led him to wonder what made it stick. Years of research followed, and in 1948 he invented Velcro. (1)
Back to the camera. As I move closer to having my first book published, I have to create a recognizable “writer’s image”. The word “closer” here, is not so much as the distance between one object to another. Here, “closer” is in relation to time.
Funny how that is happening when a deadline has not been set. However, I am mentally preparing to meet a deadline, even though one has not been set. I am already visualising the next two books to be out in less than two years. But first, the first book.
I just realised that at any time, I always have three cameras with me. The most used camera is my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra which is more than just a decent camera. Rated as the best smartphone camera (and still is amongst the best) when it launched. The next camera is the one that comes with my Samsung Galaxy Z-Fold 5. It is right that amongst the best.
Then, I have the Insta 360 Go3 Action camera. It is so small, I thought it can do anything. It can. I just have not made the time to really use it.
All these cameras are helps towards the writing bit. So, I am well equipped as you can see. I take pictures of what I see and tell write about them.
Readers will read the books, articles, essays, stories from the writers. They will know what flows from the pen, computer keyboards, etc that comes from the mind of the writer, the creator. This means that the writer is always behind the pen; as an artist behind a paintbrush, which he “tells his story on canvas”.
While grabbing a fast dinner, I fooled around with the camera. I thought the background setting was just right – grey, red and black. I had my newest hat, a flat cap, (which is the lightest hat I have), on. As my mind wandered, I started shooting. It is absolutely fascinating to think that what the mind can think, we can conceive, make it happen…that is if we put our mind to it. Is the writer an inventor?
NOTES
1. A camera is an optical device that captures pictures that can be kept internally, sent to another place, or both. These visuals might be simple photos or moving images like videos or movies. vedantu.com
2. The name “velcro” – is a combination of ”velvet” and ”crochet,” the French word for hook It is made of two strips of nylon. On one strip is a pile made of tiny loops. The facing strip is covered with tiny nylon hooks. When pressed together the strips adhere, but they can easily be peeled apart and put together again. de Mestral eventually sold the world license for Velcro and lived on royalties and profits from his Swiss factory. nytimes.com
