I wanna take a dust bath
This elephant looks like it is having fun
Camera NIKON D200; Focal Length 70.0 mm (105.0 mm in 35mm); Aperture f/5.6; Exposure Time 0.008s (1/125); ISO 400; Date Taken 2007-06-13 17:42:15 Buy photo.
The elephant taking a dust bath featured above was taken in 2007. It was taken using old technology supporting the Nikon D200. Suffice it to say that technology has come a long way. Editing software such as Photoshop, Capture One, and Topaz AI have changed how we edit photographs (no, I am not compensated for mentioning this software). We live in a society where we can restore old pictures, creating something new from old or decayed photographs that is a visual joy to experience.
I remember when I first started enjoying the art of photography. I was in middle school, and a close friend and I had 35mm cameras. Of course, those were the days of 35mm film. We used light meters. We adjusted our aperture and speed manually without the assistance of computer technology. These are indeed the days of operating a camera manually.
Moreover, if you did not go to the drugstore to develop a film roll, you went to a dark room to develop and edit your pictures. My friend and I used the darkroom method. We rode our bicycles looking for subjects to photograph and then went to my friend's darkroom to develop each picture we took.
Of course, mastering the art of photography was different. You did not get the opportunity to preview each shot after you took it, but you did have a creative process in the darkroom that allowed you to edit your pictures. The process was often challenging and time-consuming, but it was pure joy in the end.
Those were the good old days. However, great new days are here. I love being immersed in the technological tools that help us create joy and memories for others. Although AI is a subject of discussion, I remain focused on the tools that allow me to edit what I create. It is pure joy because I am in control of making art.
Of course, even old 35mm photographs can be restored to their original beauty with today's digital technology. Technology is incorporated into photography in new ways that create challenges and the ability to express yourself artistically. Even with our technological advances, I know the creative process is still present. Artificial intelligence will not replace human ingenuity and vision.
While reviewing photos for editing and publishing, I particularly liked the elephant taking a dust bath. I liked the elephant's expression, and taking a bath looked fun. After finding the photograph, I edited, enhanced, and created a new visual experience from a picture taken with old technology. What you can do while you are in control of the creative process is miraculous. The computer is a 21st-century darkroom. The flexibility in the creative process is awe-inspiring.
Through the technological editing process, enhancing the color through adjusting saturation, using the layering process, and working to sharpen images and adjust contrast and highlighting, modern technology allows me to see the photograph change as I edit it. The process brought back memories of how I captured this dust bath. I remember when we were on safari. My daughter, Hadley, my wife, Vicki, and I were heading to a camp to spend the night. As we were driving, we came across a herd of elephants. This young elephant appeared right before us and engaged in a dust bath, allowing me to capture a unique moment.
I also became curious as to why a dust bath. I researched and later discovered that the dust bath was taken because it cooled the elephant. The dust acts as a sunscreen. Moreover, watching the dust bath, I wondered if the elephant was having fun spraying dust all over itself.
Photography is an art form that allows us to explore the world around us. In today's photographic society, the wonders of technology enable human interaction with that technology, giving us control over the final product. It allows us not only to restore old faded photographs, making them phoenixes that will rise again, but it also allows us to be artists in ways that we could never imagine.
I imagine that this elephant is still alive. I wish I could see it again and show the elephant this photograph. I would tell the elephant that it looked like you were having fun taking your dust bath. I would want to share my memories and experiences of photographing the dust bath with it. Of course, logic dictates this is a silly wish, but emotion dictates it would be a very cool meeting full of joy, and a dust bath from an elephant to boot.
This photograph makes it possible for me to imagine that meeting and the joy coming with it.