“Hello Grasshopper, Long time no see or hear!”
“Yes master, I’ve spent a lot of time meditating and thinking about changes taking place in CCP.”
“Oh! How so?”
“Even if you’re half observant as I am, You will notice that Times are a-changing”
“It’s been changing even in Bob Dylan’s time!”
“Yes master, but this is something that one can’t imagine. In our days, probees and new members cling to old members hoping for photographic wisdom dropping from their lips. Sometimes they apprentice for years with established Professional Photographers gratis and at their own expense!”
“And now?”
“Now they are lecturing old members about post processing, HDR, advantages of 4/3 system over SLR, curves and levels!”
“Lecturing???”
“See! You are as astounded as I am. It took me 2 years before I addressed Benny de la Vega directly and only because Rudy and Amang were present, knowing that he will not blow his top. It took me 5 years to say good evening to Don Jaime, it took me 7…..”
“OK I understand. But please enlighten me, what were the things you mentioned they were teaching?”
“See! Even you are behind the times! Ever hear of Jejomon?”
“You mean the VP?”
“No, no. You are really behind, VP is Jejomar Binay, Jejomon is the new language of text nowadays. If you want to know about texting ask your son or even your grandchild. They can teach you. This is the same thing that is happening in CCP. If you want to know Digital Photography ask the new members or the probees.”
“I see.”
“That is not all master, armed with these new techniques, they can make things move, disappear or appear magically! Remember the cover of Nat Geo 20 years back when they moved the pyramid just to make the picture more balanced?”
“Yes, there was a lot of flak and discussion about it.”
“Yes, master but now they can also put camels, moon and date trees or sharpen everything as if it was taken by a 4×5 camera.”
“Yes, but are they winning contest?”
“Of course! Remember during our time when Rudy presented a landscape photograph, he concocted in his living room with cardboard and miniature nipa hut?”
“Yes, one judge was so taken by it that he rhapsodized about it until Rudy disclosed that it was a set up.”
“Yes, some judges are not familiar about the new techniques that they are blinded by the technical excellence of the entries”
“Like what happened to Rudy before.”
“Yes, master.”
“But I thought you said, Times are a-changin?”
“Yes, master, but now there are 10 or more Rudy de Leon ?
“So, what will you do?”
“I will buy a Mac Pro with 8 gig RAM, 5 Terrabyte Hard Disc, Capture One Raw Converter, Adobe 5, Latest Epson Printer, and HDR software.”
“I did not hear any photography mentioned in your list.”
“Hu cyrs abt ftogrph. its wat u hv dat matrs!”
PS
“Then you better start swimmin
or you’ll sink like a stone
For the Times they are a-changin.”
Bob Dylan
This article was originally published on March 4, 2011 in the CCP Yahoogroups and is republished with the Grasshoppers’ permission.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.