I have thousands of photos of the Hamptons on my phone, capturing sailing sunsets, selfies, and even some majestic shots of eagles. It seems I can’t resist documenting every day through a photo. Let’s face it; the Hamptons offer countless picturesque spots that compel you to stop, whip out the camera, and press the button. Just this week, I seized the opportunity to capture a Blue Heron at the pond off Old South Cemetery in East Hampton Village. I stopped the car, rolled down the window, and nailed it. Have you ever done something similar? I guess yes.
If you are sixty-something or beyond, you can recall movie cameras with massive floodlights and regular cameras with flash bulbs. To take a photo, you needed film. Remember Kodak, the once-mighty film company? This Jan 19th, 2024, marks the 12th year since its declaration of bankruptcy, coinciding with the rise of iPhones and other smart devices equipped with digital, filmless photo capabilities. Now, who doesn’t have a smartphone?
Waiting for film development used to be an ordeal. The film would often return with weird lines or out-of-focus shots. Out of a whole roll, there would be only one or two winners. I recall my brother advising me to take 100 pictures before a trip, hoping to get 10 good ones. How times have changed, thanks to digital cameras in phones! I vividly remember purchasing my first digital camera at the Radio Shack in Montauk in 2004. With that magical digital device, I could easily complement my weekly articles for the Montauk Pioneer and Dan’s Papers. I would connect the camera to my computer using a cord and email the photos along with my stories to the Bridgehampton office from Montauk. No more dealing with inexpensive primitive cameras and the race to meet Tuesday deadlines.
It’s a shame how few photos I have of my first 55 years. Now, I have thousands. My specialty has to be my Gardiner’s Bay sailing sunset photos, which were a weekly feature on hamptons.com a few years ago! Having a very photogenic wife, I love taking pictures of her at the beach, kayaking, swimming, and just enjoying the beauty of places like Louse Point or Atlantic Beach. The Hamptons are a photographer’s paradise, with amazing natural light that produces phenomenal photos. There must be millions of really great Montauk Lighthouse photos on phones all over the U.S.A. I have at least a dozen. Interestingly, I have a framed photo (film) from 1986, alongside one I took in 2004 with that primitive Radio Shack digital camera, both still hanging in my home.
I would guess that everyone now has a printed and mounted photo of the Hamptons that they took with their phone camera, proudly displayed in their home or office. How could you not? We document meetings with friends and great fun events with group selfies. It’s crazy to think that before 2006, there were no selfies. Now, the internet gets millions of them posted every day.
Sadly, all I have left of my parents are a handful of photos taken by film cameras that were in focus and good enough to preserve. After my mom passed, I received a brown envelope containing photos she saved for me. I suppose I’ll pass them on to my grandchildren someday before I move on.
With the farms, beaches, villages, parks, country roads, and trails, the Hamptons offer many treasures worth capturing in beautiful photos. I’m sure by now; I am preaching to the choir. We all have favorite photos, yet we continue to create new ones monthly. I can’t pick just one favorite of the Hamptons; I would have to narrow it down to my best 100, and even that would be tough.
