Jimmy Carter

Buc-ee's

Temple, Texas

February 28, 2023

Way back when in 1978 Jimmy Carter signed into law the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (became known as PURPA) which set the US on a course to encourage the development of natural-gas fired cogeneration plants and renewable power plants. There were a lot of crappy plants built as a result but there were many more than helped diversify our generation mix. In a way, PURPA was the catalyst for much of the electricity generation market we have today.

That's a sidebar to the point of this post. This photo appeared in National Geographic and is an awesome example of the use of depth of field. Carter stands out because the background is blurry which is no doubt what the photographer wanted. Given this photo was taken in the 1970s, she had to rely on adjusting the settings on her camera -- her film camera -- to get the depth of field she wanted.

Today, we can still use our camera settings to get the depth of field we want on our digital cameras (also true of cameras on our phones but to a lesser degree). But we also can adjust the background and foreground in "post production" on our computers. Film cameras were more demanding; I am glad today with have digital cameras!

This photo is a reminder to me to think about depth of field when setting up a shot. It's less of an option when shooting landscapes but for closer opportunities, it sure is a way to enhance a photo.