Our Day with Trudy at Photokina

"When I was small, the photographer worked under a black cloth and I didn't see what was happening. I just knew pictures would come out. For a flash, they'd use a broomstick with some kind of explosive powder. It would go off, 'bang'!

"This new technology is fascinating, too. It's hard to understand how the pictures go from a digital camera to the screen and to paper, or how they're multiplied, so many of them right away. When we used to retouch photos, we'd have to do everthing so carefully, working the darkroom to get everything right. We spent a long time getting the right exposure or figuring out what paper to use. Now you can lighten or darken the photos digitally. It all goes so fast." What hasn't changed is the importance of the individual eye behind the camera, Trudy says. Even in the age of video, still photos retain a certain power and strength.

It's also important to not be overwhelmed by the new technology, Trudy believes.