Yosemite Inspired Gene Rose

There's a nice story on Gene Rose's new book about the road to Yosemite National Park by The Bee's Guy Keeler. Gene, a friend and former colleague, taught me an important lesson about photography when my daughter was an infant. It was more than 25 years ago, and I asked Gene why some of the photos of my daughter were good, while others were very bad.

I was looking for a more technical answer about lighting and framing the shot. Gene waved his hand as if to say I was making this way too complicated. "The difference between a professional photographer and an amateur photographer is the professional knows which photos to throw away," he said.

Photography, of course, is way more complex than that, but it was a good lesson for an occasional photographer. Take lots of photos, and just keep the good ones to show your family and friends. I never forgot that bit of wisdom from Gene. Now, with digital cameras, it's especially easy to toss the bad photos.

Gene was both a photographer and reporter for The Bee, covering the region's back counrty recreation areas. His latest book"Yosemite's Tioga Country" is published by the Yosemite Association.