Bob Raines’ kind smile slightly hides behind his thick gray beard. He is the sort of photographer that you don’t really notice is around until he’s suddenly right where the action is. He has learned how to approach a subject while working for Montgomery Newspapers for the past 30 years. At his desk at the Fort Washington office, a framed magazine article hangs that Bob Raines can relate to. From Peterson’s Magazine, “Murphy’s Laws of Photography” appears, listing 10 assurances all photographers can count on from the not so good to the bad. …
1. No picture is as easy to take as it looks.
2. In any group picture, someone’s eyes will be closed.
3. If there is a chance for a prizewinner your ASA will be wrong.
4. When the crowd roars the loudest you will changing your film.
5. Given 20 spots from which to photograph a game, you choice is where the referee will stop.
6. The importance of the play is directly proportional to the number of people who jump in front of you.
7. The need for a specific lens is directly proportional to the distance from the car where it reposes.
8. The probability that your strobe batteries are dead is inversely proportional to the amount of light on the subject.
9. Any piece of equipment that is dropped will seek the hardest surface.
10. Left to themselves, all things will go from bad to worse.
This overdramatic philosophy of photography gives Bob Raines a laugh. His sense of humor keeps him happy, along with the beautiful photos he gets to make working in Montgomery County.