I often go to Google to learn how to do something or correct something. And I suppose I often don’t go to Google to do what I could to fix something.

This is a case where I didn’t go to Google and should have.

Six months ago I got my first smartphone — an iPhone 4. One of the neat things it did was take photos and HD (720) videos. Only, there was this little problem: flash pictures came out BLUE. Photos and videos taken indoors were rather dark and slightly blurry. With all my photographic and video interests, you would think I would immediately complain. I could have run to the Verizon store to get help. I could have Googled the issue. I didn’t. What was I thinking?

It was only last week that I decided, finally, to Google the issue. Lo and behold! The first response from a writer was mind-boggling: “Have you removed the plastic which covers the camera lens?” Duh!

I had assumed that the person at the Verizon store, who sold me the iPhone, and who had put the snap-on case cover on the iPhone, had done the job correctly. Nope. He had not removed the 4”x2” plastic that covered the camera lens.

I immediately used that person’s negligence to excuse my own negligence.

But wait — what about the fact that I did nothing about my poor photos for months? I must take the blame. I am the guilty one.

Okay now what? Will this experience help me to more promptly address issues that ought to be corrected? I like to think so. What I did was to mount and frame the culprit — the plastic sheet that covered my camera lens for months. Now when I look up from my computer, I will be reminded of all the lovely photos and videos that I could have captured.

I wonder if I will become complacent by taking lovely photos and videos? Perhaps I ought to make a monthly note on my calendar to temporarily replace that plastic sheet on my iPhone and snap some pictures. But for now, I am in heaven with my super-clear photos and videos. “Bye-bye, BLUE. Here comes happiness.”

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at Robertebsen@hotmail.com