I tinkered with digital photography beginning in 2001. I got my hands on a decent camera and started to explore. I liked it, but I wanted to perfect it; I wanted to make the pictures what I saw in my mind. I’m a perfectionist, I admit it, OK?

Well a few years go by, and next thing I know I have purchased a DSLR, and I’m a step away from professional quality equipment, teaching myself to take photos that I see in my mind. And I actually do this for the better part of 5 years. Yay me! It’s been fun for that time, but truth be told, if I pour over my portfolio, certain things stand out to me.

Namely, “I’ve seen that flower before…” Yes indeed, I took a picture of that same photo last year. And probably the year before that. You see, I think what’s happened is I’ve hit that point where it’s like “I’ve taken that picture already.” And some that don’t read this might think “Well take different pictures,” and while that would alleviate the issue, I don’t want to take different pictures. I wanted to take the pictures I took. That’s my style. That’s what I find beauty in.

But now, my photography has become that old guy that tells you the same story about when he was a boy your age… Yeah. It gets old. We’ve heard it. We’ve seen it.



What I’ll probably be doing
Something similar to what The Girl is doing right now. Namely, carry around a point & shoot, and shoot the moment simply to share it. I’ll go to photography as a storytelling medium now. Sure there’ll be some beauty in some of the shots, but mostly it’ll give a sense of feeling to where I’m at and what I’m doing. Because honestly, it’s not as though I’m printing up posters or anything; I’m posting them on the web for friends and family – like you – to not look at on the web!



Came to this decision fast, did you?
Yes & no. I have contemplated it, but today was sort of the last example I needed to experience. We both took our cameras out on the same walk, but I didn’t see much worth pulling out my camera for, because I had shot that already, and the thing’s just big and a pain to carry around and pull out for that one shot that I already got.

She, however, got some decent ones today. Because her camera is small enough to be there at the ready when she sees something and wants to try it out on film (er, digital media card). I can’t do that. It’s too bothersome to pull out the biggie, get the right lens on, get all the settings good, then shoot and hope that all the conditions were right to get a shot that may look good.

Basically, if I want to continue on the path I have started and be happy with my output, I’d need to dive deep into it, with better camera, lenses, bags to carry them around in (and make them more accessible), and I’d need to do this all at once. Because getting the bag to make my equipment more accessible won’t cut it; my equipment won’t take the shot quite right anyway. But having just the right camera & lens? Well if they’re not readily available, then I won’t even be able to get it out in time to take the shot.

By the time all is said & done, I’d have to shell out thousands upon thousands of $$ just to take photos that are so good, no one will ever look at them.

Or I could get a nice point & shoot like The Girl’s for a couple hundred $$, and take pictures that aren’t quite as good, and no one will still look at them.

Yeah, seems much cheaper & easier to go with the latter. Sold.


Peace.

Tags: women