I love photography. My love for taking photos is an ebb and flow. I’m not sure what exactly affects the arbitrary direction of those currents other than the nature of my brain. I still take a fair number of photos but sadly they’re only with my iPhone 6 Plus as of late.
I have a fair amount of camera gear, centered around my Canon 40D from a few years back. I was seriously proud when I bought that digital SLR. I also have a number of pieces of studio lighting equipment and related paraphernalia. I enjoy the whole concept of being a full time photographer – but for some reason I just peter out and lose interest. I’ve been pondering why lately and this is sort of my mental dump on the subject.
I miss my DSLR because it forces me to take the extra moment to compose the shot and find the right way to convey the emotion and special effect on my being at the time. I’m not sure I miss my film-based SLR as much but this effect is definitely amplified when it’s not easy to see the results immediately on a screen.
Carrying around the iPhone/3G/4/5/5S/6 Plus over the years has made photography more accessible to me. (Well, to the world actually) I find carrying around the gear is not super easy but it is definitely the mark of a photographer. I’ve tried smaller bags and those help but then I discover soon I left a particular lens filter in the larger bag at home and I get all crabby. Having the iPhone in your pocket means you can take a picture whenever the need arises. The other huge improvement a smartphone gives you is you can put it away to enjoy the moment easier.
How many times have you been to a serenely beautiful place and can’t help yourself but take a large number of photos and videos? What we’re trying to do as photographers is capture that moment so well so we don’t forget it and then we can share it. With large memory capacities, high frame rates, auto-bracketing, effect filters, etc we start to reduce the quality and forethought into a photo and replace it with quantity. Being worried about getting the right shot from every angle and a slow motion video of all the movement can ruin the moment. Don’t forget to just sit … and watch … and compose the photos in your mind as well.
A. I. Sajib
I’m there with you. I love taking photographs. The idea of being a full-time photographer was thrilling to me, but I never planned to take that as a profession because I love that too much to take the joy out of it. 😛
As for carrying the camera, you’re right. Most of the time when going out with friends on a hangout, I feel myself in a dilemma whether or not I should take the camera with me. One, taking a DSLR makes it look like I’m going to take some serious shots. Two, it attracts unnecessary attention (including those who’d like to snatch it away!). And three, it often feels heavy to carry around all the time. Especially if I have my laptop with me.
Mirrorless cameras like Fuji XT-1 definitely shines in this area. But those still costs too much for me to justify purchasing them.
Donncha
So, are you going to carry around your DSLR more? Just take one lens with you and a small bag. Tell yourself that you can use the bag to put a water bottle in it, or a rain coat while you carry the camera over your shoulder.
I hope you have one of those slingshot shoulder straps? That was my single best accessory purchase for my camera.
Aaron Douglas
I am going to give carrying it around a try again. I have a Kata shoulder bag that I’m going to continue to use. It does fit an extra lens with a limited amount of things like batteries and memory cards.
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