I Have Dated...

Scene from the Commute by jaime montemayor on 500px

Over the the past 4 (or 5, I forget) years, I have dated owned played with many many many cameras. It began quite innocuously, and then, I found myself putting some money away every paycheck, so that I could "just try" the "next new thing." And I found lots of writings on the internet. And, the worst thing of all, I found online buy/sell boards...

I am not a professional. I think the appropriate label, one that describes me well, is that I am an "enthusiast." I love the craft of photography AND I love gears. I try to create "beautiful" images, or "memorable" images. Here, "beauty" and "memorable" are meaningful only to myself, and not necessarily to the world.

Many friends have, over the years, asked me for opinions and recommendations regarding cameras and lenses... and even techniques... I always answered in earnest, sharing the knowledge that I acquired from ACTUALLY owning and using gears. Some have asked why I don't share publicly. The truth was, and has been, until now, that I needed to find my voice, my center, to be comfortable with myself, and my relationships with gear, with the discipline of creating images, and most importantly, with accepting my views about my life in photography as legitimate.

There are thousands and thousands of online information about cameras, lenses, charts, comparisons, etc. Here, I share my experiences on the interactions (between a human and a machine) and my inner thoughts and struggles.

After all, in 2015, pretty much all "decent" digital cameras are awesome. Seriously. Pick up anything and you can probably get a great shot. Yes, some require more work than others. And unless one has very specific technical requirements, the choice of gear really comes down to the human and his/her idiosyncrasies, and not so much about the machine...

Do you see that? I just wrote my opinion. That was actually very hard for me. In any case, I am going  to be as honest as I can, as I confess my camera fetishes obsessions relationships.