SOUNDIMAGEPLUS: Is that really your idea of fun?

The problem with being being a spec. analysing gearhead, obsessed with MTF charts and dynamic range comparisons etc. is 1) When are you ever satisfied with what you own? 2) If you see your images only in terms of technical quality, just what kind of photographic artist are you? and 3) Is that really your idea of fun? Now I do of course seriously doubt whether anyone who reads this blog is anything like that. If you are you are definitely reading the wrong blog.

Sure, it is a good idea that someone checks out what out cameras and lenses are capable of, but where does that fit in in terms of photographic creativity, exploration and the sheer joy of producing images that make us look at what the picture is telling us rather than calibration charts or ppi count? If you see photography as a science rather than an art and you shoot with your head rather than your heart, what satisfaction do you get from what you produce?

I don't want to ever shoot the 'perfect' picture either technically or aesthetically, because what do I do after that? For me the joy of photography is trying out new techniques, looking for new situations and new varieties of light and finding compositional combinations that surprise me and push the boundaries of what I can see and what I can create.

If the Ted Forbes video teaches us anything it is that arguing about dual card slots and video frame rates has to be one the most depressing and pointless activities on the planet. And yet the photographic internet is full of it. There are even people who make a living out of it, with their white boards and pointers and pages of MTF charts. There is even some greybeard, something to do with an elephant, who drones on and on and on about nothing in particular for what seems like hours. If watching something like that is your idea of a good time, then you have my sympathy.

Now not everybody wants to be, or is capable of, being a photographic 'artist'. Some people just enjoy the process of going out with a camera and lens(es), using them and if they get something worthwhile it's a bonus. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I've been doing it for years!!! Since it's how I make a living I am obliged to come back with images that someone else might like to publish, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun while I'm doing it. Regular readers will know that I'm very fond of using odd camera / lens combinations, many of which I'm convinced are the only time they have ever been combined. Just how many other people have gone out with a Leica M10 fitted with a Samyang 14mm cinema lens? I suspect not many, if any at all.

But I had a great time using it and got some interesting images.

I believe very strongly that you can't achieve anything creatively if you don't enjoy the creative act and find it stimulating, challenging and yes, exciting.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

I never leave the house with the same camera / lens combination.
I have more lens adapters than most people have lenses.
I may never get through all the combinations.
Some of my lenses are regarded as cheap, old, not exactly the best in terms of specs. and / or reputation, but somehow they manage to create interesting images.
The cost of a lens doesn't guarantee a successful image.
There just isn't enough time (or money) to try everything I want.

Now that's MY idea of fun.

Click HERE to visit SMALLRIG.COM - for Video and Hybrid Camera Accessories