Photography

I've been obsessed over the past year or two with cameras. I love my Olympus PEN E-PL2, but I still rewatch reviews of cameras I could never afford. I'm thinking that if I save for a few years I could eventually upgrade to an OM-D E5. If it could drop under $800 during that time, I'd probably take the plunge, assuming I don't need the money for more important things.

While the lenses I would like to get which are made for the m4/3 line are prohibitively expensive (Panasonic's 20mm pancake and 45-200mm telephoto are within striking distance) I've learned that old legacy lenses are plentiful and cheap, and only need a $10 adapter. I should have the money when my next paycheck comes in for a Zuiko 35-70mm lens (70-140mm equivalent, with the m43 crop factor). It's not a far reaching zoom lens compared to Panasonic (400mm) but at a quarter of the price, I can afford it without cutting into my food budget. Plus, I'm curious and excited to try using a manual focus only lens.

I'm not really sure why I got so caught up in cameras. I'm looking forward to whenever I can go shooting with my Dad. I think of myself as an artistic person. Music is my specialty but I'm not a 100% music-all-the-time musician. Which makes me nervous, practically, when I have to go out and win a job, competing against more dedicated and more talented players. I guess I dabble. I don't like to be pinned down. I'll write a bit of poetry or draw when the mood takes me. Photography is another creative activity I'm learning to enjoy more seriously.

I hope I'll be happy as a musician, if I can make it professionally. I think that the music changes enough (if not too quickly!) to keep the job from becoming repetitive. Chas brought up a good point in one of my lessons, though, about why musicians might get burned out or disillusioned in orchestra.

"We're taught all our lives to be individuals, to make creative choices, and to think for ourselves. Then after 20 some years of that, we get into an orchestra where we have no creative voice. Unless you're the concertmaster or section leader, you don't even get to make your own bowings or fingerings. Someone else tells you how to play. You might think that a certain phrase should be interpreted this way. But it doesn't matter, because it's not up to you."
 

Back to photography, I think if I pursue it as an artform, it'll become part of who I am. It'll be something that defines me. I'm always thinking about traditions and how I wish I were known for something unique. "As I always say..." For some reason I believe that repetition develops substantive meaning, as long as it's not a result of superficial planning. I suppose all that matters is what an action means to me. If I want to consider my habit of falling asleep to LOTR something special, that's my right.

Emma takes lots of pictures of birds. I like taking pictures of wildlife, which is a main reason I want a telephoto lens. I don't think of myself as a street photographer. I'm not confident enough to bother people taking their picture. I love architecture, but I'd really like to do something special with landscape photography. What I like about photography is how it changes my perspective of my surroundings. But most of all, it's part of my love of travel. There's nothing I'd rather do than explore new places, and every great photo brings me back to a special place.