Photography
I’ve had a few hobbies during my 30 years on this planet. Most of them have had to do with cars and by nature, destructive. First it was car audio. The louder, the better. I can’t even count how many amps and speakers I’ve destroyed. After that, it was fast cars. So far, that’s been the most expensive … and destructive. In my 1999 Civic, I blew up three motors and two transmissions. While the speed was fun, having to pay for the replacement motors and transmissions was not. After the fast cars, it was Jeeps. I’ve taken my Jeep through, over, and down obstacles that I was sure would result in a broken axle or busted lockers. Even though I haven’t broken anything (knock on wood), it’s only a matter of time. While I’ll always be a Jeeper first, I’ve developed a similar obsession for a new hobby … photography.
I blame my kid. Before him, I was totally content with taking snapshots with my phone. While the iPhone camera is one of the best smartphone cameras out there, there are so many things you can’t do with it. As my son has developed his personality, I found myself missing the little expressions that come and go in a split second. So I bought a camera. I went with the Sony RX1R. It’s an absolute beast. I started taking more and better pictures than I ever had. My eyes were opened. I know the old adage that says “the best camera is the one you have with you.” But man, being able to take beautiful pictures of the special moments is intoxicating. I wanted to get better. I read everything I could find about digital photography. In a short time, I’ve gotten pretty good with that thing.
Anyway, I have been spending some time trying to pinpoint why I’ve taken to photography the way I have. My dad deserves some credit. When I was a kid, my dad always had one of his trusty Nikons around his neck.
I used to get embarrassed when we would be out as a family and he would start taking pictures. As I got a little older, I would look at him and think that he was spending too much time taking pictures and not enough time enjoying the moments happening around him. Now that I’ve always got a camera around my neck, I realize that I love photography because it’s the first time I’ve been interested in (and good at) something creative rather than destructive. I like that I can shoot and shoot without the fear of throwing a rod. I like knowing that I’m capturing moments that will be around long after I’m gone. I like cataloging my son’s first years. I like knowing that my wife and I will be able to relive these memories decades down the road. I now realize that instead of running from my dad’s lens, I should have been thanking him for his effort to capture so many cherished memories. So if you’re reading this, Dad, thanks.
If you want to check out some of the pictures I’m taking, look here: