I bought a new camera. Yes. The same model that so mysteriously vanished last week in Sonoma. I had to. Living without an emotional support camera proved too much for me. I felt antsy, tense, like a smoker trying to quit…
“Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease.”— Anonymous
It is. Maybe more like a virus. It is insidious, but once you are infected, I don’t believe that there is a cure for it. Like a diabetic, you have to accept the fact that it is impossible to survive without taking daily shots.
A good photographer is like a dog who smells and goes after things that nobody else sees… A unique snapshot is there, but like a truffle it is hidden and you have to be attentive to uncover it.
It is also ephemeral. It lasts the blink of an eye. The photographer has to be alert and catch it before it vanishes, or before some oaf obstructs his field of vision.
After a while, taking pictures becomes second nature. You don’t wait for special occasions to feed your addiction. You walk with a camera in your pocket and you shoot whatever presents itself or tickles your fancy.
Unlike many disciplines, there is no season for photography. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, there are always gems waiting to be discovered.
So, don’t believe for a minute that after Sneaky Pete was “cam-napped”, you would be free from my unblinking eye. No matter what, I will be there to record your triumphs… or your failures.
In addition, I am convinced that everybody longs for his/her 15 minutes of fame, and through my camera, I can fulfill your expectations. Do something spontaneous, touching, brave or unexpected (like streaking ) and The Eye will be there to record the event.
Take heart fame seekers. Sneaky Pete II and I will record your fancy stuff and make you a (temporary) star. Fame, by the way, is a strange animal. When you reach for it, you will do anything to be noticed. Once you have made it, you will do anything (including punching the photographer) to be ignored. Make up your mind.
“A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity.”– George Bernard Shaw
In the future, when you will see Sneaky Pete II and me, smile because you are about to be briefly famous… (or infamous). And never blame the photographer… he just keeps you honest.
Alain