And before that Canon system, I was shooting with a couple of Nikon film cameras and a whole pack-full of lenses. Remember, these were solid metal cameras, but my back was younger and stronger. And around that same time, I was out there shooting with a Mamiya RB67, a weighty medium format camera and a couple of huge lenses and tripod. A really big tripod. And before that, my monorail 4x5 and a coupe of lenses. And before that, a magnificent flat-bed Burke & James 8x10 camera, for which I had (and could really only afford) one lens, but it was a doozy.
You can see that my progress through life as a photographer has been not only to learn and grow, but also and equally to shed weight and travel as light as possible. Each of these influences the other. I don’t know how much lighter and faster I could go, but if my glasses could become a good camera I’d give that serious thought. Because this is what it’s really about: the need to make images, not to project one. The more gear I shed, I find, the more impactful is my photography. The moments are clearer, more immediate. And I’m having enormous fun.
But of course now I’m starting to sound a little preachy, and I’ll have none of that. Some of my best friends are dedicated gear heads, and I admire them for the effort. Shoot and share, says I.
As for me, I’ll just take the rest of the summer off.