in a little more than an hour one of my beloved nikon cameras will sell to the highest bidder on eBay. and suddenly, i’m getting sentimental about having to give it up. its a wonderful piece of machinery and it is the instrument i’ve used to take some of my favorite photographs. we learned the ins and outs of photographing the nude and made some beautiful artwork together.
so, is it ridiculous to get sentimental about a camera? it doesn’t know what great pictures it took. its not even aware that it takes pictures. its just a specialized collection of metals and semiconductors wrapped in a magnesium and plastic shell. but yet, it seems like such a part of me, even if it has been sitting mostly unused in a corner of my camera bag for the past year or so. when i hold it in my hands, it seems to fit so well and when i turn it on, the controls are right where i expect them to be.
and the new camera that will replace it will be something different. a new girlfriend with longer hair and curvier hips! but the first time we try to make love with the light, it’ll seem all wrong. i’ll fumble for her buttons and she won’t respond the way i like. but eventually we’ll get to know better how each other works. i’ll learn what makes her squeal and she’ll come to know what makes me groan. in the long run, the perturbations caused by this shift will cause new neurons to connect, new possibilities will open up, and the creative flood will rush forth. so stay tuned! its sure to be an interesting ride!!
now… what’s high bid up to again?!?
So Many Stars 
The camera becomes an extension of our soul and vision; the comfortable relationship we form with it is critical to the making of the artistry that we strive to achieve. Like the favorite brush of a painter, these tools put us at ease and free our minds to explore the boundless opportunities in this never ending journey. I often refer to my Hasselblad as my Swedish mistress.
May your new love affair bring you new levels of excitement, energy and reward!!!
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Not strange at all. The nikon was a touchstone for some beautiful memories. You’ve only shed the touchstone, not the memories. 😉
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🙂
I know this feeling as well… I have sold my complete film equipment last year and when I packed the stuff, my daughter asked my why I have tears in my eyes… I couldn’t give her an answer, but I guess she knew what happened…
there is just one camera that I could not sell, my very first one, the rollei my father gave to me when I started with photography 31 years ago… I still have it and there is no money in the world that could buy this cam 🙂
Frohe Weihnachten, Scott.
cheers
VT
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