I think I have just read my 456238973rd forum discussion on “why I use a Alpha, Pentax, Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad, Zeiss or Zorki etc camera” and I am so tired of the reasoned logical arguments that people use to justify their expensive toys that I have decided to publicly announce why I use the camera make I use! Their arguments are so bloody clinical.
During the 1980s after having been conscripted in the army I fled South Africa for political reasons and I spent several years doing street photography in the sun, rain and snow in the boulevards of Paris. They were wonderful years of dreams, cheap red wine and warm baguettes and a little room in a garret in the centre of what is the city of my dreams. During the course of this I met the celebrated minor actress Migi Bouffin (she had a cameo appearance in Diva). Our meeting was so typically Paris in winter; it was raining and she chose to shelter under the umbrella that I was using to protect my camera from the falling raindrops and flakes of snow! To cut steamy details and a long story short I eventually decided to return to South Africa and when I left she gave me her camera and a few lenses. I still have the original camera body and when I sniff in the area of the viewfinder I still smell her perfume and feel the warmth of her cheek on the back of the camera. She also gave me some lenses and one is about the same size and shape as her breasts!
Even though I am older now I occasionally return to the city of my dreams and late at night we still talk about those days. She still uses the same perfume as all those years ago and we still share all those images and memories.
I could never change camera make and I suppose my photography is still built on dreams, imagination and pure passion!
(Back-focus, mine is better than yours, service issues and the like are boring. Sort them out, make them interesting or see a psychologist and rather go create images and have a bit of a life away from the internet.)
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