On Cameras

Thanks to the generosity of Meek's good friend Danielle we've had the use of a really very nice camera for the last few months. It was supposed to move along to some other lucky recipient who had a project in mind, but (happily for the denizens of Casa Fuss) Danielle hasn't yet wandered by the store to effect a handoff.

As a result I've been snapping away rabidly in the shadow of a looming camera-free existence- the old camera broke and we're broke so there's no permanent replacement on the schedule.

more at the flickr

Now, we've always made do with hand-me-down digital cameras, mostly from Bobo. If you put your thumb on any digital pic snapped in the last decade, it was snapped with a camera that was pretty darn good five or so years before the photo was taken. My first digital camera had a substantial delay between pressing the button and the shutter firing- it was like one of those turn of the century portrait cameras, where the flash pan took a few seconds to blaze off. The next one was a huge improvement in every way, a Sony Cybershot. The image quality was quite nice, and while there was still a noticeable delay it was vastly more responsive. I was reasonably happy with it and would still be snapping away but for some kind of corruption in the lens- suddenly, these weird spots of discoloration started showing up in the middle of every picture.

Enter Danielle's SUPER CAMERA, by way of Meek borrowing it to take pics of art & stuff for her blog. The nature of the commune being what it is the camera was quickly pressed into service documenting Fuss Evolution.


Let me dispel the popular myth that the photographer makes the photo, not the camera.

HOGWASH!

The difference between that old Cybershot and Danielle's Canon G12 is the difference between making your way to the store on a 'vintage' skateboard with clay wheels or driving to the store in a late model Honda Accord. It isn't a crazy professional rig, but it is vastly better than the old camera in every way.

If I were a talented, creative photographer I could take good pictures with whatever I had at hand, but I'm me. And being me, the camera upgrade has made a huge impact on the quality of my photos.