My New Hobby

Last weekend Eileen and I picked up our first DSLR camera - something that I have wanted for years, but never got around to purchasing.  I am a self-confessed tech geek and I've had a DSLR on my radar for a while.  I live on cnet.com and everyday read about the new technologies that I so desperately would love to own.  But in the real world of Adult Land, "boring", yet essential products such as furnaces, air conditioners and water softeners take priority over the likes of a Playstation 4, MacBook Air, Samsung Galaxy products, smart watch, and yes.....a DSLR digital camera.  So Eileen and I saved all of our Christmas and birthday money to buy my latest tech obsession, the Canon T3i digital camera.

What this means is that in addition to playing guitar, golfing, and blogging, I now have a new hobby....photography.  The last two go together perfectly and I cannot wait to share my progress as I begin the transition from point-and-shooter to a more creative approach to picture-taking.

One of my favorite inspirational writers, Seth Godin, recently wrote a blog post about playing the clarinet.  Seth tells a story about how he tried to learn the instrument for eight years and ultimately quit playing due to not putting enough effort and time into learning.  He goes on to say that people, as well as companies should focus on their strengths and be really good at one or two things instead of being mediocre at many things.  Seth ends his post with, "We opt for more instead of better", but "better is better than more".

While I agree with Seth's overall sentiment of "better is better than more",  I think that being mediocre at a few things is not horrible - as long as those few things are focused and add up to a greater good.  My hobbies all fall under the umbrella of creativity.  Whether I express myself through words, music, or now - images, I think that a whole bunch of mediocre adds up in the end and makes me a stronger, more rounded (and hopefully, more
creative) person.  The important part is to keep learning new things, keep expanding creativity, and never settle on mediocrity.  I'm going to try my hardest to be really good at this photography stuff.  Just as I try to be a better blogger and guitar player.  Get a little better every day.

It's amazing how still she will sit when tempted with a treat.

So plan to see many more pictures of my dog Clancy, she is the perfect subject for an amateur photographer.  Old, lazy, and doesn't move much; you couldn't ask for an easier assignment while learning the basics.  She runs my life anyways, so I might as well document her's through photography.  This is going to be fun.  I won't be learning this all by myself either.  Eileen has showed great interest in learning as well, so who knows, 5 years from now we might be running a full service wedding cake/photography studio.  This camera isn't just another gadget in our house, it's a conduit for creativity and memory preservation and I cannot wait to begin.