A Photo Geeks ups and downs through words and images.
After grabbing some gear and noshing on some tasty, but incredibly overpriced, bagels at “Call Your Mom.” We headed back to the car to head home. Just before the garage entrance, we came upon this funky looking, winding staircase. Not having my camera, I grabbed my iPhone and geeked out while pedestrians passed and a woman screamed into her phone. The moment was a nagging reminder to bring my camera with me wherever I go.
While there’s never been a day that I haven’t regretted leaving my camera at home. The practice of bringing one with me everywhere I go has undoubtedly kept me from living in the moment and learning to appreciate something without documenting it for whatever reasons I deem fit. 
Knowing full well the perils of cluttering your hard drive, computer or phone device with countless unwanted images. Old habits die hard and trying to capture images that inspire you in on way or another is nothing to fault someone over. Still, capturing images with my phone allows me to instantly edit and feel less compelled to keep what I don’t want. Being that I still find inspiration in things others often overlook or discard. I’m thankful for having more than one option to capture and share the things I love.
When leaving the house this morning. I left with no intentions of checking my camera’s battery or making sure the card inside had been cleared, or for a better word, “formatted” the last time I uploaded a session to my laptop. As of late, my newer camera bag. The one I bought to house a rather large 70-200 lens. Seems to be getting heavier and heavier.
Truth be told, I’ve gotten lazy and though not seeing nearly as many as many photographers and more phones being used to capture the moment makes me cranky. I can’t help think that maybe I should be changing with the times. However, with my stumbling, fumbling, shutting off and often having to remove my thumb from the picture i’m trying to compose. Chances are I’ll be holding on to my film and DSLR’s for years to come. And while there’s no doubting my regret of not taking my camera long with me for such a picturesque trip. I was pretty satisfied with some of the images I managed to capture with my phone.
As we parked the car about a block from one our favorite breakfast spots. I noticed this awesomely cool pick up truck parked in one the nearby drive ways. While I have definitely gotten away from the pratice of taking my camera with me everywhere. I haven’t lost the desire to stop to capture a moment or document something that I find particularly inspiring or eye catching. Whether you notice or not. I did a little cropping ss to obscure the license plate. I took this one this morning at around 9:30 am. with my iPhone. As of late, perhaps due to the size of my new camera bag and array of lenses to choose from, I’ve gotten lazy. That or I’m just not thinking about picture taking when I’ve got Johnny Cakes and bacon on my mind,.
One might ask. “What’s better than ordering delicious four dollar Vietnamese sandwiches on a Saturday afternoon?” How does doing so at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant that offers billiards and an open bar while you wait, sound? Okay, so I did leave my camera bag in the car and was forced to rely on my iPhone 7 for proof. That won’t keep me from sharing.
As my social anxiety manifests itself. I am becoming increasingly overwhelmed and flat out bothered by how attached people are to their phones, mobile devices and social media. How many times I’ve watched as family and friends go out together and communicate solely through their phones and apps. Watching a man staring in to his phone as he sits with a beautiful woman. Unable to take a moment to realize what he’s missing out on. It would seem that the more connected we are to technology and social media. The more detached we become from one another. Sure, it’s great to have 839 friends on Facebook, but would you even recognize them if you saw them on the streets or at your local hangout. Even worse, would you ever want to see any of them in real life?
My wife lightheartedly refers to them as “The Walking Dead.” This morning, however, took the cake. As I walked in to the public restroom. The guy ahead of me was texting with one hand while holding his Johnson with the other. Imagine being so obsessed with your digital device that you can’t enjoy a private moment with your own manhood. The truth is there is a growing part of the population who spend the majority of their time with their faces firmly planted on the screens of their phones. Am I alone in thinking we’ve lost our focus on what’s real? Will people one day regret not being able to get back the time lost with friends, family and real life encounters? Well, there’s probably an app. for that.
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