Where Is My Camera? (Short Piece)
I haven’t been here for a while and as usual nothing has changed. Stable restaurant concepts stay same forever. The shops on the streets have changed. Everything looks new and changing. Only two years ago, I was told the source of the real estate money was of questionable origins but San Francisco has a great ability to tolerate anything dirty springing up and appearing clean. More clean looking businesses that appear stranded in the middle of nowhere and don’t fit in with the neighborhood. The pitch should be they are part of the future and these blocks are coming up which appreciates the real estate value of these buildings hence dirty money from Chicago turns into very clean and profitable. Kudos to Gavin and his legacy. I am glad the government is changing and formalities aside many things will simply get seized. And what does all this have to do with this review blog?
I have started shooting in black and white which is okay but a completely different animal. My attempt at using conventional cameras once again failed. None of the devices are built to be easily portable and put to use without any planning and inconspicuously. I am stock with my Blackberry not because is a great camera but because it can be put to use in practically half of one second by pulling out. The wait for the camera to load is not important. The shot is made once I find it out there and pull the camera. The capture is a few seconds and I can keep going from there. That design has made me believe a camera with similar design will be ideal. Kodak Zx5 was around and I tried it but the big boss says it is a toy. The design and functions are workable for me but had to agree the screen is too small. I cannot see what I shoot. When Samsung Galaxy Player 5 was being announced and I was most enthusiastic I had found my media device, the device came as very highly recommended by the bossman (in charge of the art stuff) for one reason above others. The 5 inch screen shows the photograph before there is a photograph. He guaranteed I can take photographs of quality expected for professional work. Others say anything to get me to stop clicking on the cellphone and passing them as photographs. Frankly, a good SLR would do the job except in the real world, SLR and point-n-shoot have no use. I hate the term spy camera but that is the closest to why the choice of a camera is so difficult. Our friends at CIA blurted that one out. The quality, speed and compactness needed is captured in very specialized devices made for unusual purposes.
I searched online and many places. My search continues and I did find vertical grips for SLR cameras to be very interesting but just a waste of reading time. Nikon S5 took my attention but I had to skip for the same reason Canon SD4500 SI was close but no cigar. The viewfinder has to be seen when camera is gripped. The next priority is the shutter has to be in middle for thumb use. A one hand operation camera of such design will get used but the remaining problem is the viewfinder will be too small for active composition. Bossman has sent orders for the device to be built. Camera makers have no problem experimenting with prototypes especially if requested by very famous people and they can fail and won’t matter. They move to the next one. We hope this step works because I am all out as far as options for the camera. One suggestion the came as a joke still remains an option: “Get a Blackberry with a better camera and lens?” That actually will work but the problem is bossman hopes I turn my casual hobby into a disciplined activity. The quality of my photos have been too good versus how many I have taken and I am asked to carry a “real” camera and shoot in black and white (and on film?). Since film will cost a fortune, a good digital camera is deemed suitable. I am to shoot for thirty days and keep the memory cards in a safe deposit box and not even look at them. I like to learn from seeing my photos but am told I am fine and just shoot. My job is shoot and somebody else will do the rest. Bossman thinks the photos will be very valuable because I took them and how they were done and the choice of subjects. I HAVE to travel where all men go and no man goes. And the people I meet are a big deal to many. The photographs will be invaluable over time. Bossman wants to sell them and feed his artist buddies. Art can bring money and cost money to make. The argument is valid and the push for the camera is justified. Nobody pays big bucks for significant art created by a camera cellphone. On the other hand, this whole thing started when someone told the bossman if I have the right camera, I probably shoot 10000 photos each month. And they think all of them are very good and since I think they are best suited to be slapped on the Internet, they want all the photos and told me I cannot touch them. I have believed in being stuck is part of life. I get stuck with all kinds of stuff and have to go with or deal with. This project is another one. Somebody thinks passive photographs taken on the run will count for something very important to them. And what am I do? If I cannot disagree, I am stuck with the project. Frankly, this project is least of my worries and concerns to avoid but the camera thing has turned into a puzzle and bugs the shit out of me until solved and then I can take photographs.
