Today I wanted to write a few thoughts about the joy of photography and some recent thoughts I’ve had around this topic.  Actually, my thoughts have been occupied about deciding whether or not I want to buy a new camera body and if so, which one.  As part of this decision process I’ve been giving a lot of thought to WHY I want a new camera body.  I already have a Fujifilm X-T5 and an X-T3 with all the lenses I want, plus a Fujifilm GFX medium format system.  What could I possibly be wanting considering how much incredible gear I already have.

A barn and wheat fields in the Palouse during harvest time

Well, I’ve been debating whether I want to buy a smaller camera, one that I can have with me more often than my “big” cameras.  We just did an episode about this on We Talk Photo, maybe you heard some of the discussion. Despite talking it out, I still haven’t completely made up my mind what I’m going to do.  What’s also making me hesitate is all of the news about the latest releases from Fujifilm coming in a couple of months.  Traditionally I would wait until the announcements landed before making any decisions about purchasing new gear.  However, the pull of a smaller camera is very strong right now and I’m not sure if I can resist :-).   A little bit of this might be G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) but being honest with myself, I don’t feel alot of GAS.  What I do feel is somewhat of a hole in my gear line up that I am itching to fill.

As part of this back and forth debate with myself, when I think about why I want a smaller camera, one of the strong arguments I make to myself is a desire to have a camera with me more often than I do and how a smaller camera can make this more possible. Sure my X-T5 is relatively small and sort of lightweight, but when I put my weather-sealed zoom lenses, plus the L-Brackets and other stuff, it turns in to a larger, more serious workhorse camera.  Plus, it’s the camera I use in my job as a photographer and it has all of the baggage of a “work” item.  It just feels too big and burdensome to be taking on family vacations when I’m not going to do “serious” photography. It makes me happy to use my larger cameras, but they are not something that I would consider a “daily carry” camera. So, that is one reason why I want something smaller.

The second most compelling reason I’ve uncovered and admitted to myself is that I LOVE the act of photography.  Seeing the world around me as an artist with a unique vision, then working a composition, then using my technical skills to capture the image. That act brings me such joy in life.  Being creative and seeing creatively has been so rewarding to me throughout my life and it’s a joy that I want to continue to build on and foster and part of that means having a camera with me more than I do.  The act of photography, to me, is the joy of photography!

I can hear you thinking to yourself, “but, you have your phone which has a good camera in it”.  Yes, my phone does have a good camera in it and I’ve used it to take many nice images.  But it’s not the same!  Looking at my phone is not an immersive experience, not like having my eye up to a camera viewfinder.  Pinching and swiping on a screen is not the same as adjusting dials on the camera or feeling the zoom ring as I tighten up a shot.  Plus, getting a phone call on my “camera” in the middle of shooting something is a very disruptive experience!

pinecones under a tree in the white mountains of California

To me, the joy of photography is being in a creative mindset, seeing the world around me in a creative manner, working out a composition and slowing down to fine-tune it to make it right and then selecting the “right” technical settings to achieve my desired results.  That is what really brings me happiness.  Sure, editing is somewhat enjoyable, sharing images with others and having select pieces printed is all nice, but doesn’t bring me joy like the act of seeing – capture.

I first had this thought back when I was sailing in Greenland and shooting for hours and hours from the deck of our wooden sailing ship.  I thought to myself, “what are you going to do with thousands of images of icebergs?”.   The logical answer is that I wouldn’t do much, if anything with them, and on the surface it seemed wasteful.  But standing there on deck watching the most amazing landscape slowly glide by, I realized that I absolutely love the act of photography.  It was made even more special on the boat because the landscape was slowly sliding by and every couple of minutes it was completely different so I could exercise my creative muscles and see/find/compose/execute a completely new set of photos.  It was absolute heaven for me.

The other self-realization I’ve had over the last few of years is that I no longer have a set definition of what I “should” shoot.  I used to identify as a “landscape photographer” so would only limit myself to doing those kinds of shots.  Using my big cameras was fine for that type of work as it was more intentional, slower paced and the subjects didn’t move that much. However as I’ve grown more as an artist, I’ve examined my work and what brings me joy and I’ve found that I will shoot any pattern/shape/texture/color/scene that sparks an interest and I will get alot of enjoyment from that.   This broadening of subject matter and locations has meant that I don’t always need to have my big cameras and have a methodical approach to executing only the finest representation of a particular scene.  There is value and joy in shooting in the moment, experiencing and reacting to the scene around me, and capturing images.  They may not be outstanding images worthy of hanging on my wall, but what I get from the experience is being present in the moment, connected to my subjects and surroundings and taking alot of pleasure in the joy of photography.

If you think about yourself, where would you say you experience the joy of photography?  I know you’ve invested a lot of money and probably a lot of time in this hobby, so what part of it brings you the most joy?