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| Obviously NOT just camera gear...or is it? |
Here I am in the first weekend of February and I have yet to
really get outside and do some exploring.
The conditions today were not shaping up to be anything spectacular, but
the weather was nice (it was a balmy 55 degrees today!) so I decided to head
out. There is a large plateau near my
house with a large parking area and a straightforward hike up a dirt road. I had driven past this location many times
making a mental note to stop one day.
Well, today was the day!
I hopped out of the car with my camera pack for the first
hike of 2013. I started up the hill to
the top of the plateau and I suddenly and shockingly realized that a month of
sitting around thinking about going
to the gym is NOT the same as actually working out. I huffed, puffed and cursed my way up the
hill to a decent view of Denver and the foothills, but I left with no images of
the evening.
Now I am home with my glass of wine and reflecting on the
short trip, I realize my legs are actually
sore from this little jaunt! What!?! Yikes.
I like say I would have been flying up that hill if I didn’t have my
camera gear, but who am I kidding? I was
almost beaten by a 4 year old who was having a conversation all the way to the top;
I could barely remain conscious!
This is the time of year for making, breaking, and revising
resolutions so here is mine: Lighten the load.
Not only do I need to be in better shape to move around in the beautiful
areas of nature, I need to simplify my photographic mission. My bag is full of equipment for all scenes:
landscape, wildlife, and, of course, macro.
Who am I kidding? I LOVE
macro. Absolutely love it. More than all the
other genres combined.
Why do I insist on carrying a minimum of 3 lenses and all
the paraphernalia they require? Simple:
I don’t want to miss “the shot” because I was too lazy to pack a piece of gear
I already own. It is time to dial it
back. Don’t hold your breath for a
massive sell-off of lenses, they still have a place in my equipment stash, but
I just do not need to carry them with me everywhere. I need
to allow myself to leave some gear behind and some expectations at home.
Stay tuned for images
made with more imagination and less gear in 2013!
