Are Cameras Personal to You?

My Grandfather's Old Chair; (click to enlarge)

This porch chair is about 50 years old and is one of the most comfortable chairs in which I have had the pleasure to sit. It belonged to my grandfather, then my father and it is now mine. It has survived and had not been discarded because it is well made, comfortable and serves its purpose better than others. One can grow attached to certain items such as chairs, cameras, old trucks, tools or other objects when they are quality built, just work well and feel really good.  Favorites have a place in our lives. (That brownish color of the metal is a light coating of rust and the cushions are filled with excelsior.  Character!)

Cameras and the selection, purchase, handling and use of cameras can be very personal to some.  Most photographers I know are very particular about their cameras and how they treat them.  Some photographers I know think of them as just tools—a means to an end, so to speak.  Are your cameras personal to you?

Cameras are personal to me so let me write from that perspective.  I will admit that they are, indeed, only tools, but a hammer can be very personal to a carpenter.  A carpenter normally is very selective about what hammer he or she buys, its length, weight, materials out of which it is made, business end configuration, etc.  Any carpenter I know doesn't tell his or her buddy, "Hey, bring me a hammer back when you go to the hardware store."  He wants a specific type of hammer that suits his needs and his way of working best.

If your cameras are no more special to you than a pencil or a rake, so be it.  That is fine. A lot of people feel that way about most things.  I just like to appreciate great design, workmanship and high quality.  Throwing your camera around and treating it no differently than an old pair of boots is okay.  You get to make your own choices in this world.

In most things, I'm a very precise person.  I am a long term planner-type which is balanced by being very attentive to details.  My cameras, to me, are instruments of creation and pleasure.  When I find a camera I really like, I tend to use it more and create better images with it.  I love to look at it, hold it and admire its quality.  It is a tool, but a very finely designed and crafted tool.  Now, I'm not obsessing about my gear, nor am I weird, but just appreciative in having a tool that provides me with confidence and satisfaction. The more I think my camera is suited to me and the way I work, the more I want to take it out and the more inspired I become.  But that is just me.  Your mileage may vary, so to speak.

Researching, selecting and buying a camera is a big deal to me.  Not only because the cost is high, but it must meet my needs for the types of images I want to create.  It also must feel good in my hands, fit perfectly, have substantial quality of build and create shutter sounds that are pleasing to my ear.  A camera is a tool, but a finely crafted tool that will be a pleasure to use in most every way.

How about you?  Just another tool in your toolkit or do you really like your cameras?

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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