Photographer with Heart
I have long lamented that photography purchases are no longer "fun" - it’s work. I don’t buy cameras, lenses, or lighting equipment for fun any more. I have long since passed what any reasonable hobbyist might need in terms of photographic equipment - I’m equipped to work as a photographer. Sometimes I wonder what my equipment kit would be like if I simply took photos as a hobby. I don’t wonder for very long because I just have to think about what my needs are and what my favorite lenses are, and that’s it. Still, I have friends and acquaintances coming up to me every now and then to ask me what latest and greatest equipment they ought to buy. I never ask if they’re surprised that, although I love photography, I do not get excited about new equipment.
In any case, here’s a blog posting from a photo hobbyist who has his values straight. He opted for an older Nikon D200 rather than the newest D300, and he used the money he saved for something for more worthwhile than being on the cutting edge of technology - he used the money instead to sponsor and help impoverished children in Nicaragua!
I have spent a lot of money on equipment because I have to. Hobbyists who shoot purely for fun do not have to. It makes me very happy to read how this one photographer chose what I believe to be the right path with his equipment!