ZachIsHere

I stumbled into photography accidentally. Took a class that provided me with a cheapo digital camera and let me run free with it. I must have canvassed the whole town; nothing was safe from that lens. Walking down the streets in a very deliberate fashion looking for the angle, the reflection, the interesting person, or the narrative jump out at me. Standing in the middle of a sidewalk just gazing into an empty alley trying to ignore the people around me that were justifiably confused as to what was going on or what I was doing. I remember being out in the middle of the night taking pictures in downtown Springfield. Nobody was around…even the bar crowd had cleared out. The whole place is usually so lively but it was empty right now and the feeling was eerie. Moving into the middle of the street and getting close to the road I took a few shots.

I remember being floored by this photo. Being absolutely in love with it. These days? I might not give this a second look. The whole thing is too yellow for my liking and the closeup road thing is cool but you see too much asphalt…being able to see more beyond the road is more interesting.

But who is right? The person now or then? I am not sure. These days I am blessed with a really nice rig. A camera setup that lets me do everything I could dream of but there are times I feel like I was a better shooter with that $75 camera. You had to work harder for it. The technical limitations of the camera forced you to go about things in creative ways to get shots.

I wouldn’t trade what I have now of course. I am able to do a lot of interesting work in almost any setting. But sometimes I wonder if the L series lens and the fast shutter speed have made my eye for the “real” shot lazy.