Rethinking my photographic strategy
And while I did become a published photographer this year, through the books I helped design and did the photography for (IDEO: Eyes Open London and IDEO: Eyes Open New York), I’m not going to become a full time photographer any time soon. In fact the closest I’ve come to the rush of being a photojournalist was at the last two Pitchfork Music Festivals, shooting for the best Chicago culture and commentary site, Gapers Block. The shows were perfect for so many reasons: tons of great bands, great live music, great access to the stage and the sense of urgency of wanting to get the best shot you can. See the photos from Pitchfork 2007 and Pitchfork 2008 here. In fact if I had a choice I’d love to shoot music shows a lot more than once a year…
So where does that leave me? It leaves me being very busy working on all sorts of projects that don’t have much photography in them. In my new job as the Lead Designer for the Chicago Transit Authority, I’m designing the new buses for Chicago. Not a small feat and one that takes up almost all my daylight hours. I just gave a presentation about it at the World Usability Conference in Chicago. Then there is of course the latest class at the School of the Art Institute, “Innovation Workshop”, with my ever faithful partner-in-all-ventures, Sara (my new wife!!!!). We’re working on a project for the Chicago Public Library and our client and our students have been great to work with.
With all that’s going on, photographically speaking, it leaves me with a very small number of actual exposed frames, and a lot of expensive photographic equipment sitting around gathering dust. Well, to be honest, it would be if the dust could in fact get past the hard shell of a near indestructible Pelican case and the layers of foam within. What this case is protecting my gear from is anyone’s guess.
The simple lesson is that even with the careful road to learning and path of experience, professional gear does not a professional photographer make.
I think that somewhere in my quest for photographic fame and fortune, I got lost in the pursuit of photographic equipment. More stuff, less photos. More things to manage, less things actually being shot. More gear that needs other gear to support it, instead of just going out and shooting like I used to do.
I swear, I used to enjoy photography much more, the less I knew about it. Back when I was just knocking around with my trusty old Nikon D70 and one 35mm f/2 lens, I carried a spare battery and a few memory cards and thought less about the stuff and way more about the shot. It was as simple a logic as that.
So in an effort to rethink and revive my photography, I’m selling off almost all of my gear in favour of a camera with a smaller than full sized professional body and possibly one lens of a single fixed lens length. And here’s where I caught myself out… If and when I need to shoot a proper gig (wedding, concert, event) I’ll rent what I need instead of having the gear on tap underutilized for 95% of the time.
Coinciding with this recent change of heart about owning so much photo gear is a new emphasis in owning less stuff in general. I’ve found that there’s been more than a few purchases over the years that have been driven from a tiny dream of an idea, that warranted me getting the best stuff. Well, I’ve found that unless I really use it more than 4 times a year, I probably don’t need it all that much.
In an effort to cleanse and reduce clutter, I’ve been selling off all sorts of stuff on Craigslist. It’s been really cathartic.
Less stuff = less waste = less work to maintain = less things to worry about and fix = less things to upgrade = less things to buy and start the cycle of madness all over again.
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FOR SALE. Email if interested (georgeaye [at] gee mail dot com). Prices are negotiable.
Canon 1D Mark III: excellent condition, full size professional camera body, 10.1 MP, 10 frames a second, boxed - $3000
Kirk L bracket for Canon 1D Mark III: good condition, precision machined aluminium, Really Right Stuff compatible - $120
Gitzo GT1540 6X carbon fibre tripod: perfect condition, indestructible, incredibly light - $450
Pelican case 1500, with removable velcro dividers, fits full size camera body and lens with to spare, (Interior Dimensions: 16.75″ x 11.18″ x 6.12″ (42.5 x 28.4 x 15.5 cm): great condition - $70
Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L lens: excellent condition, professional mid range zoom. - $800
Nikon SB-800 flash: excellent condition - $200
Nikon SB-800 flash: excellent condition - $200
Nikon SB-600 flash: excellent condition - $135
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Pocket Wizard II transceiver: in perfect shape, with cabling - $160
Manfrotto 3373 folding light stands and jointed flash/umbrella adapters (plus a bonus shoot through umbrella) - great condition, light, durable - $50
Manfrotto 3373 folding light stands and jointed flash/umbrella adapters (plus a bonus shoot through umbrella) - great condition, light, durable - $50
Really right stuff BH 40 Ball head with quick release LR lever: good condition, beautifully machined, with neoprene pouch - $300
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When I get a replacement, I’ll let you know! I’m looking at the Nikon D700 and the Canon 5D Mark II and as far as the lens goes, a simple 50mm prime lens sound good right now.
