Basically, I love my new DSLR!

Something happened on the morning of the 30^th. Something struck inside me and convinced me it would be a good idea to pick a DSLR as fast as possible, ultimately before life got in the way and the world zipped up and hid my budding passion for photography in the attic (or wherever lost inspiration goes to hide). But like seriously... one moment I was there eating white chocolate chip and maple syrup buttermilk pancakes (omg)…and the next I was online reserving my first ever DSLR to be picked up later that day. An impulse buy?  Kinda.  I mean, I knew what I was looking for, having spent the past few months wistfully hunting down the ‘best but most affordable’ DSLR out there. Until that moment, I had forever been paranoid that if I bought something too quickly (or following my intuition a little too trustily) then I will have inevitably of been ripped off and sentenced to a lifetime of regret over  all of the tacky rose gold jewellery and bad quality shoes I could have bought instead with the money. I guess I realized that the time was never going to be right. I had a head full of quotes telling one side of my brain that if you ever want to accomplish anything…you have to stop deliberating and just get it wrong for once! Since summer I have held down a part time job and I have saved….and I had really, really wanted a DSLR camera for years... 

So, why not? I had it solved…It was still pretty much raining the Christmas spirit, and my plans hadn’t really changed. I still wanted nothing more than to treat myself to my own DSLR, with which I could capture my world and cherish like a baby.

The whole selection process seemed particularly easy that morning, the tides of indecision kept to themselves the entire time and allowed for a straight run of rational knock outs. 2 weeks ago I was dead set on getting a Sony Nex or Alpha sometime during the next year following the weeks of careful choosing. But that morning? I came home with a beautiful Canon EOS 600D, quite the upgrade from a Carl Zeiss Nokia Lumia or a Panasonic Lumix – my old, but never forgotten best buds (though still incredibly handy and awesome). DRUM ROLL PERLEASE:

Ta da!

And the thing is…it really does feel like a baby. It feels like a piece of potential that I’ve been trusted to look after, cultivate and make use of wisely. I can’t explain it. It feels as if I have been ‘given’ this beautiful camera as a tool. When I take photographs, when I capture colours and snap a sequence of the world in all its beauty….something inside me connects and a void gets so filled that it overflows with endless waves of fulfilment.  It makes me so content. Is this how all photographers feel? (Yes, I classify myself as a photographer now because I have a huge camera with a generously cylindrical lense) Every time I snap one image, I want to snap another, and another….and save them…then take loads more from every single perspective. Images speak so much louder than words. They represent a place, a time, a feeling, a reason, and a purpose. Photos are poetry, they capture charm and awe. They capture freedom of expression. They voice and whisper timeless messages. They convey senses and portray precision. They are a door into the world of the photographer; they are welcoming and invite others in. Everything within a photo dances together in one single unity. When a photographer goes over their images….they skim the memories, sentiments and passions bustling around which even themselves, are barricaded by the colours in which they will forever remain distilled.

For the writer? Even better! Their mystery is further unfolded. I think that photography eases up the writer, particularly if the photos are meaningful to him/her. Whether directly, or indirectly, the photos pave a way towards the unconscious fraction of the mind. Ideas become more transparent and clear thinking is inspired. In essence, all of the creative elements within one self open themselves up and hold hands. Cute.

Before this post becomes so mushy that it melts, I will sum up what my DSLR means to me. To me, my DSLR is an opportunity. My (amateur) photography is symbolic of who I am and who I want to be. It is the facilitator of my mind. It helps me convey what I want to say. It allows me to emit my emotions and creativity in the same way as having a 3^rd hand would help get to get the chores done. It is a dazzling tool of futurity and represents my ambitions in a way so engraved that I can’t explain. It has placed me on a learning curve I could never have found anywhere else, and it just feels like there is so much more around me to learn as I incline this curve before it peaks and I find out more about who I am and what I have yet to do here. If anything, it’s nothing to be taken too seriously. It’s a huge source of enjoyment, fun, sharing, vanity and peace as I click away in the face of normal objects and skies each and every day.

Some things though, I learnt straight almost immediately…

a) You can curb your fresh cream, chocolate cake cravings by taking close ups of the saucy frosting and flakes and candles.

Birthday Cake! My Bro's 17th birthday.

b) Soft toys are great shot drills and act like pets without the annoying lens licking ritual right during a photo shoot, but cats still look great when sat still.

And that c) I should never fib to my mommy about the price of my new gadgets because I will absolutely and accidently leave the receipt in a bright blue, oversized Argos bag in the middle of the kitchen. Guess who finds it?

Teenage boys also don't like to have AF'ing, oversized lenses in their faces. Oh well.

#LovingLifeRightNow #SmartphonePhotographyInModerationOnly

Any other gushy contributions about what your camera means to you? :)

Happy snapping and another happy new year! Hopefully I can collect a plethora of HQ piccy's to share with you from now on :)

Tash xo