TOTAL BUMMER FOREVER

6/7/2023

I love small cameras.

A small camera changes the way you shoot and the way you look at things. There’s some kind of innate attribute they have that empowers you to just take pictures without complicating everything or being a pretentious asshole about your “art”.

When I use a larger camera, it slows everything down. This may be a good thing within context, but I think it’s important to be less deliberate and go with the flow to break up some of the ultra-well-planned-and-composed nature of more formal work. It’s just another way to connect with photography when you’re shooting an old, cheap, super compact camera. The camera regains it’s status as a pencil or paintbrush. There’s nothing precious about it. It’s just a tool. It’s not some expensive artist’s status symbol or some analog to a dude pulling up to a coffee shop in a Ferrari to make sure all the women see how cool he is. It’s just a stupid camera and it makes you worry less about the things that don’t matter.

There’s a certain insufferable and immature nature to brand loyalist gear psychos. You know who I’m talking about. The typical street photographer with the stupid hat and the $8,000 Leica setup (nothing against Leica, I’m talking about The Brand and it’s flunkies) or the cringe athlesiure wearing landscape dad with the Patagonia jacket and a huge fucking Pentax medium format rig. I could go on about the Canon/Nikon/Fuji dick measuring contest people but I think you get the point already. None of it matters. It’s just a fucking camera, dude. Usually the gear is of higher quality than the photos with these people and it just further validates the point.

All stereotypes aside, I think there is a lot to learn from using the smallest, cheapest camera you can get away with. It helped me understand that the equipment has very little to do with the results. Or at least, less than those with less experience may think at least.

I hate to rehash these dead horse sort of statements but they’re heard so often because they’re true. I think Daido said it best:

6/6/2023

Grinding through things when you don’t have to, when it’s no longer something fun anymore, is flatly wrong.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking you don’t have control of your situation. Work is work. They have to pay you to do it and it’s always going to be a piece of shit pain in the ass waste of your time. So why let that sort of obligation to a grind set into your personal life? Let it go. Enjoy as much as you can with the time you have. Your boss doesn’t care that you’re never going to get it back.

Quitting people and things that make your life tough isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It frees you to challenge yourself with the things you love.

6/5/2023

I’m just trying to find some peace and enjoy things a little more, you know? I don’t think shit has to be very complicated.

I don’t think I have all the answers, I don’t think I really have any of them. The thing is, I don’t care very much about that so it works out for the best.

When something starts to feel like a job, quit.

6/4/2023

You need to get outside more often, man. Sometimes that’s the only thing that’s gonna help. People don’t belong in buildings all the time, it’s fucking weird and unnatural.

“Touch grass” is a worn out stupid meme usually used by people who also never touch grass themselves. It holds a little value though. There aren’t too many things that can offer you actual value in life nowadays but the air, trees, and Sun rarely betray us.

6/2/2023

If you want to see something interesting, or something you haven’t seen before, look closer at the places you see every day.

I think this might be one of the most important things I’ve learned over the years. To try to make the most out of the least you can.

6/1/2023

My job gets me into a lot of places that most people will never see. I really enjoy that part of it, it feels like I know something that very few people get to know.

Most of the time it’s either industrial production spaces, data centers, old communications towers or every once in a while, a radio array on top of a mountain range. Those are my favorite.

Today was one of the “top of a mountain range” days. I’m not really a huge fan of work. I would prefer to spend the time with my family or friends or taking pictures or doing pretty much anything else. Sometimes though, it’s a pretty good day.

…and we’re back.

Yeah, I’m aware that it’s been five years. Yes, I’m aware that reviving an old blog/journal/photo diary/whatever might seem weird or even C R I N G E but like all good things, my time away from this has come to an end.

I can’t say I missed it. Actually, I hadn’t thought about it much at all since I last posted here but I feel like this may be a good place for my black and white photography and it’s a nice outlet away from the nauseating endless stream of Instagram.

I may try some more interesting things here like posting some conversations with friends about photography etc. but for the most part it will be where my snapshots come to hang out. Have fun, and don’t take anything in life too seriously.