Three.  Long.  Years…  I have been without a decent camera for three grueling, long years and now I have deliverance.

In 2006 I was a very much younger person than I am now and in considerably humbler circumstances than I currently enjoy.  I was in my first apartment out on my own, learning the ropes of the 9-5 work week and some of the slightly harsher realities of grown-up life.  To help pay my rent in those rockier early days I sold digital camera to my parents.  It was a Fuji Finepix S7000 which was then considered a fairly good “prosumer” camera.  I loved that camera very much and in spite of nagging drawbacks like an integrated lens and digital viewfinder, it took (and still takes) excellent photos.

I think that no matter what the tool your are using to take a picture, be it a pinhole camera, some cheap disposable, a Nokia, an iPhone, or the latest and greatest 50-megapixel Hasselblad, you can make great photos.  Each one of these devices has a different personality, strengths and weaknesses.  If you learn to see scenes and things worth capturing and learn how eke out every last quality of that device, you can create stunning images consistently and be very happy.  I managed to be remarkably happy using the various camera-equipped mobile phones I have had over the years, but that didn’t keep me from wanting more.

I have always enjoyed for their slightly distorted, gritty immediacy, but that casual, lo-fi quality leaves much to be desired however, especially for OCD people like me.  A very slow and careful journey brought me to the present day, constantly waiting for better technologies to come out and for innovation to drop prices to much more affordable levels.  My friend Ali had got her hands on the Canon 20D which I used at her wedding last summer to take some photos for her and I was completely bowled over.  After some careful thought, procrastination, research, procrastination, and soul-searching I decided that the 20D was just enough camera for me right now packing a lot of features and a jaw-dropping price as an older model if bought used.

Once my mind was set I turned to craigslist, which I adore endlessly, and immediately found a local professional photographer who had one for sale.  It was in perfect condition, well loved and had an excellent price tag.  Now I just have to gather the supporting gear and I’ll be snapping away with abandon.  The amazing RAW files I can capture take up a freaking crap-load of space so I have ordered a couple good sized memory cards.  I will eventually have to invest in some additional storage to house what will be a rapidly growing photo library.  Once I get the cards and possibly some additional lenses, I’ll be in photographic heaven.

I’m really excited because I will be able to post more interesting photos here and I hope to get some good feedback on what I post.  I’m thrilled to be back in the saddle, flexing my artistic muscles, and rekindling the love-affair I started so many years ago when I first picked up dad’s Canon AE-1.

I will resort to using a public restroom in cases of only the most dire emergency.  Just over a year ago, while doing some Christmas shopping in 2007, I had a dire emergency at Barnes & Noble.  On the whole, this restroom only fueled the underlying fear and loathing I have regarding these awful spaces with the lone, awkwardly delightful exception of this discovery I made there.

There will always be a special place in my heart for clever graffiti, especially fun local examples like these.  I’m reminded of the artwork of Banksy, who I consider to be one of the most inspired and talented artists of our time.