Wednesday, January 6, 2010

ON PHOTOS ~ True Love...



Last month I mentioned that my folks acted as spoilers announcing in advance that they planned to give me a new camera for Christmas. The above camera is what I asked for and is what they generously bought for me. But I didn't tell you why they were inspired to buy it for me.

Back in the fall, we gathered at their home in CT along with my brother and his wife to do a group celebration of various birthdays and anniversaries amongst us. During the weekend we decided to go visit a new Science Center Museum since the weather was crummy and didn't lend itself well to leaf peeping. As usual, I brought along my trusty camera to take photos of my family as well as to use for a potential future post for my job at the UpTake Attractions Blog. I took about 100 photos.

I had a great one of my mom and dad in their 3D glasses going into a cool film about the sun. I had funny ones of our Bumble throughout various exhibits. Andy made his usual appearances, posing on demand like the tolerant sweetheart that he is. I managed to snap one of my brother without his tongue sticking out. And my sister-in-law having fun in the gift shop feeling like a kid with the toys. I had beautiful ones of the architecture in the very cool space. And I had interesting ones showing how enjoyable the facility was for visitors of all ages. It was a grand success.

We went out to dinner and had a delicious meal, during which time I switched out my camera card for a fresh one. My camera was quite old and so the cards had a very small capacity. I took more photos of everyone enjoying their meal and a few of the restaurant in the event I could provide a guest post to the UpTake Restaurants Blog. As we were leaving we ducked out into the rain and turned the corner to retrieve our cars in the garage. I took out my camera one last time for a photo of the front of the restaurant and began to tuck it back into my camera bag while walking into the garage. And then, I slipped.

I lost my balance on a storm grate and my open camera bag draped over my shoulder flew in the air and my camera card fell out and right down into the drain. Not just any spare camera card. THE camera card. The one with those 100 photos of my family. The one with the images needed for the attractions post. All I was left with were a few pictures in my camera from our dinner.

I was beside myself. I was so upset, shocked, angry, flustered - that I didn't know what to do other than swear and sulk all the way home. It was then that I realized how important taking photos are to me. These weren't pictures from someone's wedding or a vacation. They were just random photos. But they were MY photos. They were MY memories. They were MY reflections. And I felt like a part of me had been destroyed down the wet drain along with them.

So my parents decided that I deserved a new camera. One with a large capacity card. One that didn't need batteries switched out constantly. One that could fit in a pocket instead of a case. Something to make me excited about my photos again.

I love my new camera. I'm still learning which settings work best when, and how to work all the bells and whistles. But I know that eventually it will be as comfortable and second nature to me as my last one. And I can keep sharing my view of things with all of you. Thanks mom & dad XOXOXOXOXO!

Tedy's not all that happy about it though...

10 comments:

Janet said...

my worst nightmare! Have fun with that new camera!

Cheryl Ann said...

I had a little, compact Nikon COOLPIX that was the love of my life! It fit in my purse and I could whip it out and take pics of our grandson. Well, DUH...I took my purse out of the car one time and it fell OUT, right onto the cement. It never took decent photos after that. I was devastated. Hubby bought me a new one, but I still miss my old, reliable one! Congrats on the new camera. I have two old Olympus cameras...one that is a 10x zoom and another one and I LOVE them both!

Unknown said...

I'm sorry you lost all of those pictures, but I'm sure you'll make up for it with your new camera.
Nice lookin' cat by the way.

Happy T13!

me said...

its the random photos that really tell us about our lives. The big events, everyone is taking photos, its the photo of the cat looking at you "that way" that you want. Sorry for the oss

Matty said...

I remember you asking about cameras. This looks like a cool one and the size looks comfy too. Now you need to bless us with your finished products.

Anonymous said...

Aren't loving parents the best?! That is awful about losing all those photos. When Jason & I went to Italy in 08 we had to buy a new memory card halfway through our trip because we were taking so many photos and I was obsessed with the camera card. I would have been devasted if we had lost it. Enjoy your new camera and your new view of life :)

Anonymous said...

And Tedy is very cool.

Anonymous said...

Your black cat looks just like my Salem!!


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kayerj said...

how sweet of your parents :)

and so sad about the lost card! My daughter Heidi lost her camera last January--with all the Christmas pics still on it!

Will said...

Sorry to hear about the photos. Yeah a card big enough to never leave the camera is a good idea. So is a camera small enough to fit in your pocket.

By the way, if that cat was looking at ME like that, I would be back-pedaling! Yikes!