The Next Step

Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger ft. Christina Aguilera (Soul Seekers Club Mix)

A lovely day today, although it started off with some poor weather due to the final furlongs of the typhoon which has, thankfully, passed over Japan. Sometimes choosing the next step is a little scary. It's a long corridor that has a difficult end to see. Some of the questions that swim through my head are the necessary sacrifices required to see the end and whether it's worth the risk. However, nonetheless they are the next step forward. You can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs, etc.

The next step in today's case was researching slot filter systems to take landscape pictures to the next level. For some strange reason, and I'm sure everyone feels the same way sometimes, learning about cameras and photography is like learning a new language. I don't often like talking about photography at length because I've had some rather embarrassing experiences. For example, I often get very passionate, almost too passionate to the point of saying things that prevent the views of other, more experienced people. At the same time, you meet one too many "proffesionals" who have too much money and not enough brains, only after having bought one reflex camera. Not to say that I know a lot about photography (even saying the word makes me squirm), but there are many things about the subject that often can be thought of differently. I unfortunately bandied around this moniker when I was DJ-ing in Australia and my pride got into the way of success. I was FAR from professional but pretended that I was. As far as I'm concerned, many subjects are limitless, and to learn everything about one, is a lifelong process. The word "professional" is bestowed upon you and earned, I think anyway.

Before I completely rant off the main topic, I had to visit several shops to find different prices and systems that would be suitable for me. It was rather difficult because my Japanese is completely and utterly pathetic, coupled with the specialty vocabulary of photos, it exasperated the situation even further when asking for help. However, seeing all the equipment in the flesh made things a little easier to construct in the mind. It's a bloody expensive hobby to undertake, that's for sure.

I was also lucky to bump into a friend at the station this evening and we were discussing expensive hobbies. My friend is a really good DJ and has been getting gigs around town spinning drum'n'bass. It's kinda funny how serendipity works sometimes because he was also in the midst of moving to a new level, ie. to use vinyl as well as Serato. We discussed the benefits of Serato and general photo taking methods but came to the general conclusion that such things are expensive hobbies. Thankfully, if you love it, the metaphorical hole in your pocket becomes a groove instead of a chasm; the rhythm of your expressive flow has a new beat. What I admire about him is that his success comes from a place of genuine dedication, not empty labels. It also helps that he's very talented too, but the strong positive dedication is, I think, a winning factor for undertaking a subject. Your output has a positive heir about it that people will feed off. You can buy your way to excellence if you wish, but the results will not have the same passion as a person who REALLY does something out of love.

Upon picking up my first DSLR I simply wanted to express myself, and it has become such a joyous process that thinking about it makes me incredibly happy. I feel motivated to explore new places, enjoy the atmosphere and take into account the environment, especially the way light works. It can feel very spiritual sometimes, well, if you want to get "hippy" about it. I'm still no good at it, but it makes me very happy, as it does for many others. So I think if the corridor to the next step is scary, a positive and self-developing approach will make it just a little bit easier.

Whatever the parameters you wish to attach to the word "success", I think approaching a challenge with a very pure and worthwhile ethic will bare very valuable fruit. Heck, I got a free Lomo Action Sampler out of it.