Down the Rabbit Hole

ROAMING GOAT

The toys of the passion. You start, you can't stop. Addiction.

If you take photos, you know the feeling.

Unboxing a new computer? Who cares. Unboxing a new lens? Hold your breath - oooohhhh... Peel back the paper, unwrapping the lens for that first look. Feel the click as it connects to the body. Turn on, focus, press the shutter and see the results.

It doesn't get much better than this moment.

Click the thumbnail to review

He tends to be the first model anytime something new comes home. Not sure if he shares the joy. First shots - Leica M240 - C. Dugger

You get it, you go. Something new always brings adventure. Lenticular over the Inyos. Leica M240 - C. Dugger

Waiting for the Metro Train - Union Station, Los Angeles. First shots; Leica M240 - C. Dugger

A point and shoot will work. You never know when the moment might come. Canon G10 - B. Taylor

Sony NEX-5. B&W with built-in HDR. First shots. - C. Dugger

Caged In. New to the studio; clueless about the lighting. The model, also a photographer, calling the shots. -C. Dugger

Underwater for the first time working with a Sony NEX-7. Shooting below brings about a whole new dimension. - B. Taylor

Sometimes it's in the post editing. Try, back it out, try again. Nikon D300 in Oslo. -B. Taylor

Find a teacher that asks you to step out of your norm and try something different. Working with lighting. Nikon D300 - C. Dugger

Soda lakes kill. Exploring the possibilities with a Nikkor 10.5mm fisheye. Nikon D300 - B. Taylor

It may be innocuous, or you may see it everyday. But then when you look beyond? Leica M240 first shots - B. Taylor

Light - wait until it's right - the camera? Doesn't matter. First shots - iPhone 5 - B. Taylor

HDR - love it or hate it, but sometimes, it's good for the moment. Nikon D800 using built-in HDR Mode -C. Dugger

Run. Panning, a lens you don't know, but give it a shot and try it. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 80-400mm. -B. Taylor

Yashika Y4 - state of the art film, 1993 - B. Taylor

Take the time to set the shot, to try something different. Class assignment - Nikon D300. -C. Dugger

Remember when a flip phone was state of the art? LG VX8700 - B. Taylor

It was a Kodak Brownie. A Bullet or maybe the Holiday model? Not sure, but I remember the red, translucent window in the back and being totally mesmerized. I think by the time I found it, it was lost in the bottom of the toy box stuffed between the Matchbox cars and the discarded Lincoln Logs. But it went to summer camp with me; followed by the prized, family Kodak Instamatic 124 and then my very own Vivatar 110. Those cameras captured the fun of my youth and started this "photography" addiction. By the time middle school rolled around, like most kids of the 80s, it was the Pentax K1000. By the time high school came, I was hooked and had stepped up to a Pentax MX. Instead of the mall, I spent most of my time in the dark room. I hit 25, it was Canon, 30 were the Nikon years while forty was a bit of Sony followed by Leica.

Here's to hoping I bypass that mid-life crisis.

The thrill of trying something new gets dull. Let's be honest - photographers love reading and trying the newest. Or maybe reading and trying the oldest? It can be trying and learning something totally new. Whatever IT is, IT doesn't matter. It's the absolute adventure of trying something different and discovering the results. Push your own boundaries while learning something new. The gear may not make the photographer, but let's be honest, the gear certainly makes it fun -- really, really fun. And a new technique? Now you've discovered an entire world you didn't even know existed.

So what is it really about? Maybe it's the exploration. Or maybe, the discovery. Whatever it is, you're looking at life a bit differently.

A collection of photos that celebrate the first days after a new (or old) love comes into your life. ~ C.