A Gentle Reminder

It's that time of the year again when Google reminds that it has been nearly 10 years ago since I picked up a DSLR for the first time and started to go on long walks and take pictures of things I love. I was rather depressed back then, and suffering from a broken heart. My weapon of choice back then was a white Pentax Kr. Back then DSLRs, even the basic ones, were still quite expensive, and this was the only model that I could afford.

Nine years later and I am am no longer depressed (and too single to suffer a broken heart), but I never stopped taking pictures! Photography became a hobby, which blossomed into a passion. I've probably shot with nearly 50 different cameras since then.

What I do miss about the old days is the simplicity of things. No, I don't mean the technical advancements in cameras, no. I quite like the features that the modern camera has nowadays. But something changed in my photography. The whole endeavor is a lot more sophisticated now than it was back in the day. Nine years ago I was just walking around Sognsvann and taking pictures of things that piqued my interest - for myself. Now, when I take pictures, I am already thinking about how I'm going to process it in Lightroom,  and how to make it look dramatic to gather as many likes as possible on Facebook or Instagram.

Yeah, I do miss the old days. But I don't miss being depressed or having a broken heart. Right now I am where I want to be, in most aspects of my life at least. I love that I am close to my family once again. Work is stable but can be a drab sometimes. But I don't get to go on long walks that often. Manila is not really a city surrounded by forests like Oslo was. Yeah, I guess I miss the walks the most.

I miss walking on the cold autumn afternoons after work. And during the 3-4 hours of walking you'll hardly meet anyone. You'll be left to yourself to think, to observe what's around you, and absorb every single detail. I think that is the best exercise for self-contemplation, and photography.