This post was inspired by two recent posts of mine. In one recent post about the Pentax 17 I stated:
…I know of only two types of camera people.
- Salt of the Earth folks whose primary concern is capturing images regardless of their chosen genre, medium, or product.
- Know it all, but rather, impossible to please grand declaration makers who will argue about anything that send me scrambling for the exits, real or virtual.
I tend to focus on the former and distance myself from the latter. This is largely why comments are not turned on in this space. While it would be nice to hear from some I also have a complete lack of a desire to swat away the “but rather” crowd via moderation.
This is where the second post comes into play. A recent post of mine on 35mmc.com about the Fujifilm GA645.
I really like 35mmc. Hamish has curated wonderful content and an audience there that makes for a mostly positive experience and it is greatly appreciated. If you have not checked out 35mmc I highly recommend it. Rarely happens, but even there, a “but rather” bloke… have only seen this behavior from dudes now that I think about it… will pop up occasionally. A side bonus of 35mmc is witnessing Hamish come off the top rope for the neck of negative commenters. On one post where a user or two took issue with an arbitrary phrase of my own imagining, that I explained as such, other members of the 35mmc community joined in with Hamish in keeping them in check and it was glorious. I did not have to say anything. Nice. But that is rare. By and large the comments are positive there. And this was definitely the case with the GA645 post. In particular, much love was shown for one image. Some examples:
“P.S. I especially love that Lomo 800 architectural image. Props!”
“Good review of a fantastic camera there brother !
And really likes the photography.”
“That last frame is incredible. The pale pink and green works so well.”
“Your posted images are super good, BTW. A few even great.”
“Absolutely bowled over by the Lomography night shot. What a stunner! Reminiscent of 1950s sci-fi artwork somehow.”
Wow… Seriously. Wow. I often talk about being called Spock in my youth as a result of my seemingly persistent flat affect. But certain things move me. Family, music, and photography to name a few. Show me kindness in any of those arenas and I experience this thing called… emotions. And that was the case here. This more than made my day or week, which it did, but it also helped by restoring a bit of my faith in mankind. So much energy is expended outlining the awful people of this world. Of which there are many, unfortunately. Many of them are very loud. But I like to think, and I hope it is true, that there are many more silent good people in the world. I wish they would speak up more, so when I see a grouping of the kindest and the best of mankind it becomes about something more than photography. Ok… I can go on forever about this, but I will stop myself here.
The picture in question.
I only posted that one Lomography 800 image in that 35mmc post but there was a bit of a series in play. Photos of that building…
…as well as some additional night pics.
So. Nice camera. Great film. But neither are the point of this post. Specific to this post:
There are good camera people.
More broadly:
There are good people.
Due to what has transpired in this world it is my responsibility to those that came before me to stay informed, speak against injustice, and acknowledge and call out wrongdoers and those that support them. But, there must be balance. While acknowledging wrongs I must also acknowledge those who endeavor to do right. Those who speak light into the lives of others instead of attempting to cast others into darkness.
Welp. That is a wrap.
All the best to you all. Share some light. You have no idea how much your kindness will bless others as I have been blessed.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 