mastering mediocrity

- April 04, 2013

There are two kinds of photographers; those who label themselves as enthusiasts, and everybody else. The everybody else category includes pros and amateurs and snap shooters who don't care about the endless minutiae that enthrall the true enthusiast and drive them to pontificate endlessly on multiple fora around the Internets.

Photography enthusiasts will spend nearly endless sums on expensive gear of every strip because they can, in pursuit of ever diminishing returns. Everybody else spends only what is really necessary to get the job done. If it happened to cost a lot at the time, then that's what it costs.

I tend to fall somewhere in the middle of those two categories. I'd probably be an enthusiast if my wallet could stand it, but I'm constrained by budgetary realities. I tend to feed the enthusiast beast within by picking up the odd little piece of gear when it's been marked down; my inner enthusiast doesn't care, or at least that's what it tells itself.

Another reason I tend to switch into don't-care mode is you really do reach a point where you have so much stuff you can't use it all. I now have a Kata DR 467 backpack with four (and sometimes five) mirrorless cameras in them, each with a different lens on the body. I've found some space to hold those lenses not mounted, as well as chargers and cables and spare batteries and SDHC cards. Big enough to hold everything, yet small enough and light enough to grab by its top handle and put in the back of the Prius or on my back. If I really intend to travel there's a slot on one side where I can slide a Macbook into it, for post processing on the go. Note there is no flash or tripods. Just bodies and lenses. This is an available light only kit.

With all that firepower I have slowly come to the realization I'm well situated to document the boundless mediocrity I live in and drive through every day. I'll never be recognized as a Photographic Mover and Shaker, so I might as well do what I do best, photograph mediocrity in my best mediocre style.

And to that end I've picked up a few extra extensions for Lightroom 4.x. I picked up the complete Nik Collection on Monday when Google had marked it down another 15%. I may even pick up the VSCO kit for a completely different look. Right now I'm in something of a film noir mood, and Nik's Color Efex Pro 4 is helping to aid and abet that streak.

I'm also tired of Orlando and its environs. It's full of kitschy shit and places where new business is plowing over the wetlands and other green spaces. So I'm going to document and interpret all this crap and throw it out there. You have been warned.