What are you thinking!?!

I've asked myself this question several times over the last several weeks. The answer isn't always the same, nor is the reason I'm asking. But for the sake of this blog and the information I'm wanting to put out to you, dear reader, I'll say that I've been asking this question, or a variant of it pertaining to myself and my camera.

I have a great love and respect for my camera. I want to take it out and use it regularly. I want to carry it around in the open and always be taking pictures. Thing is, I have a weird issue with doing this. It's not a matter of gumption, fortitude, or attitude to pull it off, it's a matter of sticking out more than necessary. I've lived in the area I do for most of my life. I know the surrounding towns like the back of my hand. I also know the small town mindset that plagues this area of the state. I can honestly say that with one exception, I have not seen people just walking around with cameras around their necks. At least not everyday, all day. The one exception was in a town in another part of the state, where the culture is a lot more diverse and where photography courses were offered in academia.

I do carry my camera out in public, when I know that I can try to get shots that are useful for stock or art. Places like festivals and fairs offer those types. And I know that I should stop making excuses and have my camera out for more than just that. But I think I know a couple of reasons why this issue plagues me.

One, I have to be careful how I use the shots I take. I know of the rules for taking pictures of people, places and things, and that I can, if someone was upset enough, be sued for selling the photo if I didn't have permission. Granted, that shouldn't stop me from taking pictures, it should just be a reminder of where to put photos on the computer. For example, not putting a non-usable photo into a stock for sale folder. Reason number two, my camera is big, especially with it's big lens. I have a battery grip that adds a lot of bulk and grip to the thing, and, if I had my zoom lens and my flash, my camera can be pretty imposing. It's also heavy, which is why I don't attach all the big stuff at once for long periods of time. I know that I can take the battery grip off and use it without it, but it's great for vertical shots with it's extra controls, and it does extend the grip integrated into the body which fits my man sized mitts quite naturally. I do walk around usually with the smaller lens, which helps some, but it's still a big, black box hanging around my neck.

Reason three is simply that when I'm out running around, I'm usually not in a position to be stopping to take a picture. Running errands, buying groceries, driving from town to town, these things don't exactly make for the best environments or times to stop, pull up the camera, and snap away. Of course, there are opportunities for shots there, if I'd take them, but again, I don't pull my camera out and just walk around with it. So I'm shooting myself in the foot. One of the things I berate myself over regularly is "I'd love to stop and shoot what I just saw" while driving around, but time schedules and daily life don't always allow for spontaneous stopping the car and shooting pictures. And I will not drive with the camera around my neck so I can take pictures while driving. Uh-uh. Nope. Not going to happen.

So I carry the camera with me, in the car, in my camera bag, in the back seat, every time I walk out the house. And there it sits, unused most of the time, as I'm always following the scout motto by being prepared, and knowing that it's better to have and not need, that to need and not have. I know I should stop with the excuses and reasons, and just start carrying the thing around my neck everywhere. Once I do, it'll probably become so integrated, that people won't notice, and neither will I. I know that people carrying concealed weapons who don't want people to know they are, usually need to wear their weapon all the time until it becomes another part of their body. This way, they won't be showing the signs of "I'm hiding something that's poking me in the back/arm/thigh/waist". I know I can do it. It's a camera. It's not concealed, but it can become a part of me, if I let it. I'm going to have to tough it out, and just do it.

On a related note, I've only been stopped once for carrying my camera, and that was in a government office that had "no photography" signs posted. I saw the signs, and I was carrying around the camera with no intention of using it at that point. So there wasn't an issue. I was told not to take pictures in a restaurant on a trip to Houston a few years ago. I thought the decorations were pretty cool and with the group I was visiting, it was perfect. One of the employees said that I shouldn't take pictures, but I'd already done so. I also didn't get it, as we'd been taking pictures of each other at the table the whole time we were there.

And the strangest place I've seen something stating "no photography" was at a certain royal burger place a couple of weeks ago. There was a sign on the door that wasn't there before about no photography being allowed inside. This particular location had just undergone some recent remodeling after a flood, and it wasn't any different that any of the newer restaurants in the chain. And I'd certainly not seen a sign on any of the other ones in the area. It just struck me as odd, and I'm kind of sorry that I didn't get a picture of it at the time. I'm sure it's still there, so I'll have to stop by some time and get it. I did that at a museum on that same trip to Houston, snapped a pic of a "no photography past this point" sign just for the irony.

I'm such a rebel.