What I’m thankful for

The money was rolling in, and the times were good. The air was thick and warm from pumpkin spice inflected with sage and thyme, and I was giddy to have in my hands what had been the object of my desire for nearly the better part of my life. In fact, not just one, but three brand new Canon EOS-1Ds’s.

To set some history, it was Thanksgiving 2007, a time when cameras were cameras, video was video, and the two hadn’t yet become one. It was a time of wedding rockstars and promises of endless cash, and it was a time when those dreams weren’t all too far from the truth. Work was plentiful and bookings were eeeee-zzzz.

And that’s really more to the point. In truth, I can’t say life was good, but it sure was easy, and I planned on riding this train for as long as the rails ran.

Back then, if I had a problem, I just bought my way out. More workshops, more advertising, more cameras, more gear. All tricks, no muss, no fuss. By the end of that year, I even had a RED on order. What the hell was I going to do with a twenty thousand dollar filmmaker’s camera? I hadn’t a clue, and I didn’t care.

But times were about to get harder. I sold off all of the Canons, all of my Leicas, and a whole lot of beautiful, beautiful glass. I had to, because that was survival, and when the ads stopped working and the well of tricks ran dry, it was all I could think to do.

It was the perfect stroke of luck.

When life doesn’t come easy, there’s nowhere to run. You just have to figure things out. You have to think about who you are and what you want and what you’re doing it all for. Not to say I’ve got it all figured out, but at least it was a start.

Things are a lot simpler now. I still have a couple of bags stuffed with gear between me and my associates. I’m not gonna lie. But for me, it’s basically a couple of Panasonics. Yeah, you read that right. Panasonics. As in Lumix.

Most of my pictures are done with a GX7 and a 25 f1.4. That’s a 50mm equivalent for those of you who don’t use M43. And you know what? I’m shooting better than ever.

Now, I’m not saying you should toss your gear. But I am saying you really don’t need much.

Whether you’re getting it done with your 5D mark iii, your Contax 645, your D800, or you’re gearing up with a shiny new Sony A7R for the holidays, gear isn’t worth squat without heart. And with heart, gear doesn’t really matter. If it works for you, great. But it’s not whether you shoot digital for film, whether you use filters or not, whether you use Photoshop or not, whether you like to see it on screen or in print.

These things are just noise until you know who you are.

It’s about you.

It’s about you and what you believe and what you think and what keeps you up at night. It’s about what compels you and connects you deeper into your own existence. It’s about what thrills you and connects you deeper with others.

I won’t say everything will take care of itself if you find these things. But if you do, there’s a fighting chance the rest can happen. If you don’t, the rest won’t matter.

So on this Thanksgiving, what I’m thankful for is my wife, my children, my parents and family. I’m thankful for my closest of friends and my furthest of acquaintances. I’m thankful for this community for which I write, and I’m thankful for the people I’ve met along the way and the people I’m still to meet.

Photography is life and the guts to let it spill into your work.

So how could I not be thankful for every single thing I’ve come across and all the lessons they’ve taught me? It’s all a blessing. I’m also pretty thankful I cancelled the order on the RED before it was released.