OT: Do any of you feel compelled to carry a camera all the time? Why?

[Robert_Lai]

My wife thinks I'm obsessed. After all, the general public sees no

need to carry a camera with them, or have one accessible almost all

the time. Maybe if they're going to some family reunion or birthday

party, they may bring some sort of camera. All of us have seen the

results of such things - they're boring and of no interest except to

the people who took them, and the people in them. So, why do I

always feel a need to have a camera around? It's not what one would

consider the "norm" for society.<p>I don't work as a photographer.

I'm a surgeon (urologist). Almost all of my colleagues (except one)

don't bother to photograph their procdures or anything else. So, I

don't logically have a good excuse to bring a camera with me

everywhere, do I?<p>My wife has become worried enough about my

addictive personality that during our last visit to Toronto, she

checked the luggage beforehand. In the process she removed the 35mm

point and shoot, the digital P&S, and even the Kodak disposable that

I tried to sneak in! Her point, which I do consider valid, is that I

spend so much time obsessing about taking pictures that I neglect to

spend time with her. So, I tried to be a good fellow and I was

solicitous to her during our stay in Toronto. At one point, she had

a meeting for 4 hours, so I was left on my own. Walking along, I

noted so many interesting and intriguing scenes that I really, really

missed not having some sort of camera along.<p>The real killer was

when I ran into a man who was generating his own photo-op. He

arrived at a public square close to the University of Toronto, and

let out some little puppies. Immediately, they attracted the

attention of a large number of young women who were passing by. The

women were so enthralled by the puppies that they totally ignored the

man, who was busy taking photgraphs with a large zoom lens and a

Nikon D2H. My wife had met up with me at this point, and she knew I

was dying inside while I was watching her and these pretty young

girls playing with the puppies. I suppressed a great desire to run

into a drug store and buy some disposable camera just to have

something! But, I didn't as I promised my wife that we would have a

photography-free vacation this time. After this, we made some type

of compromise agreement. I ever brought a camera with us while

travelling, I would only use it early in the morning before any

appointments, or late in the evening after all scheduled activites

were over. Well, this also corresponds to the golden hours, so I'm

not complaining too much :-)<p>Yesterday I brought the camera to work

to record a routine surgical procedure that for some reason I hadn't

ever recorded before. I thought that one roll of film would be

enough, but I brought an extra one just "in case". As events turned

out, I received a panicked call from a doctor about 200 miles away.

He was on call, and his colleague had turned over to him a man who

had a "flesh eating" infection. In the course of one day, the man's

genitalia had turned black. I had the patient sent over by air

ambulance immediately. When the man arrived, the gangrene was far

worse than I thought. It looked at first glance as if I would have

to amputate the penis, both the testicles, and possibly give him a

diverting colostomy if the infection had gone into the rectum. I had

the nurse take so many pictures in the OR that even my urology

residents, who are normally blase about my photography, were worried

that we were going to run out of film. A quick call to medical

photography turned up two rolls of Provia 100F to keep us going. In

the end, the man lost a lot of skin, but I managed to save all his

important "parts".<p>Ultimately, I carry a camera around all the time

because I find life too unpredictable. Since I never know when some

significant event will unfold, I keep my recording device handy at

all times. Of course, for much of the time, this means that I'm

carrying this stuff around for nothing. Even today, when I came to

my office to make rounds on the patients (that man is doing a lot

better), I've got my F3, 70-180 Micro, and a ringlight with me. The

kit weighs about 10 lbs., but here they are. I haven't taken a

single picture yet. Even if I do take pictures, I throw away a large

proportion of them during editing.<p>My wife and colleagues view me

as an eccentric nut. Are there any other people out there who can

relate to this? Am I the only one? If there's someone else out

there who has a need to have a camera available at all times (and

you're not a PJ or some other pro), please tell me why you do it?

<p>Thanks for reading through this, and for your responses.<div></div>

[arnabdas]

Robert, you are just fine. If I didn't always shoot from a tripod -- I too would carry a camera all the time.

 

Thankfully I don't have a wife who'd think I am nuts, and I often felt many of my colleagues are nuts instead (those without any creative hobby, any reading or music interests, happy to gaze at the TV blankly for hours and smart enough to notice and wonder that I only shoot insects, never portraits).

 

Live your passions the way you want :)

[frank_skomial]

Robert,

I think you are wonderful man. You are not obsessed, an eccentric nut or anything like that. You have passion for photography, your work, and the world around you. You see things that others do not see, or do not want to.

 

Your photography enhances your work and life. Seems like your wife must understand you better and not try to dominate your life to the degree that she has. E.g. removing cameras that you put in your luggage would be too much for my wife to do.

 

Man, you must put your foot down, and talk to your wife. Seems that you have been dominated by your wife too much, and perhaps for too long.

 

I am sure you are happy with your photography. You need to be happy with your wife as well. She should accomodate your photography, and not make you feel guilty for taking cameras and taking pictures.

[HuskyMason1]

Interesting account but you could have left out the flesh eating part and the penis picture (ouch!). I have empathy for you. I've had a similar spousal problem but ultimately convinced my wife that she should carry her own camera because she has a natural knack for photography, which she now does. ( coolpix 4800) If it weren't for my job I would carry one all the time too. I am self employed as a mason contractor and I constantly work around dust so most days I leave my gear at home; sometimes I'll take it on the last day before I finish a job. It seems that when I don't have a camera with me I miss some nice opportunities. Anyway Robert you do seem to be a bit of a nut but so what? Hey I would enjoy having you as my urologist if you had to perform some procedure on me then we could discuss the exposures, lighting, etc. postop. Mike

[bill_thorlin]

This has brought tears to my eyes.

 

And yes I do nearly always carry a camera of some sort - even if it is my digital p&s (hope p&s does not have a second meaning).

[steve_muntz]

A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it? I guess the first would be "ouch".

 

I don't always carry a camera because my P&S digital is too big to fit in a pocket. I'm still looking for the right one that will fit in a pocket, and then I'll have a camera with me much more often. Not that I'll use it every day, but if there's something to shoot I'm ready.

 

My wife starts her day very early, and usually likes to take her time in the morning while on vacation. I get up early, shoot in that great early light and about the time I'm back she's ready to go. That's my time to concentrate on shooting, and it works out very well - usually!

[mendel_leisk]

Very thought provoking.

 

Some days I will opt to take my camera with me, when commuting to my downtown job. It's relatively new, I feel some obligation to use it, get comfortable with the weight/bulk (20D with canon 24-70, in LowePro bag), the controls. Come to think of it, it's a lot like getting a new pair of shoes. There's some discomfort, and adjustment.

 

On the days I have my camera, I do feel it's effecting my mindset: changing the way I observe things. I mainly just plug away at the architecture downtown, trying to get a feel for composition, exposure, etcetera.

 

On the days I don't take my camera, it's a bit of a relief, but I'll often see something photogenic, and regret not bringing it.

[John Crowe]

It is an ongoing battle with my wife and kids. I thought I had solved the problem 12 years ago when I bought her a camera and although she is pretty good with it, she really can't be bothered. Every year they think I am going to go on vacation without it. Yeah, right! My camera equipment, 35mm and 4x5, take up half the trunk in our Beetle. Thankfully we have a roof carrier. My wife will never understand my pashion for photography but she is getting a little better at putting up with it. Yesterday and this morning I was at the ALMS car race at Mosport, and now while the cars are out on the track again, here I sit at the computer while minding the children. I still only get away with so much.

[gaius1]

I got an FM3a + 45/2.8 purely to have a "carry everywhere" camera.

[lex_jenkins]

Robert, maybe you *are* an eccentric nut. What's wrong with that? And your wife is lovely and intelligent enough to demand some occasional personal time without photography getting in the way. What's wrong with that? Keep in mind that several years into most relationships the partners don't much care anymore what the other does, as long as it doesn't interfere with their football game, soap operas, etc.

 

An artist, musician, writer, photographer, etc., is such all of the time if at all. The difference is that photographers often have to carry more equipment to practice their pursuit whereas sometimes all the artist, musician or writer needs is a notebook and pencil. So photographers naturally seem more preoccupied with equipment when, in fact, without our equipment we are not photographers.

 

And I'd say your interest in properly documenting certain medical procedures is a very good thing. There's no telling how valuable this may be to other medical professionals if you're able to either share your photos via publication or simply confirm observations made during the procedures by later reviewing the photos.

 

FWIW, I'm taking a break from my Nikons this weekend. Nikon and I are still on very good terms, but my li'l Olympus 35 RC is much lighter and more compact and it's all I felt like carrying.

[40mm]

I'm lucky and grateful that my wonderful wife (shhhh, she reads photo.net sometimes ;-) encourages my photography.

 

Robert, perhaps some folks do consider you eccentric, but I, for one, am very happy that there are people like you in the world. I'm not qualified to give you marital advice, so all I'll say is, "Please don't worry about being 'normal'." None of us are normal, no-one is.

[dan park]

Funny my wife hates it when I take my camera (fe) everywhere I go. On the other hand she then berates me if I don't have my camera and an interesting photo op comes up?? Now that I have a newborn I've finally invested in a d50 (comes next week) and even though its a little bulkier than my beloved FE I know it will be with me everywhere I go. Photography isn't a disease, it's more like a compulsion to see creatively and record events. What could be wrong with that? The only truley bad photographs are the ones that we fail to take because the camera is at home :)

[aeiffel]

Let's face it Robert, you're obsessed like most of us... but who cares ?<br>I always carry at least one camera with me, my gfriend's used to, and she's often the one who reminds me to take some rolls out of the fridge. I feel it doesn't interfere with our relationship, even on holidays. This is just "normal", something which is part of our daily life.

[walterh]

Robert - it may be your profession .-) I am a biologist - i carry a camera not all the time but very often. That is ok because people may think I just want to be prepared in case a biological subject comes across - so people forgive me. In your case people may think you want to be prepared to take images of every mans penis - with or without a bullet inside. I can see that there is a difference ^^ - so my case is much lighter to bear :-P

 

If you can straighten this out by explaining that you also want to be prepared to take images of little girls playing with dolls ^^ - you should have no problem at all.

 

Also you may want to move on to the next stage (this is what I did) - why should you care if people think you are nuts (because you carry a camera or any other reason). In my case people think I am nuts anyway because i am a scientist (besides biology I do a lot of physics which is even worth as many think) - with or without camera nobody takes notice.

 

cheers

walter

[vrankin]

Robert - on both sides of the issue, I try to carry a small camera everywhere after missing some fantastic shots because it was missing. On the other hand, sometimes the obsession with capturing an image of everything alluring or important to me dilutes the experience. My wife says, "Just let your brain be the camera, and enjoy the experience more for itself." Pure experience does have something to say for itself. By the way, I'd bet our brains HAVE recorded everything for some possible future playback beyond here & now.

[Prof-K]

aha - who doesn't have this problem! ;-) How long have you been married? My wife got sick and tired of being sick and tired of me carrying a camera everywhere I go. Lucky me: my photographic interests shifted recently and I'm getting more and more interested in street photography, so now I carry smaller and smaller cameras (currently a canonet or a fe/50mm).

 

Here is what I do to make the process smoother: 1) carry the cam ready in my hand (no neck straps), 2) give her all the attention in the world, while keeping an eye on the street, 3) kiss her very often :-D 4) shoot selectively, 5) frame the scene w/o holding the cam at eyelevel, and when the moment comes, do it quick ;-) 6) try to do something about her interests...

[Prof-K]

"How long have you been married? My wife got sick and tired of being sick and tired of me carrying a camera everywhere I go."

 

I mean within 3 years only!

[david_h._hartman]

I would not say I feel compelled to carry a camera but I like

to carry my Fuji E550 digital P&S as often as possible. Its

a bit larger than Id like for this. Before this I carried a

Canon Elph Jr. If I was underway to someplace common like a

hardware store I would return for my wallet but not for a camera.

<br>

<br>

A friend always carries his Fuji S2, with Tokina 24~200/? lens, PDA

and cell phone. The camera is not always on his person but its

in his car or truck. I have a setup where I carry an FE2 and two

lenses in a rather small shoulder bag and a few rolls of Tri-X.<br>

<br>

You might consider carrying a Pentax Optio S5i or something

similar. Its about the size of a pack of cards or a little

smaller. From what Ive seen the macro is quite good. I

think its closing out now at under $300.00 (USD). Id

carry it on your person not in you luggage.<br>

<br>

I consider carrying a camera all or almost all the time quite

normal for a serious photographer.<br>

<br>

A cousin has a child who is truly obsessed. He has rituals he

performs when getting on say a bicycle or going through a door

that may take twenty tries or more. This is a pathologic

obsession. Youre an MD so you know what Im talking

about. Your desire to carry a camera all or more most of the time

is very ordinary. <br>

<br>

Best,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

[bernard_frank]

I can relate to this, Robert. I carry a camera with me almost all the time, and certainly all the

time when I'm travelling anywhere.

 

What I can't relate to is a wife searching my luggage to remove some of my personal things. I

never thought marriage was about that.

[manel_soria]

I also carry a camera with me many times. I left a small ixus in the car just in case. I don't think you are worse than many folks here. Don't worry too much.

[yoni_perlmutter]

Compelled? No.

 

Do I always? No. Do I often. Yup. More than often.

 

If I do not "carry", I always am near to, or have access to something that

takes pictures, or otherwise "records".

 

For pocketable cameras it's typically my old, trusty Olympus mju,

for seein' it might be the binocs I keep in my car, for writin' it's a

notepad & pencil (No. 2 Yellow), and for audio, it's the Olympus

Pearlcorder. Then, there are eyes and ears and other senses . . .

 

A camera is one more tool which gives extension

to the senses and hopefully, the imagination.

 

I should think it's more about discipline than compulsion.

 

Keep up the good work.

[bill_thorlin]

Steve Muntz - I carry the Minolta Xt which is about as small as it gets for a decent one - perhaps you could have a look this or it's fellow Minolta x series.

[michael erlich]

I'm the photographer for our local newspaper, and I would sooner leave the house without my pants than without a camera. Many times I have come across a newsworthy photo op by chance. Another reason to always carry a camera is if I am involved in a auto accident I can document the situation.

 

If I am not carrying my working cameras (D2x, D100) I at least have a small digital P&S (a Canon S50). One never knows when a UFO loaded with invading space aliens will land on the road right in front of your car! ;-)

[Robert_Lai]

Wow! I thought that perhaps one person would answer!<p>There are two sides to every question. I don't want it to seem that my wife is some type of tyrant, because she's not. My wife has been incredibly patient for a long time. There have been many a trip where she's waited alone while I ran off to chase some photographic opportunity or other. I think what really upset her was when I ran off into the rain while in Ireland to take some photos. Unfortunately, this was during a banquet. My colleagues noticed, and many of them gave her condolences for being married to me. She really felt humiliated and neglected. So, I've earned the "photo-free" vacation. She was checking this time to make sure that I lived up to my promise (which I found HARD to do).<p>I did get her a camera of her own. Actually, the Canon Sure Shot Tele of 1980s vintage is hers too, but she finds it too bulky. She has a Canon Elph 2 APS camera. That one is truly small enough to pocket and take anywhere. She has an interest in drawing and painting. She does almost by instinct find compositions that took me a lot of reading and experimentation to discover.<p>Sure, we can have our passions. However, all of us have to balance out our work and family life. My work has me gone from the home at early hours, and I don't arrive back until well after sunset. My wife has so little time with me, I can see her point that she resents it if I devote all of my spare time to photography and very little to her. I'm sure that I'm not the only person doing this balancing of competing needs for our attention. Ultimately, the wife and family do have to come first.

[alfarabi]

"Ultimately, the wife and family do have to come first."

 

You sound like a great guy, Robert, for thinking the above. And I think you have a wonderful wife too.