civilized ku # 2215 / diptych # 6 ~ it's a miracle - was blind, but now I see
Monday, June 4, 2012 at 05:16PM ;)
Old yellow route marker ~ Clintonville, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggen;)
Yellow posts ~ Keeseville, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenIn the past 2 months I have sold nearly $4,000.00 USD of my pictures/prints. All of the sales have been for display on the walls of business offices. In one case, 7 of my 24×24 inch prints - mounted on 32×32 inch mat board and framed in gunmetal gray metal frames - were hung on all of the public / common walls of an office suite. After I had finished hanging them, the comment was made, "Is this an office or an art gallery?"
I must admit, even if I do say so myself, the matted and framed prints looked great. One might even say "impressive". I mention this not as a blatant bit of self aggrandizement but rather in support of the fact that, because of this experience, I have been cured, re: my most recent bout of need-a-new-camera fever.
An ASIDE: while this recent illness was contracted by the newly discovered OM-D E-5M virus, which, as it turns out, is nearly impossible to cure with traditional treatment, i.e. deliberately acquiring the damn thing (usually ships in 1-3 months), the illness can be contracted by any number of other viruses. And, what I have to tell about my cure could also hold true, cure wises, for any of these other viruses.
The Cure: In addition to the newly released virus, my fever was exacerbated by my recent print sales - all that money, or some of it, was burning a hole in my pocket. A hole which somehow migrated to my brain inasmuch as, with hindsight, I now know I wasn't thinking very clearly. I mean, it's not like I didn't know that 24×24 inch prints made from my E-P series cameras weren't really good. I've certainly had enough gallery exhibits with that sized prints to know better than to think those prints were somehow "lacking", but ..... cash + new picturing stuff + off-the-charts glowing reviews is, consumer culture wise, a deadly / insidious combination.
However, thanks to the grace of the picture viewing gods whose interest lies in actual and implied picture content (as opposed to the picture making gods who are very concerned with maximizing the sale of new & improved gear), I was saved. As the song goes:
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
IMO, one would have to be nearly blind or a wretched pixel peeper to not see the visually sweet sound imparted by the results of my current non-state of the art gear. So, since I am neither nearly blind nor a pixel peeper, I've come to my senses and can state with certainty that OM-D E-M5 is not in my near future and, perhaps, not in any future I can foresee because, for me, it simply does not make any sense.
That said, I am very tempted to purchase another new EP-2 body, which can currently be had for a mere $269.00 USD. My trusty E-P1 is getting long in the tooth and I'm thinking that the shutter may be nearing the end of its life. A new body and a Lumix G 14mm f2.5 seem to make more sense, especially so since both can be had for about half the cost of an OM-D E-M5 body.
Those purchases will allow me to keep on keeping on, picture making wise, with what I am familiar and, more importantly, with what works for me .... because, as been stated many times, it's about the pictures, stupid.
gravitas et nugalis
Featured Comment: Rob (no link provided) asked: "Would the fever have a relapse if you knew you could get an EM-5 in two weeks from mom and pop camera stores?"
my response: One never knows when one might relapse into the fever. If that were to occur, my choice would always be to buy from a "mom and pop" camera store but ... there are none in my neighborhood and how would I know if a mom and pop store had one?
Do you have some inside trader information?
Reader Comments (4)
Great post. And great pictures today!
Glad to see you've been cured. I've had the fever as well, but decided to stick to my Panasonic GF1s for a while longer. And just like you, I've ordered the 14mm to compliment the 20mm. I mean, the new Olys and Fujis are tempting, not to mention the new Nikon D800, but in the end I decided to spent my time making pictures instead of learning to use all these new toys, but if Fuji drops their stupid RAW-format I might be tempted to go retor.
Very interesting post for me.I like mft, own an e-pl1 and thought about the OM-D for several weeks. Now I found a second e-pl1 for cheap and I'm happy with what I have. Together with it came the zuiko 45. It's a good choice.
Would the fever have a relapse if you knew you could get an EM-5 in two weeks from mom and pop camera stores?