Hobby or obsession?

Three weeks off over the silly season gives you enough time to reflect
on all sorts of things and in some cases to see things for what they
truly are.

Over the past week or so I had what I suppose you could call an epiphany
of my own. I looked into one of my cupboards and realised with sickening
horror, just how much time and money I have sunk into what is really
only a hobby for me, and also how I could have spent that time and money
doing other things that are probably a lot more meaningful to me and I
suppose the universe too.

10 cameras, 15 lenses, 6 bags, tripods, lights, flashes, stands,
bellows, adaptors, backdrops, memory cards and devices to read them,
Flashtrax, scanners, bulk film loaders, etc, etc. 6 years of what I can
only call "acquisition illness". Lord only knows how many hours I have
spent on the internet reading, researching, replying to posts on this
forum and on the phone to prospective buyers and sellers. All so I can
do one thing: take pictures.

Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph. As for
the internet and this group? Expect to see a lot less of me in the
future (I can hear the cheers from certain quarters already). Life's too
short to spend all your time on one thing...

--
DD
www.dallasdahms.com
Central Scrutinizer

Dallas! - Real glad you're back.....I've got a problem. I can make scans
with my new scanner, but I don't know how to save them. It lets me save the
correction steps, but not the finished picture. IOW, it scans, lets me make
a "final scan", lets me correct the image in a dozen different ways, and
then, when I want to save the new, corrected image, it says click of "master
something or other" and it gives me a short list. One of these items is
"save" when I click on it, it saves the steps I used to make the correction
to the image, but it doesn't save the new image.....I could care less about
the steps....What I want it the new image that I have cleaned up, so I can
import it into Photoshop, or just keep it on my hard disk......How do I do
this?
Bill Graham
"DD" wrote in message
...
Three weeks off over the silly season gives you enough time to reflect
on all sorts of things and in some cases to see things for what they
truly are.

Over the past week or so I had what I suppose you could call an epiphany
of my own. I looked into one of my cupboards and realised with sickening
horror, just how much time and money I have sunk into what is really
only a hobby for me, and also how I could have spent that time and money
doing other things that are probably a lot more meaningful to me and I
suppose the universe too.

10 cameras, 15 lenses, 6 bags, tripods, lights, flashes, stands,
bellows, adaptors, backdrops, memory cards and devices to read them,
Flashtrax, scanners, bulk film loaders, etc, etc. 6 years of what I can
only call "acquisition illness". Lord only knows how many hours I have
spent on the internet reading, researching, replying to posts on this
forum and on the phone to prospective buyers and sellers. All so I can
do one thing: take pictures.

Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph. As for
the internet and this group? Expect to see a lot less of me in the
future (I can hear the cheers from certain quarters already). Life's too
short to spend all your time on one thing...

--
DD
www.dallasdahms.com
Central Scrutinizer

William Graham wrote:
Dallas! - Real glad you're back.....I've got a problem. I can make
scans with my new scanner, but I don't know how to save them. It lets
me save the correction steps, but not the finished picture. IOW, it
scans, lets me make a "final scan", lets me correct the image in a
dozen different ways, and then, when I want to save the new,
corrected image, it says click of "master something or other" and it
gives me a short list. One of these items is "save" when I click on
it, it saves the steps I used to make the correction to the image,
but it doesn't save the new image.....I could care less about the
steps....What I want it the new image that I have cleaned up, so I
can import it into Photoshop, or just keep it on my hard
disk......How do I do this? Bill Graham

Are you serious, William?
-Or have you been at the happy juice again???

Methinks you're playing with Dallas!


"DD" wrote in message
...
Three weeks off over the silly season gives you enough time to
reflect on all sorts of things and in some cases to see things for
what they truly are.

Over the past week or so I had what I suppose you could call an
epiphany of my own. I looked into one of my cupboards and realised
with sickening horror, just how much time and money I have sunk into
what is really only a hobby for me, and also how I could have spent
that time and money doing other things that are probably a lot more
meaningful to me and I suppose the universe too.

10 cameras, 15 lenses, 6 bags, tripods, lights, flashes, stands,
bellows, adaptors, backdrops, memory cards and devices to read them,
Flashtrax, scanners, bulk film loaders, etc, etc. 6 years of what I
can only call "acquisition illness". Lord only knows how many hours
I have spent on the internet reading, researching, replying to posts
on this forum and on the phone to prospective buyers and sellers.
All so I can do one thing: take pictures.

Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph. As
for the internet and this group? Expect to see a lot less of me in
the future (I can hear the cheers from certain quarters already).
Life's too short to spend all your time on one thing...

--
DD
www.dallasdahms.com
Central Scrutinizer

DD wrote:
Three weeks off over the silly season gives you enough time to reflect
on all sorts of things and in some cases to see things for what they
truly are.

Over the past week or so I had what I suppose you could call an
epiphany of my own. I looked into one of my cupboards and realised
with sickening horror, just how much time and money I have sunk into
what is really only a hobby for me, and also how I could have spent
that time and money doing other things that are probably a lot more
meaningful to me and I suppose the universe too.

10 cameras, 15 lenses, 6 bags, tripods, lights, flashes, stands,
bellows, adaptors, backdrops, memory cards and devices to read them,
Flashtrax, scanners, bulk film loaders, etc, etc. 6 years of what I
can only call "acquisition illness". Lord only knows how many hours I
have spent on the internet reading, researching, replying to posts on
this forum and on the phone to prospective buyers and sellers. All so
I can do one thing: take pictures.

Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph. As
for the internet and this group? Expect to see a lot less of me in the
future (I can hear the cheers from certain quarters already). Life's
too short to spend all your time on one thing...

So what are you keeping, and what's for "purge"?

DD wrote:
Three weeks off over the silly season gives you enough time to reflect
on all sorts of things and in some cases to see things for what they
truly are.

Over the past week or so I had what I suppose you could call an
epiphany of my own. I looked into one of my cupboards and realised
with sickening horror, just how much time and money I have sunk into
what is really only a hobby for me, and also how I could have spent
that time and money doing other things that are probably a lot more
meaningful to me and I suppose the universe too.

10 cameras, 15 lenses, 6 bags, tripods, lights, flashes, stands,
bellows, adaptors, backdrops, memory cards and devices to read them,
Flashtrax, scanners, bulk film loaders, etc, etc. 6 years of what I
can only call "acquisition illness". Lord only knows how many hours I
have spent on the internet reading, researching, replying to posts on
this forum and on the phone to prospective buyers and sellers. All so
I can do one thing: take pictures.

Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph. As
for the internet and this group? Expect to see a lot less of me in the
future (I can hear the cheers from certain quarters already). Life's
too short to spend all your time on one thing...

If you're (generic "you're") not at least a little obsessive about a hobby,
you're not as likely to grow or excel in it.

I make no claims of great talent (wish I could), but my moderate level of
"obsession" with the hobby has definitely helped me improve. I'll never be
a creative master, but I want to keep growing and learning. Hobbies can
often become burdensome...like the scrap-booker I knew whose entire living
space slowly became almost entirely devoted to storage for her sCRAPbook
doo-dads. Pretty soon it became overwhelming and was no longer fun.
She dumped everything.

(Unsolicited advice section below...)

There's no rule that says you have to be passionate about one hobby forever.
For me, my enthusiasm fluctuates from high to low throughout the year, but
it never goes away, and its easily rekindled by a bit of travel.

Find something you love and dive in...but don't be too quick to dump :most
of your gear." Most photogs benefit very little from having 10 cameras, and
I have no doubt you could dump a lot of stuff, yet still have everything you
need for that future moment when you get new inspiration. Just as your
enthusiasm has waned, it can return just the same way--perhaps with even
more gusto than ever. Sometimes all that's needed is a break, and the new
attitudes during that break can turn into a new beginning at some point. It
never hurts to pare back to the basics of what made us love it in the
beginning.

2 cents...
-Mark

In article ,
says...
Dallas! - Real glad you're back.....I've got a problem. I can make scans
with my new scanner, but I don't know how to save them. It lets me save the
correction steps, but not the finished picture. IOW, it scans, lets me make
a "final scan", lets me correct the image in a dozen different ways, and
then, when I want to save the new, corrected image, it says click of "master
something or other" and it gives me a short list. One of these items is
"save" when I click on it, it saves the steps I used to make the correction
to the image, but it doesn't save the new image.....I could care less about
the steps....What I want it the new image that I have cleaned up, so I can
import it into Photoshop, or just keep it on my hard disk......How do I do
this?

I start in photoshop and use the File Import command to bring up the
Minolta scanning dialog. Once the scan is completed the Minolta plug in
disappears and the picture is left in Photoshop from where you can go
anywhere with it.

--
DD
www.dallasdahms.com
Central Scrutinizer

In article sc3xf.10040$V.5005@fed1read04, "Mark²" mjmorgan(lowest
even number says...
DD wrote:
Three weeks off over the silly season gives you enough time to reflect
on all sorts of things and in some cases to see things for what they
truly are.

Over the past week or so I had what I suppose you could call an
epiphany of my own. I looked into one of my cupboards and realised
with sickening horror, just how much time and money I have sunk into
what is really only a hobby for me, and also how I could have spent
that time and money doing other things that are probably a lot more
meaningful to me and I suppose the universe too.

10 cameras, 15 lenses, 6 bags, tripods, lights, flashes, stands,
bellows, adaptors, backdrops, memory cards and devices to read them,
Flashtrax, scanners, bulk film loaders, etc, etc. 6 years of what I
can only call "acquisition illness". Lord only knows how many hours I
have spent on the internet reading, researching, replying to posts on
this forum and on the phone to prospective buyers and sellers. All so
I can do one thing: take pictures.

Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph. As
for the internet and this group? Expect to see a lot less of me in the
future (I can hear the cheers from certain quarters already). Life's
too short to spend all your time on one thing...

If you're (generic "you're") not at least a little obsessive about a hobby,
you're not as likely to grow or excel in it.

I make no claims of great talent (wish I could), but my moderate level of
"obsession" with the hobby has definitely helped me improve. I'll never be
a creative master, but I want to keep growing and learning. Hobbies can
often become burdensome...like the scrap-booker I knew whose entire living
space slowly became almost entirely devoted to storage for her sCRAPbook
doo-dads. Pretty soon it became overwhelming and was no longer fun.
She dumped everything.

(Unsolicited advice section below...)

There's no rule that says you have to be passionate about one hobby forever.
For me, my enthusiasm fluctuates from high to low throughout the year, but
it never goes away, and its easily rekindled by a bit of travel.

Find something you love and dive in...but don't be too quick to dump :most
of your gear." Most photogs benefit very little from having 10 cameras, and
I have no doubt you could dump a lot of stuff, yet still have everything you
need for that future moment when you get new inspiration. Just as your
enthusiasm has waned, it can return just the same way--perhaps with even
more gusto than ever. Sometimes all that's needed is a break, and the new
attitudes during that break can turn into a new beginning at some point. It
never hurts to pare back to the basics of what made us love it in the
beginning.

2 cents...
-Mark

It's a case of "less is more". I think I have reached a point where I
know enough about photography to get more or less what I want using
whatever is available to me. I can always borrow stuff if I really need
to.

I am still very interested in the craft, but I have decided to put the
equipment buying frenzy behind me. There was a point last year where I
was spending close to $500 a month on stuff I barely use. If I saw it, I
wanted it. Vini, vidi, vici (or however they spell it).

I've put almost all my AF equipment up for sale, except the D70 and 18-
70mm DX lens. Already sold the F100 and 17-35mm f/2.8. Got a lot of
interest in the 70-200mm VR but no one with the money yet.

I will probably keep my F2 and some of the MF lenses (16mm, 24mm, 35mm,
50mm, 105mm and 180mm). Definitely keeping the Leica M6 and M3 and their
respective lenses (3). If I can get a decent offer for my D70 I will
most likely use the proceeds to get a D200 which will at least meter
with the manual focus Nikkors I keep.

The rest is going (or gone)! Want some? ;-)
--
DD
www.dallasdahms.com
Central Scrutinizer

"DD" wrote in message
...
Three weeks off over the silly season gives you enough time to reflect
on all sorts of things and in some cases to see things for what they
truly are.

Over the past week or so I had what I suppose you could call an epiphany
of my own. I looked into one of my cupboards and realised with sickening
horror, just how much time and money I have sunk into what is really
only a hobby for me, and also how I could have spent that time and money
doing other things that are probably a lot more meaningful to me and I
suppose the universe too.

10 cameras, 15 lenses, 6 bags, tripods, lights, flashes, stands,
bellows, adaptors, backdrops, memory cards and devices to read them,
Flashtrax, scanners, bulk film loaders, etc, etc. 6 years of what I can
only call "acquisition illness". Lord only knows how many hours I have
spent on the internet reading, researching, replying to posts on this
forum and on the phone to prospective buyers and sellers. All so I can
do one thing: take pictures.

Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph. As for
the internet and this group? Expect to see a lot less of me in the
future (I can hear the cheers from certain quarters already). Life's too
short to spend all your time on one thing...


It's true, one needs balance in all aspects of life, economic included, but
it's alright to pursue your passion, regardless whether you make a profit
from it or not. Many many great artists did not support themselves by art
alone.

Besides, most of us come here not for photography, per se, but for
entertainment.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

"DD" wrote in message
...


Enough.

I have decided that I don't need all this "baggage", so I am in the
process of purging myself of most of it and I will retain only a few
items so that I can still enjoy taking the occasional photograph.

Don't fall into the trap of impulsively dumping your equipment, because you
may miss it later. I was going to dump my film gear when I bought my first
digital camera, in 1999, and I'm glad that I chose to put the film equipment
away, rather than jettison it.

The cost of re-acquiring some of your present stuff may be much more than
you think. Give it a year, when your head will be clearer, then decide
whether you really want to throw that equipment overboard.

"Jeremy" wrote in message
news:n18xf.34308$uy3.23898@trnddc08...

The cost of re-acquiring some of your present stuff may be much more than
you think. Give it a year, when your head will be clearer, then decide
whether you really want to throw that equipment overboard.

That's my problem - in years gone by I did sell some of my unwanted gear,
and now I'm on the lookout for replacements. Mainly for sentimental
reasons, so time isn't a problem. The downside, is that I now keep
everything period , and my cupboard overflows and I can't get access to
deeply buried goodies!!

Time for a sort-out, and rationalisation, again... and, I've discovered
that 5x4 takes up yet more space than 35mm.

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm