So I’ve been really busy the last 8 days writing frantically for a book deadline, and I’ve finished just in time to leave work behind – and I mean properly, scrub it from my mind, behind – for 2 precious days away. I’m off to the North Norfolk coast; one of the most beautiful parts of England, where I can stand beneath the curving sky on inter-tidal marshes listening to the lilting calls of the wading birds. And all the stress will just drain away… hopefully… I’ve never been there with an 8 year old and the last time I attempted a family holiday it was apparently “the worst holiday ever!” (and that was Pompeii!!!). But let’s see.
Now, though, I have to think about the camera kit I want to take. I’m tempted to take the Rollei and, as I described in my previous blog post, enjoy the creativity that the constraints of one focal length and film generate. This, though, has then put me in the middle of the film photographer’s metaphorical sweet shop – the film stash. I’m stood looking in the fridge trying to decide which films to take – JCH 400, Pan F 50, T-Max 400, Cinestill 50, Velvia 50, Provia 100, and/or Portra 160? Umm… err… if only the heat wave of the last 4 days in England could be forecast to last into the weekend, but it’s apparently about as predictable as a magic 8 ball. It’s the crazy English weather that makes me think “sod it, take the Sony with it’s variable ISO and two lenses, and laser guided eyeball tracking autofocus…”
But you see there’s nothing worse than a camera (or cameras) weighing you down on a day out – it puts me in a grump and the experience is, after all, more important than the photos. I was once in Japan and took my Canon 20D plus the 24-70 2.8 L lens. It was mid-July, which, if you didn’t know, is a stupid time of year to go to Japan because it is cripplingly hot and humid. Lugging an L lens around was like a personal millstone around my neck, and the only thing that kept me alive were those ubiquitous drinks vending machines filled with cans of melon flavoured soda and Big Boss Iced Coffee. So I just ended up leaving it all in the hotel, and I took our Panasonic compact – and it did an incredible job! I actually sold all of my L lenses and my Canon when I got back to England after that experience; the only good camera, after all, is the one you have with you. So here I am looking at the Rollei and my Sony with the 24mm and 85mm lenses. You know, that 85mm is bloody heavy – do I never learn?!
Okay, so I’ll just ‘kick the can down the road’ and shove it all in the back of the car. And if I can’t decide before leaving the hotel for day trips, we’ll take the lot in the car again. After all, there’s an 8 year old who could carry something this time if push comes to shove.