Beg, Borrow or Steal

My mum was a Pentax girl back in the day when Canon Film SLR’s “actually sounded like cannons”. I’m sure she’d happily still use her Pentax now with a 50mm prime lens on, just because she “can’t get the hang of digital”. She lies.

Me and my Dad. Porthleven, Cornwall – Taken by my mum some years ago. No comments on the pure awesomeness of our shorts please!

Growing up on days out and family holidays my mum would always be around with her camera. Little did she know that seeing her taking all these photos would create some circuits in my brain that would encourage me to follow in her footsteps, sort of. I’ve taught myself, in some ways while she studied photography in college and managed to earn a few pounds from it in the days when you had to take the photo, not let the camera do all the work.

I had already purchased my first Canon EOS 400D (Rebel xti, I think?) by the time my mum decided she would step into the digital world. It’s then that she asked me for advice in what she should buy. I didn’t know, I barely knew if I’d made the right decision, but because it’s what I’d bought, I recommended a Canon. She bought another Pentax, or it might have been an Olympus, I cant quite recall. Because what do I know?

A few months, or possibly a year or so later, she decided that enough was enough and she didn’t like the camera. The controls were clunky, and the images she produced with it lacked something. She sold up and bought a Canon. Was it the right choice? Of course it was!

That last statement might lead you to believe that Canon produce the best equipment, but then I have no real comparison. I haven’t used anything else. Why it was the right decision is because I shoot Canon. You can’t choose your family, but you can help your family choose to use the same equipment as you to share it.

The most recent, temporary acquisition from her is a Canon 100mm F2.8L Macro lens. What a beautiful lens. Not only is it brilliant for getting in and focusing close on the tiny features of my four month old daughter, but it’s also opened my eyes to a whole new genre of photography that I’ve never really had much of an interest in before. Close up stuff is weird, but great.

I’m far from winning Macro Photographer of the Year, but it was interesting to do. Getting so close to  subjects and seeing it magnified way beyond it’s natural scale. If I can eek out the possession of this lens a little longer, I have a few ideas up my sleeve that I’d like to try in the little time I get free for photography now. I’ll try not to bore you all with the sleeping baby eyes, fingers, nose, ears and toes.

But, on the day after my 30th Birthday, I don’t only want to thank my mum for being the main photographic influence in my life and lending me her lenses, willingly or not, but just to thank her for putting up with me for 30 years and being amazing. It makes me feel old actually seeing that in text too.