Answers to this opinion, please

[EOV]

So is the center of my mind.

 

[oldhippy]

Some believe that reality is a subjective experience, that is objectified by the preciever. That also all time exist simultaneously. Just an old hippy pondering. Ed

 

[table1349]

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present."
Master Wugui from Kung Fu Panda

Personally, I think the cartoon turtle has a better handle on situation.

 

[robbins.photo]

There is nothing wrong with a camera, BUT it only records the PAST. Would rather see you enjoy the gifts of the PRESENT !!!!!

My thought was that photography records the present which then instantly become the past actually and metaphysically.

Viewing photos are always of an event in the past; taking a photo is creative present to me.

Any other answers to this opinion would be helpful.

Background:
67 Male; used to shoot semi- pro in the 60s and early 70s - print film VPS 100 Eyes went bad, hard to focus
Had cataracts done and can see like a hawk now.
Thinking of getting back into photography
considering Canon 5D mark III with a few lenses (not kit, but rather the 2.8 F stops, and perhaps the better 50mm)
Asked a respected person their opinion and got the above.

Ok, well my response to this is persons opinion is .. bullcrap. Total hogwash. Dog snot, if you will. Lol

I'm the father of 3 girls, the youngest of which is now a teenager and the older two are grown and gone. I spent a lot of my life going from point A to point B and back again. When I was still married and the girls were younger I went to the zoo, countless times, and never really got much out of it any time we went. The zoo was a hassle. I had to get all the kids ready and transport them, then once we got there we rushed from one animal enclosure to another - one of the three would be excited by whatever animal we were looking at, the other two would be bored and whining about moving on to something else, etc, etc. So I went from A to B and then back to A again without ever really having any appreciation for what was in front of me - it was all about other things, not about where I was or what I was actually doing.

Fast forward - I'm divorced. Don't really have much in the way of other hobbies. I need to get out and exercise for my health but I despise gyms and almost every form of exercise I can think of bores me to tears. So I figure if I have to walk I might as well walk where I've got some stuff to look at. I take a cheap little bridge camera and go to the zoo - and suddenly I realize that I'm not just moving from point A to point B anymore. I'm actually enjoying myself. Because I have the camera I'm looking for things to capture - and as a result I'm actually seeing and experiencing things I've never seen before.

I spend 45 minutes watching the lion cubs playing together. As I'm standing there I watch all the people doing what I used to do, they file in, watch for a few minutes, then move on - and they miss some of the best moments as a result because they are all focused on getting from A to B and as a result they don't take the time to properly appreciate A, because the whole time they are their they are thinking about getting to B. But I'm still standing there at A, not even thinking about B. I'm thinking about getting just one more good shot - and as a result A becomes the only thing that's important in my world for a while.

So fast forward a bit more, I upgrade my cheap little bridge camera to a full DSLR, I spend more money than I would have ever dreamed on a really good 70-200 mm F/2.8 lens. Now I'm out every weekend - at the zoo, the safari park, one of the state parks in my area, or a few other spots that I know of looking for moments that I can capture forever. I'm not out hiking just to get from point A to point B anymore - I'm no longer out of touch with the world. Even though I might be hiking for a mile or two looking for a particular bird or group of birds I'm still constantly aware of my surroundings, looking for other things I can take pictures of - maybe a beautiful scenic view, or an interesting tree, etc. I see things now I never noticed before, how the light filters through the trees, or how it plays on the water - stuff that I never once noticed before I picked up a camera.

So the person you asked might be a really great person in all respects, but in this particular instance, they don't have a clue as to what they are talking about. My advice? Get a camera. Yes, they record the past. But they will also allow you to appreciate the present in a way that you simply cannot without one.