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The Dull Assignment
By Spender | June 23, 2008
I never expected J.K. Rowling to cast a spell on me.
Saver and I have been butting heads about where we should be using the money that I made before we moved here. I’d really like to buy some new camera equipment. Treating money as “my” money and “your” money is still kind of second nature but we’re making a conscious effort to make it “our” money and I know it would not be fair to buy expensive camera equipment with out her consensus.
I’ve mostly worked for companies that provide my photographic gear but now that I’ve gone in the freelance direction I feel a need to build up my own equipment. I have many of the essential elements a professional photographer needs but I’d still like to get a second DSLR camera body. I recently sold a couple of my personal items and planned to use that money to buy a Canon 5D, which I’ve had my eye on for quite a while.
Saver, on the other hand, feels differently. As she supports me while I seek avenues to make a living as a freelance photographer in a foreign country, she thinks it would be wiser to put this money into paying off my student loans. I’ve never been very good at paying more than the minimum and she thinks I need to change my habits. Saver believes spending money on another camera body does not make sense if I haven’t made any money since our move and loans and interest are not going away. I agree that I should be putting more money than the minimum toward my loans but I’m not quite sure why all the money should go to the loans when I feel it’s important to buy a second camera body.
Why do I think a 5D is a good purchase right now? 1.) It’s good to have a back-up camera 2.) It has a larger sensor than the Canon 1D mkII I currently own. The 1D mkII was at its best when I was shooting sports and spot news, however, now I find myself making travel and landscape type images where resolution and wide angles are more useful. The 5D offers a higher quality image file and a wider perspective which both seem significant for the work I’m creating now.
I came across this year’s Harvard commencement speech by J.K. Rowling; “The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination.” On this freelance adventure I’ve embarked upon, fear of failure seizes me nearly everyday. Sign me up if there are any kind of benefits. In her frank and steadfast British accent, Rowling reveals from her own lessons of failure that, “Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is no longer a checklist of acquisition or achievement.” So now I wonder if dwelling on things I think I “have to have” is a distraction to achieving my goals. I am not going to pretend that I’m not planning to buy more camera equipment. I’m a photographer and crave new ways of looking at things. Yet this speech was kind of an intervention, allowing me to stop and examine my priorities while “magically” outside of my photographer mindset.
It reminds me of a valuable lesson I learned as a newspaper photographer but hadn’t considered applying it to other uses in living responsibly. Do not underestimate what you can do with a dull assignment. I often saw co-workers complain about covering the check signings and city meetings. At first I thought it was lame to work on the boring stories. But I somehow learned to love returning from these challenges with the unexpected. It didn’t always happen but more often than not, because of the few distractions, I had the time to focus on the situation and create memorable images.
It’s hard to admit but maybe I agree with Saver’s argument, encouraging me to first be aggressive about paying my debt down and when the gear I have is earning income then I can consider purchasing more equipment. It’s like the dull assignment. Despite my longing to use new cameras and lenses for a fresh perspective, more mega pixels and wider angles do not necessarily guarantee success. Responsibility will be my new perspective and hopefully a better bet for prosperity.
Topics: Money Stories, Relationship, Spender's Posts | Related Posts: None
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Wow. who would have thought a boring assignment would be the jumping off point for a new philosophy.
I have aways thought my best photos came when i only had one lens with me and i had to make it work. When I had too many choices, I didn’t get into the assignment as much.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:46 am
[...] store. I’m sharing his tip in a short blurb.” Saver (on behalf of Spender) presents The Dull Assignment posted at She’s a Saver, He’s a Spender. Sam presents NEW !! How to Sell My House and [...]
July 1st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
[...] store. I’m sharing his tip in a short blurb.” Saver (on behalf of Spender) presents The Dull Assignment posted at She’s a Saver, He’s a Spender. Sam presents NEW !! How to Sell My House and [...]