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November 18, 2022 - By

The single most enjoyable surprise of the pandemic has been rediscovering my love of photography. With the chaos of agency work and having children, using a “real camera” was almost a forgotten art.

I purchased a modern mirrorless camera purely to have the best webcam possible for any lighting conditions I could face in future offices. At the time the Canon M50 ii ticked all the boxes for me (I still love it, but this is not a recommendation). What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the process of taking photographs, snapshots, or shooting videos.

The most profound realization was this: My camera (regardless of the lens or body) is the only real-time machine I will ever have. When I watch a video or look at a photo I’m immediately transported back in time. I’m not alone in this. I recently showed my Dad a photo I found: it was him at a young age holding up a fish at sunset; to me, it told a story of some halcyon day spent having fun–but for him, it evoked a much different memory: “That was the day your cousin was born!”

Today this camera is a constant companion; it comes with me almost everywhere, it’s my webcam, and it’s the way I document the day-to-day of a young family. Shooting is fun, hunting for good light is fun, editing is fun, and printing is… fine.

Finally, I have a baby elephant I brought into the room. A year ago I made a big fuss about leaving the Facebook ecosystem. Well… It became worth it again. Cameras are just tools, it’s the results that make the hobby. To me, it’s the sharing of the photos that is the ultimate expression of photography. So, I’m back on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arleymcblain.

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This post was written by Arley