I’ve got a real camera again

A few months back I picked up a Nikon D7500 because I flat out don’t take photos on my phone and wanted to get shots of my kids skiing, like this:

It may not be a great shot, but it’s better than I could ever hope to get on my iPhone, given where I was located and the drab drabbiness of the day. And I wouldn’t have bothered to take the phone out anyway.

It feels stupid to take a photo with an iPhone, hands stretched out

Yes everyone does it. Yes most people likely think the opposite. But I can’t get over how dumb I feel trying to take photos with a phone. I know I’m not going to get a great shot. I know there will be no true depth of field or control over the exposure. And the idea that the best camera is the one you have on you is so utterly wrong in my brain.

For every benefit of a smartphone camera – and there are many – is a greater detriment. It’s great iPhone shots get auto uploaded to iCloud Photos. But I can’t take 6 shots / second and capture just the right moment. My iPhone is great in low light and indoors, but there’s no true zoom. And no, a 3x zoom isn’t the same as a quality 300mm lens.

I held off for years and now I somewhat regret it

The past couple of months have been filled with travel time to the kids races. Boise Idaho. Bozeman Montana. Soldier Hollow. And Alaska for Junior Nationals. I’ve taken a few thousand shots and it’s been so much fun capturing these moments. And I’m not even that good at it. But as I’ve shared photos with the kids and the teams, people have really been thankfull.

I don’t like looking back and regretting decisions, but I wonder how many awesome moments have been missed because I didn’t have the right tool for the job. No matter, it’s best to be thankful and move forward.