I am not one to name my appliances, my car, or my electronic equipment. This does not mean I have not formed a sentimental attachment to them, however. Some, like my camera or computer, hold a special place in my heart. And a little bit of me died yesterday when my faithful Sony Cybershot failed to open its beautiful lens, only flickered its little green light, and entered camera heaven.
It has been a good camera. Despite my many complaints about how bulky and heavy it is, together we have produced a decent array of beautiful pictures from around the world. We have seen the sands of Thailand’s beaches, the waters of Wisconsin’s lakes, the humidity settling like a cloud over Japan’s temples. And everywhere that camera went, it took something back with it.
Unfortunately, that was probably what did it in. A fall in Beijing’s Forbidden Palace left cracks for all manners of dust, rain, and sand from around the world to enter. Another crack against a stone column in Seoul’s Old Imperial Palace started the downfall of function, ending in an unfortunate dunking on a canoe trip in northern Wisconsin. It’s not that I was not careful, it’s just that the world is hard on cameras, especially when my hands have to deal with other aspects of the environment as well.
And so, while I will go tomorrow and see if anything can be done to pull my camera back from the light at the end of the tunnel, it just might be that it is time to let go. A slimmer, shinier, and hopefully more durable version could be my in future. If that is so, rest in peace, oh my loyal camera. May you take pictures of the clouds forever.
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