These emails come with the intent of helping you be a better photographer. 

And if you want more photography stuff to read, there's a place on the interwebs where past emails I wrote are stored. You'll find 'em in the "Newsletter Hub." 

Remember, I'd like to know what you want to know about photography. So, If you have any questions, ask by sending an email to me at sam@samdamico.com.

Hello , 

A photographer asked me if a specific camera would suit my Introduction To Photography class. 

So I researched and let them know that using the camera would be fine during the course.

A big part of my research was gettin' my virtual hands on the PDF version of the owner's manual. And while pokin' around in it, I saw this toward the beginning of the manual:

"Handling Precautions
Camera care
This camera is a precision instrument. Do not drop it or subject it to physical shock."...

Something about that camera care handling precaution made me remember droppin' the Nikon F3HP I used to work with as a photojournalist down a flight of stairs. 

That probably happened in the early to mid-1990s, yet I can remember it clearly cartwheeling down the stairs and smacking into each stair on the way down. 

I figured I'd need a dustpan to sweep up the camera, but nope. 

Besides a goodsized ding on the pentaprism and a couple of dings on the corners, the camera was fully intact and appeared to function normally. 

But to be safe, I used a backup camera to finish the work. I took the stunt camera to the shop to inspect for any internal damage and an overdue tune-up.  

There was no internal damage done by the cascade down the stairs, the usual tune-up was done, and the camera was returned to me with the assurance that it worked as well as it ever did despite the gold medal tumbling routine down the stairs. 

The F3HP was a dependable camera, and it was a precision instrument too. But it was a mechanical precision instrument, built like a tank, and priced at about 800 bucks for just the body when I bought it, brand-spankin'-new.

And I don't remember seeing any precautions like the camera care handling precaution toward the top of this email. If anything. it was probably something like, "This camera isn't waterproof! Don't use it as a boat anchor! Using it in this manner will void any warranties and may cause camera malfunction." 

Now don't get me wrong. Despite my kicking and screaming as I transitioned into digital photography, I'm thrilled it happened. 

But I miss the feeling of a camera that I knew could take some bumpin' around every once in a while and still be depended on to work. 

Because when I read something like this:

"Handling Precautions
Camera care
This camera is a precision instrument. Do not drop it or subject it to physical shock."

I have to handle the camera like an expensive vase rather than a worker's tool that can be dropped accidentally. 

I guess that's the trade-off. I give up the ruggedness of a camera like the H3HP in exchange for a precision instrument that I have to handle carefully, but it gives me some helpful technology. 

Technology that helps me by allowing more camera technique, in-camera creative control, and a more efficient, faster workflow. 

But we gotta learn the technology to perform the technique. 

And we wanna do that because technique serves creativity. 

So the more technique we have, the more creative we can be. 

Not a bad trade-off if you ask me, and well worth the extra attention I'll need to pay to ensure I don't drop the precision instrument or "subject it to physical shock."

And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture today.  

That’s all for now; thanks for reading!

Sam 

Be a better photographer; study and practice photography with me. 

And if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes,  we can schedule a one-time lesson or a series of in-person or online one-on-one private instruction that cover the same things as any of my group classes. 

I look forward to helping you be a better photographer.

Best Regards, 

Sam