A few months ago, I got a DSLR with a couple of lenses to go with it (an 18-55mm and a 55-200, both Nikkor). I’ve always loved taking pictures, but found that I wanted more control over the camera and how it behaved, which is why I bought a camera. One of the main reasons was that I would be able to attach a fisheye lens to it, but I still haven’t got round to do that.
A ladder in Wied iż-Żurrieq, Malta, being assaulted by the waves
When I was younger, I used to go and look at fishing tackle at Expo, a diving shop in Valletta. I had no predilection for fish, and had no patience for fishing, however the fishing reels and the mechanisms used to fascinate me. Had I had enough money, I’m sure I would have bought myself a fishing reel, a whole set of hooks and a long rod, only to go fishing for a couple of times a year.
My relationship with photography, however, is somewhat more complex. The hours spent looking at fishing rods in shop windows during the nineties have now been replaced by me looking up lenses and camera bodies on the ‘net. This habit alternates with me looking up (expensive) guitar pedals, (even more expensive) computers, (cheap to expensive) audio interfaces and other (generally expensive) audio equipment. In short, like many men (read: grown boys), I like gear.
I wouldn’t blame all of it on advertising. Advertising plays its part, but it builds on what is already there, which is our love of any kind of stuff.
So why the focus (pardon the pun) on photography, fishing, and hunting in particular. First off, I only take pictures – I only ever caught one fish (with a plain fishing rod, in Gozo), and have never hunted.
But I find photography to be the perfect marriage of my love for gear and becoming lost in beauty. Last time I went swimming, left my mobile at home and got out my kit. After a dip in the (freezing) water, I went up, got my kit and spent an inordinate amount of time hypnotised by the waves, trying to get a good shot.
Looking back at the pictures, some are good, but they’re pretty much the same. Some of them are different in their subject matter, but I still find laying down on your tummy, pointing at a ladder for a lot of time unjustifiable, at least from a utilitarian perspective.
But while I was interested in taking a picture which I could be proud of, something I could show people, this particular shoot allowed me to immerse myself into just something, point my camera and my focus on my subject, waiting for the right time.
In waiting for the waves to crash, I let the waves speak to me, hushing me down, telling me to stop. At that stage, the equipment I’d spent so much money on made sense, it found its habitat. And so did I.
I dare say that the shooting process was more important than the results themselves. Even more daringly, I believe people who fish for fun and hunters share in the same experience. It is not the catch which matters. It’s waking up early or staying up late and letting oneself be taken in by the surroundings while focusing on one thing, be it waves, a bird or a fish tugging at the line.
Only that in photography, no one gets killed or eaten, but that is tied to the result, which as I’ve tried to say over here, is secondary.