I am an amateur, to cry out loud!!!!

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have this hobby.  It is called stereo photography.  That's is my hobby.  I
put a fair amount of money into it but expect nothing in return.  I am just
enjoying what I am doing.  The excitement of taking stereo pictures.  The
thrill of getting some great stereo pictures once in a while.  

I enjoy what I am doing and that's why I am doing it.  It is fun.  It is
entertainment.  I enjoy using my Realist to take stereo pictures for "the
fun of it".  I do not have to worry about selling my work or satisfying a
client.  I take pictures for myself and only myself.  I do not have to give
account to anybody other than myself.  It is a great hobby and I am having
a blast with it.

Exactly because it a fun and relaxing hobby, I refuse to let details worry me.  

There have been a few threads in recent months that could scare the living
sh-t out of me, if I did not know better.  

The latest one is about the danger of x-rays in the airports.  "Why take
chances?" I am asked.  "Why worry?" I reply.  I have not read _any_ report
of anyone who had film suffer noticeable damage because of x-rays. 
Everything I have read says it is safe.  Especially for slow films and for
the demands of an amateur photographer.  So, why worry?  I have more
important things to worry about.

It was recommended earlier that I don't take my stereo camera so I can
enjoy my vacation.  But taking pictures is part of the fun of the vacation!
If I were getting paid and was trying to satisfy a demanding client, I
understand the conflict.  But, I am an amateur having a good time!  How can
having a good time interfere with having a good time???

About the model releases... I am not supposed to take pictures of strangers
without a signed release form if I plan to circulate them among stereo
enthusiasts.  And what if I do?  I can get sued big time.  You must be
kiddding!  I absolutely refuse to let myself worry about this.  "Let'em sue
me!!!"

What else?  Yes, I have to worry that my Realist is not "sufficiently
sharp".  What does that mean?  It is sharp enough for me!  Do I need to
invest money to have it "fixed" or buy a better one?  Certainly not! 
Again, if these pictures paid my living I might needed to worry, but then,
the money coming out of the camera would pay for it.

How about keeping my Realist in a ziplog bag at 1 sec, focused at infinity
at f3.5?  Ha, ha, ha, ha!

How about the "perfect exposure", the use of the $300 digital meter and
spotmeter, the calibration of each individual combination of shutter speeds
and aperture stops, the "ad infinitum" bracketing?  Yeah, sure!  I'll leave
that for the "professionals".

How about archival storage?  Yes, that's very important... if you work as a
preservation specialists at a museum and you get paid to worry for that
stuff.

How about using Kodachrome so my pictures survive for 5000 years instead of
just 100?  (Nothing annoys me more than the comment "too bad it was not
shot in Kodachrome" for cute family pictures circulating in SSA)  In 100
years I will be dust and my pictures magenta, so what?  I'll be happy if my
children sell them (as I buy them now from other people's relatives) being
clever enough to realize that they have monetary value, instead of just
throwing them in the garbage.

What's the bottom line?  The bottom line is that stereo photography for me
is a hobby and I am enjoying it in a relaxed and casual way, as I should. 
I am not going to worry about "minor details" and lose the big picture. 
Our lives are short and are complicated already with enough problems and
worries.  Let stereo photography be a source of joy, not anxiety.  To
paraphrase Grant, in my death bed I am not going to worry that I had not
used Kodachrome.  I'll die happy for all the fun times that stereo
photography offered me.

-- George Themelis ("The good old Dr. T is back!!!")


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