An Extension of the Eye

A camera is but the extension of a person's eye . . .

I have been thinking a lot about my view camera lately. In a world of megapixels and Bayer sensors and more electronics than I will ever hope to understand is my simple hand-made tool of ebony wood and titanium. The camera gets used a lot making pictures of the world I live in. And while it requires me to take my time and it demands a tripod when using, it helps render what I see so beautifully with its 100-year-old Carl Zeiss Protar lenses and Kodak Tri-X film. In a world where we can make things happen with just the click of a mouse and FedEx can deliver it to you overnight, my view camera, by its very nature, requires me to stop and linger . . . to consider and to contemplate. Now don't get me wrong, I use a digital camera too when the need calls for it but the view camera suits me, it suits my temperament and it suits the way I like to make photographs.