That one time in Greece

Aug 26

All signs pointed toward giving up. And honestly it seemed like a good idea. But sometimes you keep pushing only to discover that creativity breeds in constraint. In fact, It thrives there.

Broken gear and backup rigs was all I had left to pack after months of planing this trip to Greece with my daughter. That, and the silly little dream of more “travel photography,” now crushed.

Then again travel photography was never the purpose of this trip. Still once we started planning I couldn’t resist the urge to bring my gear and draft shot lists. I even took my gear into be serviced and cleaned to maximize the epic shot possibilities. Only to have my Nikon D850 (main rig) diagnosed with massive back focusing issues at 2 days before departure.

With service, rentals and new purchases out of the question, I took flight with my backup kit: a Nikon D780, my 24-70mm f/2.8), lens and a polarizing ND filter.

pictures of surfboards along coast in Crete, Greece

Which would have been reasonably swell. Not what I wanted, but also not all that important…. At least, that’s what I told myself. Things took a bit of a turn, though, when I further complicated the situation by accidentally and permanently affixing the polarizing ND filter to the front of the lens. Which, unironically and simultaneously broke both the focal distance and the autofocus.

ThSo, if I wanted to capture anything outside of my iPhone, I’d have to manually focus everything on my freshly minted 62mm f/2.8 lens. HOW? WHY?

I’m not sure why or how these things happen? Maybe it’s to test my level of commitment or resilience. Maybe it’s a reminder to take better care of my gear. Either way, What I do know is that the gear I brought wasn't, in fact, actually important, that travel dreams can recur and that sometimes it’s the limitations that allow me to experience life most fully.

And I am so bone-gut grateful that I got to live these exact experiences with this wonderful human!