RIP DSC-W290
So my camera broke.
It’s been revived on numerous occasions, but it’s been unresponsive for about 5 days now, so I think I’m ready to declare that it’s done. Cause is unknown, but various pieces of evidence point to sand and dirt infiltration due to wind at the deserts in Jaisalmer. Thus, photos from a number of temples in Rajasthan, scenes in Udaipur, Jaipur and Mumbai will not be captured nor posted. I apologize to the people that view this blog for the pretty pictures. I guess you’ll actually start reading my boring rants now (or maybe just stop clicking the link on my facebook status). Not to fret, as the photos that I took pre-death in Rajasthan have yet to be posted.
When the camera broke, a million thoughts ran through my head. I never break things; my sister bought me that as a gift and now I broke it - money down the drain and sentimental value shattered; I won’t be able to capture shots of Mumbai or Jaipur where I KNOW I could get some of the best shots of the trip; my blog is going to be intensely boring; I really hope this gets fixed; stupid deserts and sand dunes I hate wind; I guess I haven’t really grown up all that much in the last two months; etc.
But as I sat at the music and dance show after the camera broke in Jaisalmer, wishing I could snap some photos of the dancers, I realized that my camera breaking was something of a blessing in disguise. I was able to slowly detach myself from having to capture everything in moments and just enjoy the scene myself instead of looking at it through a 4 x 3, 12 megapixel screen.
I think using that lens to view a lot of the things I’ve seen here have helped me appreciate the beauty of it all - even the ugliest of scenes, but once that camera was gone, I retained that ability. Perhaps, more important than being able to keep the moments on my hard drive was simply learning how to see and capture beauty via use of the camera.
That’s not to say I’ve mastered it, but I’ve definitely gotten better. Maybe I’ll upgrade to an SLR, maybe downgrade (in technology but definite upgrade in coolness factor) to a Polaroid, or maybe I’ll stagnate at the point-and-shoot. I think I’m leaning away from that last one though.
My birthday is in a month. You know, in case anyone was wondering. I hear people sometimes give gifts for those things. Might just be a rumor though :)
All the best, from Mumbai,
Ankit
