A New Investment

As of two weeks ago, after one month of hard work at the law firm, I was given my first paid check. Surely it was a memorable experience, but what was ingrained in my mind from the moment I started working at the law firm was the same day for a different reason. The day I received my first paid check was the day I could finally afford to purchase my first professional camera. The decision to buy my camera was seemed so instinctual; the job that I dedicated my summer to would eventually fuel my other passion for photography. I had a camera to begin with, but I had one that was rudimentary in the sense that it did its basic job: to take pictures. No more no less. At first, I felt like I excelled with this old camera, taking pictures of everything at every place I went. I took it with me to France for the first time without any experience as a test drive for my new gadget. There, I took photos of the beautiful countryside and the excited children whom we taught English. From there I documented the long but worthwhile trips to Paris on both the bus and the train. I remember taking my first picture in Paris and thinking, "Wow, one day I am gonna look back at these pictures and remember this." True to my word, I still look back to the photos I took of France. With every photo comes a glimpse of every event, every museum, every moment shared with friends, every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and every once-in-a-lifetime experience.
However, over time my old camera seemed to do less and less for the memories I wished to cherish. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunities were often missed because of a slow Shutter Speed or a lack of Battery Life due to overuse. The scratches on the lens became a blur to the clearcut memories that the photos reminded me of. The insufficient ISO caused a loss of memories during dark hours. The camera did its job as always, but I needed more. Thus, I dedicated my hard work to this new investment so I could strive past this barrier. I chose to reach the next level of photography because I felt I could better encapsulate my perspective of the world with a camera that could better understand me.