The MacDonald Family in 2014.

     Meet the MacDonalds. There are, from the left, Jamie, Carter, Mason, and Becky. As a disclaimer, I did not take this picture. If you look closely at the photo, you will see a device in Jamie's right hand. He is using an app that connects to his camera via wi-fi. Jamie took this picture. I requested this picture, from Jamie, because it was needed in the development of a benefit dinner for his wife, Becky, who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. That event is a whole other story than I want to focus on, but I will say that it was a success and Becky is doing much better. No, this post will be a reflection on our friendship that led to a common interest in photography. I hope it doesn't bore anyone. 

     I tell people that I met Jamie about the same time that our parents let us cross the street. Jamie lived two streets over, and friendships were made when we all learned how to ride our bicycles. There was freedom there, folks! Over time, Jamie became an avid skateboarder, and my efforts to ride were hilarious to watch. My brother also skated, and their friendship was stronger, as they spent more time together. I hung out with them on occasion, but then again, I was old enough to drive and had a car to take them to skating places. As we entered adulthood, we all went our separate ways and spoke once in a while.

     Ok, we'll speed things up here from the 1990's to 2013. I was about to go to Walt Disney World, with my family, and was really tired of carrying my Sony Mavica CD Camera everywhere. It was heavy and cumbersome to carry around the parks. I called Jamie, because he was the guy that was into photography, to see if he could point me to a camera that was light-weight, had interchangeable lenses, and could easily fit into my backpack for walking around the parks. He said he knew just the camera, and allowed me to borrow his Olympus PEN E-PM2. Technical jargon is what I have tried to stay away from in my blog, but this is important. I urge you to google that camera. Anyway, he also let me borrow a couple of lenses, batteries, and a battery charger, as well as the cord to upload the photos daily. He just wanted me to share some of the photos I took while I was there. No Problem!!

     When I returned from Disney, I had decided that he wasn't going to get the camera back. I walked all around Disney World with this little camera, and got better photo results than my Sony. Better because it wasn't a hardship to carry around. I couldn't attribute any pains in my neck, back or shoulders to having carried this camera. Granted I shot a LOT more pictures than I did with the Sony. I would have to credit the seemingly unending amount of recordable space on the little flash card, versus taking 3-4 mini disks with me on every trip into a park or resort. Less to carry, less weight, more space, and photo quality allowed me to start seeing things I missed with my old camera. 

     I contacted Jamie a few weeks after I returned home and asked him a question: How much would do you want for this camera? Of course, I had to give the Olympus M.9-18mm lens back, which was really difficult. I borrowed it a couple of more times afterward, but knew I would have to start getting gear of my own. 

     That is how I got my start in serious photography. I thank Jamie and Becky for being wonderful friends. A side note: Jamie is an Olympus Trailblazer and has all kinds of advice and logic when it comes to photography. I implore you to seek that advice if you ever come across a difficulty in your photographic adventures. He is always happy to help, if he can. I also want to throw out there that if you are looking for a great and lightweight camera with quality photo results, please check out the Olympus brand of cameras. They have quite a lineup of equipment that can suit any type of photographer. 

     Ok, back to our regularly scheduled blog posts. The next one should be the day after tomorrow. Thank you!