My phone doesn't work these days.
It is seven years old. It is slow and buggy when I try to
take photos. I've gotten in the habit of carrying my old
Fujifilm camera (eleven years old) for everyday use.
Aside from forcing me to slow down and be deliberate when I
take photos, using the Fujifilm has the odd effect of
closing the gap between "casual" smartphone camera use and
the pretension of "professional" DSLR or mirrorless cameras.
I'm using this fancy device to take pictures that are
intended to be nothing more than impressions of what I see
during the day, which I send to my friends. But it goes the
other way, too: this curious habit, negotiated by the camera
with all its fiddly settings and its "professional" affect,
is dignified beyond fleeting record and elevated to craft.
There's a ritual to it: take photos, get home, look through, and
then send them off.
The whole process takes more thought and effort, and I'm not
sure that's a bad thing.
