The day before yesterday was a fluke day that I wish would repeat. I came home from work, made myself dinner and then sat down to watch my Netflix, Destinations show to see where Scott and Justin ended up this week…(Iceland if you care to know) and the sound of the TV lulled me to sleep at 7:30pm.  I woke up at 11:30 and checked my messages (holy crap, you don’t check your phone in a few hours and the texts just start coming in!) and fell back asleep until 5am…where I then got up and cleaned my apartment before work.  It was fucking awesome!  Yes, I totally felt old for going to bed so early, but I felt so much better.  So last night I was totally expecting it to happen again. I don’t watch a lot of TV so I thought that was the magic…turn on the TV and see where my two travelers ended up and boom I go to sleep. NOPE.  I had the computer open to check on some trails and camping sites and one click led to another and I swear I took the craziest internet trip of all time.
I was looking at my Flickr site that had this old town I had been to years ago, which then lead me to the comments and one of those being an ex of mine. It’s been like 10 years right (feels like it) since we have been together and i could give a fuck what he’s doing, but i was bored….and I clicked…which then led me to another click, to another link, to this link and then I found some photos he had taken recently and it wasn’t even the photos…it was the EXIF data that interested me the most.
I just smiled.
Auto — every single setting
Kit lens.
Flash fired– in full sunlight.

That explains it, I closed my browser and called my sister. “I feel SO MUCH BETTER ABOUT MY LIFE.”  and yes, that is so petty, but it bugged the fuck out of me that when we split he had his new wife become his 2nd shooter..  Anyone in the photography business knows you don’t just pick up a camera and say, “I’m a wedding photographer.”
Yes, it’s okay to have some ‘good ideas’ for shots and carry your Costco bought camera along, but that doesn’t make you a photographer.  Hours and Hours and Hours of classes, studying, being mentored by experts in lighting, posing, business, and the wedding industry.  Spending more money than you have to make sure your lens are not the shit lens that comes on every crap camera they sell…and about 900 things I could go on and on about
And with all that said, looking at the photos…her photos were better than his.   Everything was set to auto and it was what I like to call “Spray and Pray” kind of photography.   Just shoot a million and hope 400 come out.  Not well thought out, but still better.

Both cameras set to auto…it was a match made in heaven.

My daughters and I are finally shooting our first wedding with all four of us there.  (And yes, we all shoot manual) I know between my set up and my ex’s set up the girls are going to be in heaven.  We both have the 70-200 f2.8, 90 f2.8 and I have the 10-20 and 30 and 50 f1.4.   They all have the 50, but the other lenses…it will be a buffet for them to pick which ones they want.   I’ll stick with my 70-200 and possibly the 10-20.  I’m so excited to be shooting with all my girls for the very time.    This should be a great one, if only for the laughs we will have.