Much has been written about the advantages of always having a camera with you: freedom to exercise your craft at all times, the opportunity to capture “the decisive moment”, and so on. But the greatest benefit is the one that’s least discussed: giving a husband something to do while his wife shops for shoes.
This benefit is often attributed to Ansel Adams himself, whose wife had a nose for sales and a penchant for Birkenstocks.
I’m sure it was much more strenuous for Ansel, if he carried one of his typical outfits: a Hasselblad camera, six lenses, filters, flash and bulbs. I find myself burdened with merely an iPhone on my belt, but of course there’s no comparison in the results.
This photo was taken with the Camera+ app on an iPhone 4, at f/2.8, 1/17sec, ISO 125. Filters applied are Clarity and Lo-Fi with an Instant border.
Of course, with all that gear, old Ansel couldn’t offer much assistance to Mrs. Adams, who probably had to carry all of her own shopping out to the car. Lucky Ansel.
Hmmm. I wonder what a Hasselblad, six lenses, filters, flash and bulbs cost these days?
– Posted by Ed
2 Guys Photo 
“But the greatest benefit is the one that’s least discussed: giving a husband something to do while his wife shops for shoes.”
Ed – I don’t know about you, but when my wife is shopping for shoes, I remain highly attentive, offering my opinion as she’s trying on each pair. My sole focus is on helping her in her shopping endeavors. No time for photography. My wife comes first!
(Editor’s note: sometimes Laura reads the blog.)
Rey
Oh #%$&@. I didn’t think of that. Mine does too…
Honey, if you’re reading this, you know I was only kidding, right? What say we hit the Shoe Warehouse this weekend? My treat!! 😉
Ed
Ansel was also reputed to work closely with meteorologists to determine the best times to start on one of his epic adventures in order to catch the best light, cloud patterns, etc. This sort of behavior could have serious implications for footwear shopping as well. It might take so long for all of the stars to line up correctly for the best shot that you’d be shopping for winter boots by then. Or next summer’s flip flops!
You’re right Ray… this is far more complicated than I imagined!! Ed
My wife is smart enough to leave me home when she goes shoe/clothes shopping. Let’s face it, until the shoe has 3″ heals on it I’m not really interested and for some reason she finds this counter productive.
I do need to play more with the phone camera though, I forget I have it.
Yesterday we were driving home following a pickup with two big 5×5 cabinets in the back. They were held by one strap that was in a bad place. As we drove, with me keeping a safe distance I told Tammy that I wished I had my camera because I’d set it on the dash and turn on the video because I don’t think he’ll make it up the hill. I speculated on how it would end, 3 cartwheels and then fall apart. It ended up being 1 cartwheel, then on it’s back sliding down the road, and it stayed in one piece (must have been old). I helped him get it back in the truck and we went on our way.
The point of the story is, I forgot about the phone.
You certainly called that one Mark. The funny thing about the camera phone for me, is that I’m now taking more shots with it than I am with either my DSLR or P&S. It becomes addictive and really demonstrates the truth to the adage “the best camera is the one you have with you”. Start shooting and share some of your best with us. Thanks Mark, Ed