My own GAS problems (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

I remember many years ago buying my 1st DSLR, a Nikon D80. I remember being so fascinated with it and how it worked. I remember taking picture after picture trying to understand this new dance that I didn’t understand, one far removed from my old days with film. I had that camera for many years before I realized that I had grown to a point that I was aware of the shortcomings of the equipment I had and knew it was the right time to move to a new setup (Ended up with a used Nikon D700). In that moment I knew that my process had begun again, a whole new thing to learn, the nuance, the incredible differences between the new set up but also going from APS-C to Full Frame.

I found myself catching on quicker because I knew some of the basics and could apply it to the new gear, and life was great! There was the occasional want for a different lens to experiment with a different way of shooting. After a few great years with the D810, I made the move last year to the Z7 ii and new lenses to make the latest transition complete. I was even able to keep my kit smaller, more refined with only 3 lenses that fill most ranges I shoot in. So everything is great right? Well not completely…..

Right now I can’t help but be pulled into this machine that wants me to buy this new thing (Nikon Z9). This system is designed to make you feel like anything you have now, is ok, but it isn’t THIS new shiny thing. It’s an endless pit of spend, spend, spend and never give yourself the opportunity to really know your gear and learn what you don’t understand and force yourself to become a better photographer (Or insert your hobby HERE). We’re never allowing ourselves to be put into a space where we’re “uncomfortable”, which is the place of growth. The nature of growth is to expand us beyond our current place. We’re depending on the technology to make us a better photographer.

Maybe there’s more to it than that, maybe there’s some deeper thing rolling around in my psyche that feels the need to fill a void that I’m not looking at, but damn that Z9 is an incredible camera. And the cycle of justifications begins again…………..

Likely, it has more to do with not getting out enough to shoot and feeling like if I buy some new thing, it’ll inspire me to go shoot more. What I need to do is just get off my a** and go take photos