The Waiting Room...Part One

We've all been there, and if we haven't, we will be one day...sitting in a waiting room, waiting. It might be the dentist or doctor,the benches at the barber shop, or the local Beaurepaires. There will be things to read, and we will be forced to read them. Same thing with the front desk at Camera Electronic. You may be waiting in line to ask a question, or to get something paid for. The sales consultant may be trying to get a receipt to print...or their hand out of Arkwright's Till. Whatever is going on, you'll be idle - and there are a number of interesting things to read on that front counter. The variety changes all the time. This week I picked up a selection of the pamphlets on offer and decided to analyse some of them. a. The Creativity And Walking Retreat. This takes you to Margaret River, but you don't have to do the driving. You save your energy for walking along the Cape to Cape track, and for staying out very late at night in very cold conditions. Your reward for this fortitude is fabulous night skies unpolluted by Perth's lights and instruction on how to use them to best advantage. There will be night workshops, a 6-hour creativity session, editing guidance and those two trips on the track. I presume you will not be turned loose to stumble off in the dark...not if you are a paying customer who has luxury accommodation to return to. The walks likely to be dedicated to wildflower searching and photographing are in the day. This happens on the 22-24th of September, and is limited to 8 people, so it would pay anyone interested to contact them on 0406758062. b. The Luxury Photographic Cruise This one goes the other direction. On the 4-11th of May, 2018, Nigel Gaunt and Sheldon Pettit will be aboard "The Great Escape" to cruise the Northern Kimberley coastline. Think gorges, waterfalls, and rock art. Think unbeatable photo opportunity with professional guidance and tutoring. And it'll be warmer than Margaret River in September... Only 14 people on board this one, but they needn't fuss about being amateur or pro - all levels catered for. Go to www.reddirtphoto.com.au and start your enquiries. c. The Temptation This is one for the gear freaks...or the people who are starting a business or artistic career and need equipment. Not all of us own a closet full of the latest digital cameras and lenses - this decorated young lady is trying to break into big-time photography with two old Canon DSLR's, a dead Polaroid, and a Zenit that probably has Gorbachev's fingerprints on the lens. She is further handicapped by having chosen the only left-hand versions of these cameras ever made. More of a break-out than a break-in... That's a thoughtful expression on her face. She is probably contemplating flinging the lot into the river and coming into Camera Electronic and leasing something that actually works - and gives her the sort of pictures that sell. She's got ideas, and she knows people who need images...the wise business decision is to lease until the business takes off. NB: I see from DP Review that Zenit is to re-enter the camera market with a full-frame mirrorless camera sometime next year. They say that it will have characteristic Zenit styling ( Thanks for the warning...) but be made by a major camera maker. Sweepstakes book opens on the whole venture next Monday - smart rubles says the basic chassis will be Sony with a plastic overlay. But then again they might have cut a deal with Noname out of China to rebadge something else. I'm secretly betting on the Flapoflex corporation.