The smiling photographer

Because Terrigal is such an attractive location it attracts photographers. On my early morning walk I often see a photography group-usually from a camera club - with their tripods and Nikon and Canon DSLRs-everyone of them earnestly staring at glowing LCD screens in the twilight as they try and capture a totally boring scene of moving water over rocks by the rockpool at the end of the beach. Inevitably the camera club groups are nerdy types - male and female - with big Lowepro backpacks and very serious demeanours.
I have never had any interest in joining a camera club and my recent exposure to these club members in Terrigal has done nothing to change my mind. I have also experienced camera snobbery whilst talking to these groups. When I show them the little Leica X1 in my hand they can barely conceal their contempt. They almost say out loud " you can't take real photos with that toy". One actually said to me that "you can only take the sort of photos we take with a serious DSLR". I thought about this and concluded that he is probably right but not in quite the way he intended.
I believe that photography is a solitary pursuit and you cannot practice creative photography in a group. Even if I go for a bushwalk with my good photographer friend Peter I rarely ever come back with a good photograph although this maybe more down to the fact that I don't do landscape photography than being with someone.
Anyway it was a delight to meet a solitary photographer earlier in the week on my early morning walk . She is not quite a local she comes from Wyoming about 14kms away so she was dedicated to get up early. She has a great smile. I hope her photographic excursion was worthwhile.
Leica X1 photo.