Technolust

I've had my trusty Canon EOS 10D for four years now, and it's traveled with me from Japan to Norway (along with a host of other countries which don't flaunt international whaling treaties). By 2007 standards, it has all the power of a Ford Model T with the sleek styling of...well, a Model T. Still, I've grown fond of it, much the same way a parent feels fondness for even the most aesthetically challenged baby, and managed to convince myself that it wasn't the size of the sensor, it was what you did with it that counted.

Then I made the mistake of going to the Sonimagfoto trade show in Barcelona a few weeks ago, and got my hands on a new Canon 40D. Imagine the sudden realization that not only have you pulled your Model T up next to an Aston Martin DB9, but the baby in the improbably-small back seat makes yours look like the lead in a children's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's faster, smaller, has almost double the resolution, automatically cleans itself...and carries a price tag just over 1,000€. I went home that day feeling a little guilty for forsaking my trusty 10D, and even guiltier for wondering at the same time how much I could get for it on ebay. I resigned myself to waiting a long time to get a 40D of my very own.

Fast forward a couple of weeks to last Tuesday, when in the space of 24 hours I got email messages from two different travel guide publishers, looking for a Barcelona-based photographer to do some work for their guides. Without giving away the names, both of them are well-known publishers of travel books, covering most of world. Thanks to a fortuitous connection (hi Sal!) they had heard that I might be available and willing to do some freelance work. I hesitated a few seconds, so as not to seem too overeager, then emailed back to say that I would certainly be both willing and available.

I'm actually embarrassed to admit that it took me several minutes to realize that these two jobs could not only pay for the 40D, but they were also a great excuse to buy it in the first place. I mean, at the risk of beating the metaphor to death and then jumping up and down on the corpse, would you hire a delivery driver who showed up behind the wheel of a 1908 Tin Lizzie? Rationalization firmly in hand, I set out to look for prices.

At this point it seems like a happy ending, but there was a catch. When I rushed home to tell Amy about my airtight plan, she seemed less than overjoyed. After a few minutes' prodding, I found out that she had already constructed her own airtight plan, involving a brand new 40D and my 40th birthday. She argued that the coincidence of the model number and the age made for a perfect birthday surprise, now ruined; I argued that, as far as I knew, my 40th birthday was still several years away. I also pointed out that the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM also has a "40" in it, but I don't think it was much consolation.

In any case, the important fact in all of this is that very soon I may not only have a shiny new toy, but I'll be able to hold a book or two in my hand and say, "I shot this, I'm a professional photographer." Who knows, maybe I won't be pushing bits for the rest of my life after all.