Living With Less (Gear) - NYT Article

It is only since reading RFF that I have realised what consumerism in the raw really looks like: this endless quest for new gear so ofter displayed here, the constandt trading of yesterday's next new thing for tomorrow's.
I would not claim to be immune myself. But I slipped off the greasy pole when I was made redundant in the 1990's and after several years becoming accustomed to living with less, I favour a quiet life over getting and spending.
Perhaps it also helps that I have always found the research into what to buy mor intersting than the actual aquisition. So often by the time I have reached a conclusion the desire to actually spend and aquire the article has evaporated. The internet is a curse and a blessing in that regard: so much more information to gather, too many online tempations of 'bargains' and new desires. At present I have overcome the desire for any upgrade of cameras only to succumb to a quest for the perfect binocular.
 
I have many leica cameras and lens but they are made in the 50's. Those old stuff that nobody want. So basically I recycling old used stuff into good use.:).
Using a leica is living with less. No flash, no tele, no tripod, no wide lens, no battery.
 
What is simple? I'm not the first to ask the question, but I regard not having to spend more time than needed simple. So if I want square format I use a square format camera. If I like close up I use a tele or macro. If I want a single package I use a compact camera. If I want wide I use a wide or fisheye. So what if I have 10 camera's and 30 lenses ready to use? It's simple as I just use whatever fits the task at hand.

It also means I don't spend time deciding how to crop an image because that was decided when taking it. If exposure was wrong I don't try to save it and spend more time on it.

But I use only one film. So I know what's going to come out of it, I know what to order, I don't have to ponder if my lightmeter is at the right iso. It's simple.

If I don't feel to take photo's I can go downstairs and do some model engineering. Or play a bit of music. Simple.

Why would it be only simple if there is a single answer? Simple for me is if I don't have to fret about the answer, then it is simple. So hoarding can be simple. I don't have to think if I need to keep it or trow it away.
 
The mantra of less, of austerity, anti-materialism, is old old old. As noted, it pre-dates Buddhism and all the major religions. They all link "salvation" to having less stuff (strangely enough, since religions were a response to the dire living conditions of the poor and oppressed).

Daniel Quinn, in his book Beyond Civilisation, talks about the mantra of having more - more of what we REALLY want, like security, equality and fairness, etc.

To bring this back to photography, I am using Daniel Quinn's books (Ishmael, Story Of B, Beyond Civilisation) as inspiration for my photography.

~Rif
 
The writer is a "serial entrepreneur". So there is a question i see as yet unaddressed. If everyone lived as he does, would his businesses have made him any money?
 
IMO having less is not always a good thing. It's all about being content with what one has. You can have one camera system or ten, but if you are constantly selling off your gear to buy the newest system out there one is never fully satisified.

I love Frank's statement "I'm done" I might add "Be content" with what you have. Not meaning there's anything wrong with upgrading your kit but learn to be content with what you have now.
 
There is a lot to be said for avoiding blatant consumerism, and not buying more than one needs, or replacing/upgrading what one has too often. We should also think about whether our purchases of new items are necessary or whether used or no items will do. The environmental impact of constant consumption is terrible. However, a lot of what I see here on RFF is people replacing yesterday's old new stuff with, well, yesterday's other old new stuff. I would love to go back to the simplicity of having minimal stuff that I have experienced for months if not years during four international moves, but my need to take care of my family trumps that desire. An extra lens or two is nothing compared to the clothes, toys, car seats, prams, etc that we are accumulating right now, and something tells me those items will not sell for anywhere near their purchase price when we're done with them. Oh well, the time to simplify will be welcomed when it arrives.

Cheers,
Rob
 
my only real collection is camera bags...and it's getting worse...i have 2 more waiting at the post office at home...
i like to try new gear so i buy but i have to sell in order to buy...i normally have 2 cameras and a few lenses...not all that much really.
i have 2 good watches, one new and the other about 20 years old...and a 100 year old pocket watch.
i have in the past gone on major purges and thrown out lots of stuff and now i pretty much keep things simple...
 
gb hill said:
You can have one camera system or ten, but if you are constantly selling off your gear to buy the newest system out there one is never fully satisified.
Click to expand...

Or you may just realize that they are just cameras and not family hierlooms. Tools to be used and not fetishized. Cameras are all similar in that they generally have a shutter speed, shutter, and aperture. It's not hard to get used to a new one. What works for you, may not work for others.
 
I see many people coming to the understanding that so much of what they own they never and I do mean never use....after the first 30 days. It goes back into the box or sits on the shelf collecting dust...until they find the empty box it came in....then back in the box. Forever to sit out of sight.

I have reduced my equipment as for me if I am not using it...why have it. If I buy something it's for a need or assignment. When I'm done it goes away.

Now with the advent of modern digital equipment....anything old I have for a reason.

But I can see that in the end lenses can have a new life on a digital body. Sensors becoming better than film everyday. I love film but concerned developers of choice will end my use of film...sooner than I expect.
 
While I am of similar mind to Ranchu as to the NYT in general, we could all get by with less. I am a hoarder by nature, and every time Joe posts another bag thread I'm out looking at bags...
 
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I wouldn't change how I do things. Nor do I regret all of the things that I've accumulated, sold or given away.

I have no desire to live in a tiny box. I like having the memories of my life around. I mean, that's why we take photos, isn't it? Or is it to impress others with our artistry?

At the end, I'll look back and be glad that I've lived a full, rich (not necessarily wealthy) life and be glad that I was fortunate to be able to experience what I have.

Thank God I grew up in a capitalist society and not some miserable country like North Korea.
 
I'm a compulsive hoarder that want to live as simple as possible. A terrible combination.

Then again. No car, no smartphone, no TV, not much of anything I do not need. Not to bad really. My stash of cameras, unused clothes and strange half broken things I never get rid of isn't all that bad either.
 
Simplifying and unsimplifying, is all part of the growth cycle for me. I'm a minimalist at heart, but am often in flux, accumulating when in an explorative/ experimental phase, later rationalising/ trimming back on those things that are no longer needed. Some things have a habit of building up, books are definitely one of those for me, and I need to be aware of my tendencies in that regard.

I've always liked smaller, intimate spaces, so rationalising and trimming belongings has always been an important aspect in the background for me. I think it pays to be aware of those things you need, and will need to re-acquire, when it comes to well intentioned minimalistic purges though. Right now, for example, I'm shooting mostly with an older dslr and a wide angle zoom lens, which feeds into the explorative explorer in me. Other times I will shoot only with a normal prime on a camera for long periods. At these times, I often need to be very wary of the minimalist dreamer within, that will tell me all I need is one camera and a simple normal prime lens. Such thoughts have prompted big camera purges before, with the end result I find myself re-acquiring cameras and lenses I should really not have sold.

Finding our own personal balance is important, I think.
 
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