Mission Accomplished - Sort of...not

Fifty and not done.

50 film cameras over the last year. Goal accomplished. So why the George W. Bush reference? In 2003 Bush gave a speech from the USS Abraham Lincoln, giving an upbeat report on the US efforts in Iraq. In his defense"W" said at the time that "Our mission continues", but a banner behind him read "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" and that was what people remember. (Well that and the never-ending Iraq and Afghan wars).

So with much trepidation, I can say that I met my goal of 50 cameras. Why am I not more excited about this? Well two big reasons 1) I still have several cameras to shoot and 2) 50 is just a small fraction of the cool film cameras that were made.

What have I learned?

• Old cameras are fun to play with and frustrating when they don't work. Especially the ones where the value is less than the cost of having them repaired. 
• At the end of the day, a camera is just a light tight box. That does not make them any less cool but it means that the lens matter as much as the cameras and I learned that I know very little about lenses. 
• Fifty cameras in a lot of cameras, way more than a healthy person should ever own, but just a fraction of the amazing cameras out there.
• I still do not consider myself a photographer. I have respect for the people who have trained themselves to have the eye of a talented photographer (film or digital). I have successfully distracted myself with fun cameras and not had to improve my skills.

What now?

• Still have a pile of cameras to shoot.
• Prioritize what to keep.
• Start the hard process of selling/returning cameras. 
• Keep shooting film!