The year was 2017, the first time I had a real camera in my hands. In fact, it was the first camera that I had ever owned. It was the Pentax K-01, a quirky, mirrorless camera from Pentax. Interestingly, it was the only mirrorless camera ever produced by Pentax. I had bought it for $200 from Auckland Camera, I think.
I had the most fun with that camera, learning, experimenting and discovering photography for the first time. We’ve all heard of the cliche, “Gear Does Not Matter” ~ To create art, I think it shouldn’t. Your gear choices evolve as your skill improves. What is wrong is assuming that better gear will naturally lead to better skill. It just results in a poorer bank balance!
The joy I felt holding that Pentax for the first time, I think, has somehow diminished when the art becomes a 9-to-5 thing.
Yes, you are hired for your skill, but I think it’s crucial to keep that pure, unfiltered joy alive when you are doing art for art’s sake and not for anything else. And that will undoubtedly reflect in the work you do.
So, for 2026, my goal is to go back to that time when I felt like a kid in a candy shop holding that Pentax K-01 in my hands. In the meantime, enjoy these gems from the archives, re-edited in Capture One for your viewing pleasure.
