Will this be the last photo my D80 ever took? [2/366]
I ADORE my Nikon D80. I got it just before heading to Hawaii with my mom in January 2007. My friend Diana and I both D80s almost at the same time. My D80 has visited Maui, London, Paris, Vancouver, Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Disney World (probably more times than I can count) with me. We've been to Washington D.C., Philadephia, PA, San Diego, CA, and Phoenix, AZ together. We've gone to family outings, work events, and photo safaris. My camera - that camera - has become a part of me.
However, yesterday morning while snapping a few photos of my studio to post for Alisa' Burke's Create Daily class my camera, quite literally, snapped. The shutter stopped opening/closing all the way as you can see in the photo above. I hopped online and apparently this is a very common ailment with the D80. All the folks online say it normally happens after just a couple of years of really good care. I don't take bad care of my camera, but she gets knocked around a bit. Living with me can be tough :-) So, I guess I should consider myself lucky that she lasted for a little more than five years without any major incidents. That's my own attempt at calm reassurance...it's just not doing much to soothe my soul right now.
I took her to the Fed Ex place, and with a (what I'm sure was) freaked out look on my face said - can you please pack and ship her to this address. "Pack her very, very carefully." The guy looked at me a little funny, but I've got to tell you that he packed her EXTREMELY well - thanks Fed Ex guy. So, she's off to New York - completely naked (you aren't supposed to include anything including the strap when you send them off). I took a photo with my camera phone before she left. It's painful to see.
Will this mean I'm not going to make my 365 (+1) yet again this year - already on the 2nd of the year? NO! Luckily it happened while Gayle was here. She had borrowed my Coolpix so I borrowed it back. I'll be posting my first photo with it tomorrow. And there is always my trusty Droid X. I figure this will give me a good chance to learn both of those devices and what they can do.
As I've dealt with this today (and yes...I know...it's "only" a camera), I've realized that my camera...this camera... has given me a way to show my heart and find and connect with my passion. It's how I connect with the world around me. I know she can be replaced, but I just don't want to.