journal features

almost happiness is a new camera & lens

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Tokyo, 2025.03.02

After a recent trip to Fukuoka, I realized I was missing too many shots because the low-light focusing capability of the entry-level camera in the Olympus micro-four-thirds range. I'd switched to that camera from my trusty mid-ranger to encourage Emma to take more photos and do more video story-telling.

Today I swapped that entry-level camera for another mid-range model. Unfortunately, I found quickly that it had an unfortunate habit of overexposing everything by +1.3 stops, meaning more than twice the light was being recorded. It only happened in certain modes, which is why I didn't notice while playing with it in the school. But this photo is a good example. Anyway, I went back the following Wednesday and got it all sorted.

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rand()m quote

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things I'd take seriously any more. I'd certainly be less hygenic... I would take more chances, I would take more trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have many more of them, in fact I'd try not to have anything else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and I'd stay that way later in the fall. And I would ride more merry-go-rounds, and catch more gold rings, and greet more people and pick more flowers and dance more often. If I had it to do all over again - but you see, I don't.

—Jorge Luis Borges