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Shadow Boxing: A Photographer's Manifesto
The Lens
He wanted the lens. Shiny and new, it had just been placed in the camera store window. True, he didn’t really need another lens; but he wanted it anyway. It was a large, fast lens, finished in black. Just the right focal length and speed to fill the gap in his stylish camera bag. It would fit each of the three bodies he frequently carried and look especially impressive when mounted along with the motor drive and handle mount flash. He lusted after the lens. The wide front element beckoned him into the shop.
The Sales Person eagerly retrieved the lens from the window for a personal examination. Handing it over, the Sales Person smiled suggestively as the Customer began to lovingly fondle it.
He turned the silky smooth focusing ring and listened intently at the sharp clicks as he rotated the aperture ring. He peered through the elements front to rear and reversed. He tilted the lens obliquely to survey the coatings and carefully monitored the lens barrel for scratches. Finally he brought the lens to the throat of the camera and inserted the rear element into the lens mount. He rotated the lens and smiled inside as he heard the confirming click. He released the lens and then inserted it again and again until he was satisfied that it was a sturdy mechanism.
He asked the price. Pleased with the reply, he smiled. He had to have this lens.