I clearly remember the first time I realized that being a photographer can strain relationships.

I was 15 years old, in Paris.  (Wheee!!!)

I was 15 years old, in Paris, with my mother.  (Ouch.)

So here I am, tooling around Paris with my mom.  I’d been taking french classes in high school, so I knew all the history, the art, the things to see.  We saw the Louvre.  We did Versailles.  We floated down the Seine, and saw the (other, original) Statue of Liberty.  Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, all connected by the Champs Elysee.  Notre Dame. 

And yes, we went to Le Tour Eiffel.

Now granted, this was before digital photography.  Each roll of film cost money to look at, and you couldn’t erase the bad shots  right when you took them.  I know.  I get that.

But dude.  The fraking Eiffel Tower, right?!

So due to my penchant for it, my mother entrusted me as official trip photographer.  Or, maybe I was the one willing to carry the camera.  Either way, I took lotsa pictures.  Lots and lots and lots.  I think we went home with something around 16 rolls of film.

Including the one iconic shot, of the Eiffel Tower in the background, my mother in the foreground, yelling at me to QUIT TAKING SO MANY DAMN PICTURES!!!!

But…It’s the Eiffel Tower, I insisted!

Yeah, and you’ve already taken 50 pictures of it already!

But…but I gotta get it *just right*.

Bless the inventors of the digital camera, by the way.  May you be showered with blessings upon you, and upon your children, and their children’s children. 

So I learned that people who don’t appreciate and/or enjoy the craft of photography tend to get pissy when you stop every five minutes and spend 10 minutes ‘framing your shot’ and then taking 30 versions of that shot to get it, you know, *just right*.

If you’re gonna go off walking around, taking pictures, go with other photo walkers.  They are far more understanding of the slow pace required.  And will most likely still talk to you afterwards.  They certainly won’t berate you, or ground you for using up 16 rolls of film.

With that in mind, thanks to Aaron Hockley, aka @ahockley, for organizing the first Geek Photo Walk!

There will be pictures.  Oh, yes, there will be pictures.  Look!  To the right!  A Recent Flickr Photos stream!

Yeah I know it’s empty.  Check back tomorrow, my peeps, check back tomorrow.   Activated! 

PS –  all you Flickr pros, any tips on using it = much appreciated!