A fictional parable by Peter Pickering.
Grasshopper (excitedly unpacking a sleek new box)
Sensei! At last! The new X-Pro-Mk12-XR!
It sees in the dark, it flies drones, it makes coffee!
Sensei (sipping actual coffee)
Does it see what you see?
Grasshopper
It has twelve custom film simulations!
Sensei
But have you lived enough to simulate anything worth remembering?
Grasshopper
It shoots 40 frames per second!
Sensei (nods)
And yet, you still miss the moment.
Sensei sets down his ancient, battered rangefinder.
Sensei
A new brush does not paint a masterpiece.
A sharper blade does not make a better chef.
And a more expensive camera does not make you a photographer.
Your old camera never held you back.
Only your eyes did.
Moral of the Scroll:
It is not the gear that’s behind the lens. It is the ghost in your eye.
Come, Grasshopper. Let us go out. You can carry the new marvel.
I will carry the truth.
