Some time back (years?) I met a photographer in the woods carrying a Hasselblad 503CW. It was the first time I had run into someone with a Hasselblad in the woods - photographing climbers no less. The photographer is Chris Motta.

Perhaps the strangest thing about it all is that both of us probably assumed that the other was really into the cool, hard-core, climbing photo style. It couldn't be further from the truth. We may be art nerds.

I think photographers have a love-hate relationship with hanging out with other photographers. It can be a drag to talk tech all the time. Especially when it is really a very subjective field. Yet, it can be so fun too.

Amie, Chris, and I started having a weekly BS session where we explored photography as an art and as a professional field. Chris has such an encyclopedic knowledge of photographic artists that perhaps the most fun we've had was a field trip to the Bank of America collection at the Boston MFA. Sure, we talk tech. But, it is about the best lens for this concept of mapping a such and such in a sketchy urban setting. The best, don't rob me for my camera lens. It's a practical discussion.

I'm going to interview Chris for the blog sometime soon. Being a photo professor and an artist by training he is very much freed from a lot of the expectation that dictates the commercial photography market. So, for me it is terribly refreshing.

At the same time I have been teaching people one-on-one. They have very different understandings of cameras. But, they know what they want to achieve. Teaching them the basics is pretty fantastic. They won't be working pro's but they will be out there taking great pictures of their families. Pictures that matter.

I've also been in touch with an old friend who has basically blown my mind when it comes to camera gear. It's been a fun month. Big things are brewing but I'll post that next time.