Tequila Sunrise, El Mercado – Austin, Texas

No, I didn’t drink tequila for lunch yesterday. Even though I took the day off and had one of those perfectly fun photographer days.

I got up a little late and then met Kirk for a leisurely lunch. I’ve been making an effort to visit with my photographer friends more often, including Kirk Tuck, who I’ve talked about before. There’s a lot we have in common. We are both photographers and bloggers. Though Kirk is a serious professional, both in terms of image creation and impactful blogs. Relatively speaking, I’m just dabbling in both.

We also love using a multitude of different cameras. Kirk might aim for the pricey end but is smart enough to sell off his unused gear. I, on the other hand, just keep it all around. We concluded that it’s good to mix up cameras to keep things fresh. After all, even though we both love photography, it can get monotonous to shoot with the same stuff.

Taco Plate, El Mercado – Austin, Texas

Couple in Color, El Mercado – Austin, Texas

Our usual lunch spot is a local and non-fussy Tex-Mex joint — reasonably priced and tasty. El Mercado on Burnet Road is ideal for a few reasons. First, the food is fantastic. Second, the explosion of color is a visual delight. It’s always important for photographers to delight the eye. Finally, the restaurant is conveniently located near Precision Camera.

After our two hour lunch, it was off to Precision for research. Kirk was selling a small portion of his vast Fujifilm collection, and I spotted something that would fit perfectly in mine. The well regarded super-kit lens the 18-55mm f2.8-4, which completes my targeted Fuji lenses, for now.

My Fuji collection grew quickly this year. I bought two cameras, seven lenses, an extended grip, and an external flash. Believe it not, I got everything used, all at significantly reduced prices. This is the fastest I ever built out a system, and I’m convinced that “used” is the way to go. Especially for someone like me who is prolific with cameras.

Later in the evening, I was back at Precision, taking an entertaining LED light painting course, which ended at nine. A most excellent day for a photographer indeed. Meeting friends, great conversations, more gear, and learning new tricks. Every day should be this good.

Incidentally, I went bag-less yesterday, sporting my stylish, eight-year-old white point and shoot over my shoulder. I made all photos with my Olympus XZ-1 which I talked about yesterday. The camera was a lot happier since the lighting was better.

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