Willie Nelson has played the same Martin N-20 nylon-string acoustic guitar since 1969. Serial number 242830. The instrument is an eternal flame of creative freedom, one of a kind and beautiful — just like Willie.
A more mainstream musician might insist no true professional should ever lower themselves to pick at those strings. You’ll find no technical or acoustic benefits flowing from a 50-year-old guitar with a giant hole worn in the belly. None of that matters to Mr.
Nelson. He keeps his old guitar because there’s just nothing that sounds quite like Trigger. It’s been much the same for Ishmael and me over these past three years.
I didn’t start shooting with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 because I wanted the latest and greatest camera body. I didn’t choose to fall in love with a camera released over a decade ago. It all started because I was seeking out the right tool for an immensely particular job.
Once I had the X-Pro 1 in hand, suddenly everything that I had read and heard about this unassuming shooter made perfect sense. I got it. I understood.
Like Willie and Trigger, I’ll stay with Ishmael till the end. But why? I am a professional photographer. Yes, I am compensated (usually with money) for all my photography shenanigans.
I’m even considered an authority on the craft within certain circles of high breeding. I’ve shot everything. For years my primary digital bodies consisted of full frame Sony mirrorless cameras.
My backups were a successive line of Canon DSL.
