SYMBOLISM IS EVERYWHERE ... My #monomad entry

Very much improvement

My personal life has been on the rise again since the end of last year. The conditions are improving a lot and photography is also going a lot better, of course the highlight was that after so many years of waiting and saving I was finally able to buy a new camera with a new lens. And with this I thought I was complete, with the lenses I still had in my possession and the new set.

Telelens broke down

Unfortunately I had thought that wrong. During my first trip to the Beekse Bergen with this new camera, my telephoto lens broke down! Oh my god no! Of course I was very disappointed, but at the same time I was no longer completely dismayed as it would have been in the past. I tried to get the lens repaired, but this lens was over 10 years old, and although that shouldn't be a problem for the quality, it will be a different story if repair is actually as expensive as buying a new lens.

No new lens for me at that time

After purchasing the new camera with lens, I didn't have the money to have this repair carried out. And also not to quickly buy a new telephoto lens of the same quality. In addition, I really only want to buy bright lenses with at least an aperture of f2.8. And that simply requires a different budget, which I certainly do not have available then and now. That continues to work for a while, and dreams to achieve that. Let me call it a "project in the making".

A dear friend

This brought me some kind of limitation, because I suddenly missed a telephoto lens. And noticed that I often go back to that when I take pictures. Fortunately for me, there was a friend who had a solution. I don't have that many friends left after that drastic period last year, but the few friends I have left are really there for me. The other way round too!

Spontaneous visit

This friend also photographs with a Nikon and had a 70-300 f4.5-f5.6 telephoto lens that she hardly uses. Because she knows that I am of course careful with the equipment, she wanted to lend this lens to me for as long as necessary so that I can continue with my “Forever Hero Photoshoots”, so that I can earn some money again. A two weeks ago she spontaneously brought this lens to me in the afternoon. We hadn't seen each other in a while due to Corona quarantine, so we had a lot of fun chatting together and we also introduced Skipper and Ruby (her dog).

Testing time!

The next day I of course immediately tested the lens and since our Apple tree was in full bloom at that time, I liked to capture the blossom. Because I decided to let the photo participate in the #monomad contest, the photo was made black and white. But of course I was mainly concerned with the bokeh that you create by using a telephoto lens and zooming in. This way you isolate the subject so beautifully from the background. By playing with the available light, very bright sunlight, I was able to create a rather dark background against which the blossom contrasts beautifully. I had to judge the sharpness, and I was not disappointed with a 'budget lens' at 300mm.

Symbolism of apple blossom

Incidentally, when I was editing this photo, I thought it would be nice to look up what apple blossom now symbolizes. And that turns out to be for a number of things.

Apple blossom symbolizes;

• feminine beauty
• luck
• new start

And how appropriate is this photo if you have read the story above it. A telephoto lens that broke down, but because of the inner beauty of a dear friend of mine, who gave me the luck, I got the chance to start over with this telephoto lens.

A big "Thank you from the bottom of my heart" to my dear friend ... and thank you all for reading my blog.

Do you also have such lovely friends who feel exactly what you need and are willing to do that for you?