Tendonitis and a new camera strap

For the last year-and-a-half, I’ve been using a Nikon strap that a Photographer colleague of mine got me while he was in Tokyo. I used it on my D300 and even on my D700, until the other day.  Well, to be honest with you, I never even really used the strap for what it was intended for.  At least, not for work. Sure, when I was shooting for fun I would just let the strap hang on my shoulder.  When I shot weddings or sessions, I would resort to gripping the camera tightly with my right hand and wield it around as if  I was a Jedi Knight fighting off the evils of the dark side with my mighty light saber.  But seriously, the strap was far too cumbersome to maneuver around clothing and usually caused more frustration than anything when I was shooting in an environment that was so fast paced.  And I couldn’t risk missing a shot or the perfect moment because I was tangled in my camera strap. I knew there were alternatives out there, but I am too hard-headed to just go about things the easy way.  I have to learn things the hard way or I’m not learning them at all. Well, this brilliant philosophy of mine has surreptitiously backfired on me and I now suffer from tendonitis in my Jedi Knight forearm.  For those of you non-geeks out there, It’s the equivalent of having tennis elbow.  See: goofy picture of my arm in a brace.

WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?! No, of course the thought of this happening never occurred to me. Nope! Not even way in the back of my head. Naaah.  So, for the next few weeks, I am going to have to exercise some discipline and refrain from using that arm unless it is absolutely necessary – a.k.a. only for work.  Even if it means having to shake people’s hands like a little baby.  Or having to excuse myself from performing any manual labor – boooo! (I know, right!?)

To avoid this from happening in the future, I have decided to take the advice of my colleagues and go with one of the aforementioned alternatives: The Black Rapid R-Strap system. I seriously don’t know why I have been putting of getting this strap! It’s simple in its design and effective in its purpose. Not to mention, it is sort of cool, in a dorky kind of way.  I’m so glad someone in this wonderful industry that I am a part of was smart enough and motivated enough to create a device that is practical and self-fulfilling.  This ends my rant.  Thanks for listening. Oh, and a few of my own detail pics of the strap.

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