"Fake 'em Out!"

Most of us have some kind of hobby; something we love to do. I'm no different. I don't share or talk much about my hobbies beyond family and close friends. It can be a bit embarrassing when you blab about your hobby as if you are some kind of expert to someone who really is an expert (or at least appears more expert than you as you talk). When you come across someone who shares your passion for the hobby in question, they ultimately want to compare notes, or, worse yet, see your work. That's when the inferior flags go up: "may- day, may-day, danger approaching!" At least for Basicguys.

One of my hobbies is photography. Recently I was on a Hawaiian cruise. As we cruised to the next island, the ship's captain promised we would cruise the famous Na Pali coastline of Kauai. I found a good spot to shoot from and planted myself. I wasn't disappointed. The Na Pali is awesome. I fired shot after shot. The guy next to me was doing the same with a point-and-shoot. He watched as I changed lenses back and forth on my Canon DSLR. As I packed up my gear, he asked if I got some good shots. I could tell he felt a bit jealous. I said I thought I did. He said, "I'll see your stuff in National Geographic."

Of course, he assumed photography was more than a hobby for me because of my gear. But I've learned that it isn't the gear that makes the shot, but the person behind the gear. Don't get me wrong, many times more advanced gear provides advantages that a point-and-shoot can't match. Still, I've seen some nice stuff taken with a point-and-shoot. It just takes a little more time and patience to get it. I took a shot last Christmas that is suitable for printing and framing. It was a night shot taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3. I hand held the little 5 megapixel camera and used no flash. But its the composition that makes the shot. I took great care to only include what I wanted in the picture when I snapped the shutter.

So, the next time you have a chance to compare notes with a fellow hobbyist, take it. You will either learn something worth knowing and enriching your own hobby experience, or you will give someone else the motivation to take their hobby to the next level. Remember, with a little time and patience, you can show little flashes of brilliance in your hobby. Basically speaking, fake 'em out!