New Beginnings

Three years ago I was in dire financial straits, still recovering from the economic crisis that hit me less than others, but only because I had less to lose. Though I have always lived simply, rarely going out to eat, never buying myself clothes or shoes or accessories, I was still struggling to pay my bills, living paycheck to paycheck as many people still do.

However, I was still pursuing my model photography, which over the previous decade hadn’t helped me much financially, though it had introduced me to many wonderful people who I now count as close friends. Though “not a very good investment,” as a tax official once told me, my photography provided me many glorious adventures I would not have otherwise experienced.

My camera at the time was a Canon 5D MK II, which, after years of experimenting with countless brands and styles of camera, was my absolute favorite. It was a few years old by then but still was working like a champ. Then on one fateful afternoon, with Brooke Eva and Jordan Bunniie driving two hours up from LA to engage in an underwater shoot with me, my camera became water damaged. Not only did I feel bad for wasting their time traveling to me, but without a camera, I felt like I had lost a limb.

Maxing out my last bit of a credit card, I eventually purchased the most expensive Canon camera I could afford, the 6D. It wasn’t a professional-grade camera like the 5-series, but at the top of the amateur level, it provided some yet not all of the functionality that I was accustomed to. Overall, though it offered new multiple exposure and video functions that taught me a lot, I immediately found that the frames-per-second speed and image file processing speed were lacking, to say the least.

Over these past three years I can’t begin to tell you how many great shots I’ve missed due to the camera’s “thinking,” with that dreaded solid red light by the hand grip reminding me it would be seconds, if not minutes, before I could continue. “Busy, Please wait.” This delay made me and the models lose momentum during hundreds of shoots, slowed my workflow down, and truly hindered many little moments that I would have otherwise been able to capture.

But now, with the help of Patreon this year, I’m proud to have paid off much of my debt, replace many of the small yet important items in my life that I desperately needed, and finally (FINALLY!) am able to replace the 6D with a refurbished (new-to-me) 5D MK III. It arrived today and I plan to break it in this weekend.

Once again, I can’t thank you all enough for your support. Patreon has finally allowed me to feel that so many years of self-doubt and personal struggle are slowly starting to pay off. You have made this new camera happen, and I hope not to disappoint you with what I create using this new, shiny tool.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.

-Mark