We’ve done the theme park thing twice now, in the last two weeks. On both occasions I eschewed my digital still camera in favor of my digital video camera. I felt I was duty bound to find some value in this new toy I’ve wanted for so long. The thing is; I couldn’t seem to shoot a scene without noting silently to myself that I was passing up a good shot with the still camera. I could have captured still images from the video, but only if I sacrificed quality.

Somehow there must be a way to strike a balance. Surely there are some scenes where motion is more important than others. And yet, sometimes even motion is captured better with a still camera. An artfully composed shot can tell a viewer a lot, by allowing him or her to see more detail – without needing to keep up with the changing frames. I’m not one who’s prone to getting that artfully composed shot, but trying to get it is what makes still cameras fun. When I’m using the video camera, I can’t help but feel that I’m cheating in some way, by taking the easy way out.

I must be having a pretty freakin’ good day if this is my biggest problem.

You know what? I am.