I've had a very up-lifting day. About twelve months ago I bumped into a young lad in a wheelchair with his mum at our local reservoir. He was taking pictures of a pair of Canada Geese with a 40D and standard 50mm lens. Following on from that meeting, I met up with him and his mum on many occasions either at the reservoir or out on the heathland. I found out that he suffered from very bad health, in his twelve short years he had undergone seven major operations but his life expectancy is very short. He started sending me some of his pictures to see what I thought of them - mostly bird pictures, obviously with a 50mm he was somewhat limited to what he could achieve, but nevertheless many of them were acceptable. A few weeks ago I met them again at the reservoir where he was trying his hand at a Tufted Duck. I took my 100/400 off a put it on his camera for him to play around with, he was so excited and produced some reasonable shots. Needless to say he wanted a 100/400 but has his mother said she could not even think about it being a single mum - she lost her husband in Afghanistan in an IED incident. Today I bumped into them again out on the heathland, he was watching a pair of Stonechats with no hope of getting anything with a 50mm lens. I went back home turned out my old 100/400 took it back and gave it to him, he was so excited, mum was in tears, it was so up-lifting that I made that kid happy and hopefully a little more happiness in what future he got left - it made my day.
The lens was only gathering dust, would have got next to nothing if I sold it - but I got a fantastic price in seeing the happiness on that kids face.
The lens was only gathering dust, would have got next to nothing if I sold it - but I got a fantastic price in seeing the happiness on that kids face.
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