Photography Is Not My Only Passion

As you all know, my website One Camera One Lens concentrates almost exclusively on photography. However, photography is not my first and only love, I have of course other things that I like to do, and some of them I really could not live without. Today we look at the other things I am passionate about in my life (not counting my family of course!).

Music (Listening to music!)
I know this is an easy one for many, but those who know me, know I actually take this way beyond what most people do. I love listening to music, and most of my day (and night) is spent listening to music of some sort.

In the house during the day and evenings I will have the radio playing on my smart speakers or stereo system. While on the move or in bed (and sometimes just while relaxing indoors) I have my DAP (digital audio player) and I listen to music, specifically hi-res quality sounding music.

Over the years I have had thousands of CDs, and I managed to rip most of them before selling them all off to go the streaming route. After years of using Spotify, I went with YouTube Music (which I still use) and more recently I have gone old school with this, what is basically a fancy MP3 player or iPod. Yes, it was expensive, as were the headphones (IEMs), but it makes music sound so beautiful.

I am not one for listening to random singles (when listening to music I have on my devices), and love to listen to and discover new or old music that I have not heard before. Music, IS a huge part of my life, and I listen most of my waking hours.

Blu-ray/4k Blu-ray collecting and watching.
I love collecting movies! I have a wide range of the types of films I like, and because you just cannot rely on streaming films from Netflix etc these days, I decided a long time ago that I would collect physical media.

I currently own and display in the house just under 300 Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray titles, and try and watch them as often as I can (usually I stream new movies on Google TV/Netflix/Prime and get to watch physical media once or twice a week). In fact, I won’t by a movie unless I know I am going to watch it numerous times over the years.

The funny thing is, I don’t watch TV and rarely if ever watch or binge on a TV series. For me, movies is where it is at! These days I buy much more 4k content than actual standard Blu-ray, unless I come across films cheap while out and about on my travels.

Going for walks.
Almost everyday I go out for a walk, especially in the summer time when the weather is warmer. I enjoy walking miles, and just taking in the scenery. Often I will do this with friends or family, and everyday now I take Sawyer (my Labrador) out on a stroll. When I am by myself, of course I will have my DAP with me and listen to music, turning it off when I bump into people so we can chat.

Gaming!
Finally, something that has been a part of my life since I was very young, video games! I own an Xbox Series X gaming console that I play on regularly. I love my rally games and racing games, and I have been playing the WRC rally games solidly for many years. I also love third-person shooter and much more!

I have 2TB storage on my Series X, and I subscribe to Xbox GamePass so I always have plenty of chose of games to choose from, although I do tend to buy a lot of games during the digital sales.

A recent purchase in the last 6 months or so has been my Steam Deck hand-held gaming device. I LOVE using this console when I want to do some light gaming or play some retro arcade games.

I have plenty of games to keep me going, and it is surprising how much games are a part of my life.

Conclusion
So there we have it! As much as I love photography, if there was one thing I could keep, I don’t believe it would be serious photography. I love my music way too much to lose, but thankfully, music is quite passive, so one day I will have to go out with my DAP and my camera (Now there is a thought!).