Part of being a photographer, for me, is not just about owning a good camera. I also need a good tablet, or I am not retouching a darn thing.  Sure, I could pay someone to do the retouching for me, but why bother when I can do it myself? I am not so swamped that I don’t have time, and even if I were, I probably would train someone to retouch for me and put them on my payroll rather than outsource. Why? Because I am a control freak and I want my photos to look the way I see them in my mind. That means outsourcing, for me, isn’t happening. It was a pretty big step for me to start working with a lab for printing, but that’s as far as I’ll go.

So I retouch things myself. In order to do so, I need a tablet. While it is possible to use a mouse, I have been working with a tablet for seven years now. After seven years of such precise control, going back to a mouse is just not a plausible option, not if I want to do my very best work. Word to the wise, if it’s not my best, it doesn’t happen. So without a tablet, I’m not retouching a darn thing unless it doesn’t require that level of work.

That being said, my tablet of seven years is officially dead. I’ve been nursing it along for at least three years now. Just little things to help keep it going, since tablets aren’t exactly cheap. The tricks to keep it working however have stopped being effective, and nothing I tried would stop my little light on my Graphire 4 from blinking so it could connect fully, so it is no more I suppose.

In my que, I have prom portraits and stuff I did for fun during the super moon. Neither of which will be going anywhere for the time being. I have to first get my hands on a small Intuos tablet from Wacom, and then and only then can I start the retouching process.

I’ve decided to hold out until my birthday before ordering though. It’s a week away, and I put the tablet I wanted on my wishlist (I have a family that demands one), so there is a slight chance I could get it as a gift. If not, I have some money set aside for such an emergency, and will order the tablet pronto at that time.

Lesson to be learned from all this? Always, always, ALWAYS have some money set aside for the unexpected. Equipment is not cheap, and it does not last forever. Eventually, you have to replace it. And if it’s that one piece you absolutely cannot do without, you’re going to be very upset if it breaks and you don’t have the funds to replace it immediately.