GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

I wish to share how I got cured of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).   Have you ever heard of this ailment?   Many camera and photography enthusiasts are affected by this GAS.   They may look      healthy but there will be a big hole in their wallet!

I am not a professional photographer but a hobbyist.   At first I did not know I was affected by the GAS virus but after sometime I found that my camera bag had become too small to hold my lenses and other accessories (bit expensive ones!).  Inside my room there were dust accumulated reflector discs, tripods, soft boxed and diffusers that are usually found in photo studios.  Most of them had not been used for ages!   Then, why did I spend huge sums and bought them?   I was actually suffering from GAS!

I had three DSLRS, two mirror less and two video cameras and plenty of accessories but with a dry bank balance and a very thin wallet!   I sat and thought for a while what might have driven me to that near bankruptcy?  Yes, I got the answer.  Being a hobbyist, I had not earned a single Rupee but had been spending thousands on cameras and  accessories!   Probably, at that time I might be the ‘first stage’ of  the GAS virus attack and I desperately wanted to get cured before the condition worsened to the ‘Third Stage’ – a stage in which in the infected would go bankrupt and more often even ends up ‘homeless’!

I stood up and frantically searched for the entry level  DSLR I bought  and the three  lenses I loved most (all cheap!) and one or two essential accessories and stored them away. The same day itself I posted my advertisement on olx.com for sale of my large collection of accessories.   One by one my camera accessories started disappearing and after three months there was plenty of space in my camera bag and my room appeared spacious! 

Now there is some money in my wallet too.  The sight of this money liberates me from the fear of getting bankrupt!

I am afraid, one cannot get totally cured of the GAS virus.  Some experts say that some of the viruses will remain hidden between the brain cells and whenever you go shopping – esp. to camera stores- they become active and persuade you to buy camera accessories. So, I avoid going to shops that sell cameras or accessories, and if ever I happen to be there accidentally and the GAS viruses become active, I whisper “These camera and accessories manufactures cannot lure me into buying their products. I don’t require any of them.  Further, I have no money to buy them.  I will just enjoy “window shopping.”  Immediately the viruses go hiding!

If you do not believe there is such an infection, please watch the video I have shred to know more about people suffering from it world over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=yOSmR6Be84Y