Let me start by saying that this post is not really about Animal Eye Autofocus on the Sony A1. This amazing Sony flagship camera arrived at my house while I was in Minnesota this past weekend. There has been plenty written about this feature and the shot above was the easiest photo of my dog, Ripley, that I have ever taken. She’s a bit of a spazz, so getting her eyes focused properly has always been a challenge for me. It wasn’t with the Sony A1. It was simply amazing. This post is not about this amazing camera.

And this post is not about Ripley either. This is a public thank you to someone I will not name. They purchased this camera for me as a gift. They know who they are, obviously. And frankly, this is not the first time they’ve tried to gift me a camera. The first time I flatly turned it down. This time, they just sent it without asking for my permission. It’s an unbelievable gift and one I will cherish.

It is also not the first time this has happened to me. The last time was five years ago when a group of friends on Facebook bought me the Sony A7r II. I finally realized that the motivations behind both gifts were the same… to encourage me to take my photography to the next level. I believe it worked the last time. I’m hoping it works again. And frankly, after watching the thank you video I made then again this morning, I could use the same words today with very few changes.

It is incredibly humbling. I’m not a charity case by any stretch of the imagination. I could afford to buy this camera for myself. I wouldn’t have, however. Not now anyway. Other priorities in life would have won out over this. I tend to focus on “need” instead of want. Besides, I would have argued that I should be able to take great photos with an old iPhone if really try.

So this post is a heartfelt and sincere public thank you note. I will NEVER be able to properly thank this amazing human. Never. I can only hope to honor the gift with time and dedication and to make every effort to find a way to return the kindness in some meaningful way. What I’ve done to deserve this gift is a mystery to me. However, I plan to find a way to prove that I did.

Jeff Turner

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