On Friday I had an appointment with the dentist. Before going, I had a busy morning. Right after my workout, I had to do some shopping in anticipation of the new cyclone that is threatening our island. After the passage of Batsirai 15 days ago, we realised that we were a bit helpless in case of a power failure. So I went to buy some big candles and also some rechargeable lanterns to be better prepared. I also took some bottles of mineral water in case …

The cyclone with the nice name of Emnati is not expected to cause as much damage as Batsirai as it is likely to pass much further away from our island. But you never know. It’s not as if the weather is an exact science… Let’s get back to the point. After all the shopping was done, I went home and had just 30 minutes to shower and eat before heading out for my appointment.  I even thought I was going to be late. In the end I was on the borderline, but on time. The car was parked and I only had to walk about 100 metres to the doctor’s surgery.

As I am an obsessive photographer, I took out my Ricoh GRD IV in case I saw a scene on the short drive to the dentist. I can’t help it. When I’m somewhere, I have to have my camera on my wrist. I don’t necessarily take pictures, but it makes me feel better. Sometimes I just snap for fun, without it really being important. That’s why I have countless bland and uninteresting photos on my memory cards.

After a few meters, in an almost mechanical way, I snapped while walking quickly because I don’t want to be late for my appointment. At that moment, my right foot gets stuck in a hole that I didn’t see because my mind was so busy elsewhere. I see myself going forward and I crash like a big piece of shit on the ground in front of a lot of people including kids who were going to college. I find myself face down on the ground and I see my Ricoh GRD IV hit the ground. My first instinct is to look at my camera to see if it’s not broken. The flash is in the open position, but I don’t know if the camera is intact. I see black pieces on the ground but it’s only my wrist strap that exploded during the contact with the ground. By the way, a plastic of my strap has protected my right hand.

A sharp pain is felt in my left knee and my left hand. I have abrasions and I am bleeding, but quickly enough I pick up my camera and stand up. Nothing is broken and I reassure a young man who asks about my condition. I ran away, pulling my leg a bit because I’ll end up being late… I quickly look at my Ricoh GRD IV and notice that nothing is broken in appearance and that there are scratches on the case. It has hit the screen side. The camera is turned off, but the lens is still out. I’m afraid it’s broken, but with a bit of prodding, I manage to turn the camera back on.

I don’t know at the moment if the device is working properly because I have to rush to my appointment. I just have the palm of my left hand and my left knee burning… When I get out of the dentist’s office, I take stock of the situation. I have nothing broken despite the pain and the scratches. That’s something. I notice with sadness that my almost new Ricoh GRD IV is a bit damaged and I fear that the non-visible damage is more important. I decide to go and hang out in Saint-Denis while waiting to pick up my kids.

I’m taking pictures and I don’t seem to have any problems with the shooting. My leg is a bit stiff because I weigh 90 kgs and I took almost all my weight on my knee and hand when I fell! This is the first time this has happened to me. Usually I don’t walk fast in the street. So sometimes I lose my balance if I’m not careful where I step. But here I was almost running and the result is different.

Back home, I retrieved the strap that was on my old Ricoh GRD IV and realised that there were photos on the SD card. I looked at them and I remember very well these photos taken on an overcast day with showers before Christmas at the Chaudron market.  I don’t go there very often, but it’s a very interesting place to take pictures. I remember I went there to try (in vain …) to find dill for the salmon Gravlax I was preparing. There are also photos taken when we went to the restaurant with the kids. As I told you in this Blog, these were not particularly Street Photography sessions. I was just running errands and going to the restaurant, but I have this habit of always taking my camera out just in case… I had to fall down to find these pictures on my old Ricoh GRD IV.

All the pictures in this Blog were taken with the Ricoh GRD IV at the end of 2021. These are the photos found on my SD card from my old camera.  I have post processed the photos from my short session this Friday and my camera does not seem to have any problems. I’m not sure about the integrity of the camera. I need to use it more to know if it is damaged or not… I already told you, I am a Ricoh GRD IV serial killer…