Most of these pictures are literally clicked with a cracked lens, the only thing holding it together is the lens filter. A few years back my camera took a tumble from a backpack while we were coming back from Hemkund sahib (Valley of Flowers), on the way back down I was full of energy and without my backpack I was feeling light as air so I tied it up to a horse so that I could run and I did all the way back. To this day I remember, I had never felt more alive than what I did that day it was beautiful almost felt like flying, with little hops along the way to get you back up.
Later on I came to know that the zip on my camera bag had opened and the camera fell down nearly 5 feet straight onto rocks rolled down a few meters and just came to a stop before a straight drop down, somehow the only damage was the cracked lens and a small scratch on the camera body the canon 20D can take some serious amount of punishment.
I have taken numerous pictures after that day in rain and snow with the same lens and it still amazes me how it keeps going on but lately dust has started collecting under the filter and this is a cause of distress as I feel this lens is nearing its life. It is hard to let go of something which has been a part of so many beautiful moments and would have seen many more if not for the damage but because of the fall the lens developed a character before it was just a lens but after it became the lens.
