Jay will probably laugh at me for writing this post, in light of my equipment expenditures over the last couple of years, but what I’m going to say I mean in all seriousness:
Your camera equipment isn’t everything.
I often get asked what camera or lens someone should buy. This is usually a difficult question for me, because the answer depends on so many things. What do you have now? What do you want to use the new camera for? How adept are you with the camera you have now? What’s holding you back? In reality, the best equipment in the world won’t make you an incredible photographer. Conversely, your equipment can prevent you from being a better photographer. This has been my philosophy with my equipment purchases: if I feel I can’t produce the product I want to because my equipment isn’t up to the task, it’s time to invest in something better. I really want to give my clients the best photos I can create. So yes, now I do have some of the nicest lenses and cameras that money can buy.
But, I didn’t start with that. In fact, my first “real” camera (one that I actually began to take photography seriously with) was an Olympus 4 megapixel digital point-and-shoot camera that let me control some of the settings. In today’s standards, this thing was child’s play. Probably couldn’t get $30 dollars for it now. And yet, I loved using this camera, and it went with me on a two-month study abroad trip to Moscow, Russia the summer right before I got married. (Note to brides: don’t leave the country for two months right before your wedding–it’s not good for the whole planning thing).
And I practiced. A lot. It was a time that I didn’t have to worry about getting “the shot.” If I missed something, oh well. I had the freedom to create and take pictures when I wanted to and of what I wanted to. If you’re at that stage in your photography, enjoy it. Learn to master what you have before you move on to the next thing. And if you’re beyond that point in your photography (and I speak to myself here as much as anyone else), don’t forget about your first curiosity and love for the creative. Don’t let your nice equipment lull you into the same stock shots.
Taken with my old point-and-shoot. Summer 2005. Suzdal, Russia.
My room for that summer–I lived with a Russian family.
One of the things I loved about my P&S was that it was silent. I could take a photo of the soldier’s boots standing next to me without him ever knowing. Not so with today’s DSLR’s shutter “clunk.”
And yet, the camera did have very distinct limitations. The quality here is not what I could get with my equipment today.
Still, it was a good camera.
Of course, eventually, I found myself limited by the camera’s slow shutter response. I’d mastered everything I could on it, and it was time to upgrade. And so I did.
by mary
Randi Voss - Mary, this post is right on! I couldn’t play like Hendrix if I had his guitar. When you notice a limitation -its time to upgrade. Saying “my camera doesn’t take good pictures” is rarely an excuse with digital POS cameras bought within the last year or so. Learn to use it and practice is often my advice too. Have a great day.