Its not the camera, its the photographer

[cyKey]

I was just reading a really great article about photography. With all the "Wow great shots, what camera?" questions, and what lens/camera threads, I thought some of us could do with reading it. The guy makes some very good points. I've been thinking myself about why were photographers so fantastic 50 years ago and yet 50 years later with sharp lenses and flashy cameras Ansel Adams work hasn't been topped. Its been at least 50 years, shouldn't all lenses be uber sharp? Shouldn't we all be able to take amazing shots? I've been thinking how a good band has their own sound, like Coldplay or Rage Against the machine. They both use drums, singers, guitars, yet they sound totally different. It simply is about the photographer, not the equipement.

When I had a Canon A70 I was always amazed by photos taken by photographers on here and on other sites. I believed that if I got the same camera as them then the only difference between us would be skill. That was something only I could work on. Its been over a year since I got my 10D and I've gone through various phases. At one point I really truely disliked parts of my 10D and desperately wanted to buy a 20D. Why? I wanted better noise management and a faster buffer. Its been about 10 months since I felt that way and now unless the 30D had something unbelivebly special I wouldn't buy it unless I had a spare £1k. I've learnt to take the problems I had with the 10D and incorporate them into my photos to create my own style. I can shoot at ISO800, and even ISO1600 and not worry.

Photography is nothing more than capturing light. Knowing the best way is the photographers job, not the cameras. Photos don't always have to be sharp, or noise free. They just have to capture life.

 

[cyKey]

So in short, the article doesn't really develop anything new.

It really does. How often do people say "great shot, what camera?" or worry over a D70 or 350D. There are plenty of people who just don't realise these things. Sure it might not give someone who's heard it all before any new info, but then as you pointed out if you've heard it all before, you've heard it all before I too know that the photographer makes the shot, but the article was a real wake up call. I've always said that a good sunset was created by nature and that I just pushed a button. I've never really been one to believe that I was a good photographer. However, reading this article and looking over my recent shoots its really opened my eyes. To quote The Matrix, "There's knowing the path and walking the path. I can only show you the door Neo, you're the one that has to walk through it." Sure people can tell me I'm a good photographer, but its only now that I'm starting to believe that I am. Its knowing that I can make my equipement take a good photo. Thats me setting the options on the camera and knowing when to press the button.

I'm only in partial agreement with this. Some equipment has developed because of the photographers needs. Things like motordrives, macro lenses, even long lenses for things like wildlife.

Yes, you still need to see the shot, but equipment related to what you're doing IS important.

Very true. I couldn't do certain things without my equipment, but at the same time its me who knows how to do them.

 

[cyKey]

you have to be able to 'see' the shot Pete, thats the defining thing for me, if 20 people were given the same thing to shoot, the ones who could see the image they want the way they would want to see it in print will get the shot, even with cheap camera. The SLR will allow them to develop that skill into something outstanding, and really create a shot far more easily than they would with a P&S camera

Oh yer, don't get me wrong. An SLR is a better camera than a P&S. Manual focus is nicer, noise management is better, its quicker to focus and write times are faster. I agree with what that guy said though. After 20 years of buying and selling lenses, swapping bodies and desperately trying to afford silly "pro" lenses because your heroes own them, he realised that it was him taking the good shots.

You finally realize that the right gear you've spent so much time accumulating just makes it easier to get your sound or your look or your moves, but that you could get them, albeit with a little more effort, on the same garbage with which you started. You realize the most important thing for the gear to do is just get out of your way. You then also realize that if you had spent all the time you wasted worrying about acquiring better gear woodshedding, making photos or catching more rides that you would have gotten where you wanted to be much sooner.

I could be using a 20D today, with some f/1.8 primes. Yet I'm getting good shots with the equipment I have now. To quote B5, "...it let me do more, but what I needed to do was better." Thats how I feel now. I could rush out and buy new lenses, or I could just go out and practice with what I have.