I’ve seen lately a few post here on Substack mentioning the fact that in photography gear is not important, important is taking the photo and enjoying the process instead of praising the tool.
yes, but as you mentioned, you're looking at street photography, my post was more of a general one inclined to look at all types of photography especially the specialised ones. can you do "street" with a phone? yes. can you do a rugby match with a phone? no. surfing, underwater? no. i do believe that there's a right gear for the job but otherwise make the most of what you have.
While gear is important, my sense is that photographers need to obsessively use a single camera until they know it so well that they become one with it.
Apparently, Thomas Joshua Cooper only has one camera - a large format camera from 1890 - and his work shows that dedication. Likewise, Alan Dimmick’s OM-1 becomes an extension of the self (he also has a canon digital for day to day work). I am not sure this is possible if one’s attention is diluted by different technology with a different aesthetic.
these days i'm more interested in different experiences when using different cameras - using old film cameras with full stops and fixed lenses makes me slow down and think before pressing the shutter.
it is a good valid point but then i ask myself again: how did they do it back in the '70s when there was no digital technology? it shows us that it is possible - just with technology it is easier and faster. that was the subject of this post:
I have definitely found myself in situations where I wish I’d taken a certain lens (long for nature, wider for inclusive architecture, better quality/faster for night sky shots, macro for insects and tiny details, etc) and I have definitely had the experiences when I wish I had my “camera-camera” with instead of just my iPhone (which is not one of the high-end ones).
And don’t get me started on those who still are of the mind that iPhones, these days with the high cost of and definite effort that’s gone into the development of the high-end’s camera features, are not photography gear.
I guess it’s always true that one can take poor shots with great gear as well as great shots with poor gear. But, to some extent or another, gear does matter. 😃
Very good points made here! Indeed for professionals, the choice of gear is essential to delivering the job. We need reliability first, and the best tools we can get to help us do our job. It's not a matter of bluffing or impressing people, they're our tools. Hobbyists find this difficult to understand.
Media does a really bad job convincing uneducated hobbyist that gear matters. It doesn't! It's the process.
I'm starting to believe that it is possible to take beautiful pictures with any gear, but to take certain images one might need certain gear to get them right. I for one love the zoom function on my camera.
yes, it is possible to take beautiful pictures. is nothing wrong with a zoom lens, usually when i go on holiday abroad i take with me just a camera and a 24-105 lens which gives me everything i need for a holiday
Gear is just a tool. It won't make us better photographers. My mentor used to say that we should slide new cameras across the wall to scratch them, just to stop being obsessed with the gear!:)) Of course that I never do it, but the point is clear.
Absolutely correct. I’ve done sports and wildlife with a manual focus camera and lens. It’s not impossible. But the success rate goes Wayyyy up with the right gear. As one of many examples. And some things just can’t be done without focus stacking, or other features.
Meantime, “f8 and be there” still holds for many types of photography, and quality images can be made with a phone of the situation and conditions allow.
In my professional work, I have had the same camera since 2012. Fully digital, it came with an owners manual that I liken to what you might expect to need if you were running a Space Shuttle mission. After all these years, I doubt if I have used even 5% of the capabilities the camera holds, and I might not have even seen every option in the menu. I am perfectly happy with the three lenses that I have in my bag. If I get a hair up my arse for a specialty lens, I can hire one.
What G.A.S. that I do suffer from is now directed at vintage cameras. I am wanting to explore specific types of photo-printing processes, and I am going to start shooting 120 and 35 film for that reason. I collect old cameras, but never considered shooting film through them until recently. I am looking forward to shooting the film, printing the shots and having fun in the process, but I am not buying new (old) gear because I think that it will make me a better photographer. I am hoping that my new ideas will benefit me financially, but if that doesn't happen, I will not be disappointed.
In my case there is no financial award per se, in the vintage cameras, but I love the challenge of learning the ins and outs of a different camera, and I like to think it will benefit my brain health. It is just plain fun to take a recent arrival, load it with film, and go out and watch play…like with a new toy!
Thank you for posting this. I love the way you worded this - it reflects the ongoing debate in my head about it. At one point I thought, I just want ONE camera that does it all. I quickly gave up that notion. So I have a lot of gear. They all serve a different purpose. The gear matters. I have to ask which camera is likely to be the best option for the scenario. At the end of the day though, if I want to go out and make a photograph, I CAN do it, no matter the gear. So, the gear doesn't matter! It's about the experience with each that I think DOES matter...how I respond and what works for that day. Thank you!
I just purchased an old Smena 8m, similar to the very first camera I had behind the iron curtain as a kid. I feel like a kid again when I shoot with it. Now, some people may say, Look, gear doesn’t matter. Look at the piece of shit that geezer is using. But to me it matters. I have three other cameras, yet this week I’m only using the Smena. So, theoretically gear doesn’t matter because if you’re good, it doesn’t really make a difference what you shoot with; but practically, it does, because if you’re not enjoying the gear you’re using, taking a great photo instead merely a good one may be a challenge…. Plus it’s more fun to screw around with a new toy, methinks. To each his own.
as i said: as long as you're enjoying the process, it doesn't matter but i also get your point. i feel a bit jealous of you: not because you got a smena but because you feel like a kid - as a child i didn't have a camera 🥲
on a serious note: please show us the results from that smena (whenever you're ready)
Thanks for the kind mention. I do find a tripod helpful in making a more careful composition, aside from long exposures or focus stacking, but sometimes I just can’t get it—or myself—in the right place when working very low or close to water. So I guess it’s a case of knowing when to use one!
Ansel Adams proved a hundred years ago that it’s the photographer’s skill, not the 8x10 camera, that matters.
And yet… you DO have to have sharp photos. And that requires the best lenses. There are situations where the light is just wrong. And that requires a good, expensive sensor in order to correct it. There are shots that are just too far away, and that requires a telephoto.
I do things with my DSLR all the time that I cannot possibly do with a phone.
Yes. Gear does matter, specially when knowing your equipment inside-out. When it doesn't matter is when you keep scrolling Ebay for the 'camera or lens' you """""need""""". I've been there a million times, but finally now I am feeling sort of passing that state of mind (maybe). Cheers 🍻!!
There is always a better camera or a better lens. Manufacturers and the marketing hype never tell you that their products alone won't make you a better photographer!
yes, but as you mentioned, you're looking at street photography, my post was more of a general one inclined to look at all types of photography especially the specialised ones. can you do "street" with a phone? yes. can you do a rugby match with a phone? no. surfing, underwater? no. i do believe that there's a right gear for the job but otherwise make the most of what you have.
it is very sad indeed
perfect, looking forward to it.
While gear is important, my sense is that photographers need to obsessively use a single camera until they know it so well that they become one with it.
Apparently, Thomas Joshua Cooper only has one camera - a large format camera from 1890 - and his work shows that dedication. Likewise, Alan Dimmick’s OM-1 becomes an extension of the self (he also has a canon digital for day to day work). I am not sure this is possible if one’s attention is diluted by different technology with a different aesthetic.
these days i'm more interested in different experiences when using different cameras - using old film cameras with full stops and fixed lenses makes me slow down and think before pressing the shutter.
Gear is important insofar as it allows you to capture your vision. Upgrading gear should happen when your current gear isn't enough to do that.
But upgrading gear for the sake of upgrading probably hinders progress more than it helps.
it is a good valid point but then i ask myself again: how did they do it back in the '70s when there was no digital technology? it shows us that it is possible - just with technology it is easier and faster. that was the subject of this post:
https://open.substack.com/pub/perfectlight/p/the-challenge-results?r=2b8uel&utm_medium=ios
"Gear is important insofar as it allows you to capture your vision." I couldn't agree more.
Interesting post.
I have definitely found myself in situations where I wish I’d taken a certain lens (long for nature, wider for inclusive architecture, better quality/faster for night sky shots, macro for insects and tiny details, etc) and I have definitely had the experiences when I wish I had my “camera-camera” with instead of just my iPhone (which is not one of the high-end ones).
And don’t get me started on those who still are of the mind that iPhones, these days with the high cost of and definite effort that’s gone into the development of the high-end’s camera features, are not photography gear.
I guess it’s always true that one can take poor shots with great gear as well as great shots with poor gear. But, to some extent or another, gear does matter. 😃
i'm also the owner of an iphone. regarding photography, my iphone is used for 3 things:
- snapshots for my full time job (using the original apple app);
- using an app, light meter for my 35mm film cameras;
- using apps (never the original apple one) the camera which i have with all the time, especially when camera-camera is left behind.
💜 Yes! IPhone is gear 😍 (even my older version comes in handy all the time for me — for shots as well as apps)
Very good points made here! Indeed for professionals, the choice of gear is essential to delivering the job. We need reliability first, and the best tools we can get to help us do our job. It's not a matter of bluffing or impressing people, they're our tools. Hobbyists find this difficult to understand.
Media does a really bad job convincing uneducated hobbyist that gear matters. It doesn't! It's the process.
try to tell this to people in real life and they look at you like you're an alien, they rather trust the social media than the professional.
Haha true! that's why they're not my target audience.
I'm starting to believe that it is possible to take beautiful pictures with any gear, but to take certain images one might need certain gear to get them right. I for one love the zoom function on my camera.
yes, it is possible to take beautiful pictures. is nothing wrong with a zoom lens, usually when i go on holiday abroad i take with me just a camera and a 24-105 lens which gives me everything i need for a holiday
Just choosing the right tool for the job, I suppose. Not using a hammer when you need a screwdriver.
you nailed it! 😁
😂
Gear is just a tool. It won't make us better photographers. My mentor used to say that we should slide new cameras across the wall to scratch them, just to stop being obsessed with the gear!:)) Of course that I never do it, but the point is clear.
and it is a very good point!
Did your mentor own stock in a major camera manufacturer? :)
Absolutely correct. I’ve done sports and wildlife with a manual focus camera and lens. It’s not impossible. But the success rate goes Wayyyy up with the right gear. As one of many examples. And some things just can’t be done without focus stacking, or other features.
Meantime, “f8 and be there” still holds for many types of photography, and quality images can be made with a phone of the situation and conditions allow.
In my professional work, I have had the same camera since 2012. Fully digital, it came with an owners manual that I liken to what you might expect to need if you were running a Space Shuttle mission. After all these years, I doubt if I have used even 5% of the capabilities the camera holds, and I might not have even seen every option in the menu. I am perfectly happy with the three lenses that I have in my bag. If I get a hair up my arse for a specialty lens, I can hire one.
What G.A.S. that I do suffer from is now directed at vintage cameras. I am wanting to explore specific types of photo-printing processes, and I am going to start shooting 120 and 35 film for that reason. I collect old cameras, but never considered shooting film through them until recently. I am looking forward to shooting the film, printing the shots and having fun in the process, but I am not buying new (old) gear because I think that it will make me a better photographer. I am hoping that my new ideas will benefit me financially, but if that doesn't happen, I will not be disappointed.
In my case there is no financial award per se, in the vintage cameras, but I love the challenge of learning the ins and outs of a different camera, and I like to think it will benefit my brain health. It is just plain fun to take a recent arrival, load it with film, and go out and watch play…like with a new toy!
the experience of using an old camera has no price
Right?
Thank you for posting this. I love the way you worded this - it reflects the ongoing debate in my head about it. At one point I thought, I just want ONE camera that does it all. I quickly gave up that notion. So I have a lot of gear. They all serve a different purpose. The gear matters. I have to ask which camera is likely to be the best option for the scenario. At the end of the day though, if I want to go out and make a photograph, I CAN do it, no matter the gear. So, the gear doesn't matter! It's about the experience with each that I think DOES matter...how I respond and what works for that day. Thank you!
I just purchased an old Smena 8m, similar to the very first camera I had behind the iron curtain as a kid. I feel like a kid again when I shoot with it. Now, some people may say, Look, gear doesn’t matter. Look at the piece of shit that geezer is using. But to me it matters. I have three other cameras, yet this week I’m only using the Smena. So, theoretically gear doesn’t matter because if you’re good, it doesn’t really make a difference what you shoot with; but practically, it does, because if you’re not enjoying the gear you’re using, taking a great photo instead merely a good one may be a challenge…. Plus it’s more fun to screw around with a new toy, methinks. To each his own.
as i said: as long as you're enjoying the process, it doesn't matter but i also get your point. i feel a bit jealous of you: not because you got a smena but because you feel like a kid - as a child i didn't have a camera 🥲
on a serious note: please show us the results from that smena (whenever you're ready)
Thanks for the kind mention. I do find a tripod helpful in making a more careful composition, aside from long exposures or focus stacking, but sometimes I just can’t get it—or myself—in the right place when working very low or close to water. So I guess it’s a case of knowing when to use one!
It’s a trick question.
Ansel Adams proved a hundred years ago that it’s the photographer’s skill, not the 8x10 camera, that matters.
And yet… you DO have to have sharp photos. And that requires the best lenses. There are situations where the light is just wrong. And that requires a good, expensive sensor in order to correct it. There are shots that are just too far away, and that requires a telephoto.
I do things with my DSLR all the time that I cannot possibly do with a phone.
Yes. Gear does matter, specially when knowing your equipment inside-out. When it doesn't matter is when you keep scrolling Ebay for the 'camera or lens' you """""need""""". I've been there a million times, but finally now I am feeling sort of passing that state of mind (maybe). Cheers 🍻!!
There is always a better camera or a better lens. Manufacturers and the marketing hype never tell you that their products alone won't make you a better photographer!