But the topic that most often interests me is the one where you are being told that photography isn’t about the gear. Most interestingly enough, I notice who it is that preaches this. Usually, the authors who are offering this sage advice really don’t have an issue with getting the gear for themselves or they already own it.
I will agree with one unequivocal and indisputable truth: no amount of gear can be a substitute for raw talent and vision. Just because you have the newest camera with the sharpest lens will not give you a guarantee that all of your shots will be memorable or provocative or even marginally good. But, I can guarantee you that it will help. I recently had a positively fantastic conversation about this topic with one of my closest friends, Chris Halford. He mentioned that the gear you invest in will not automatically yield better shots but it will certainly help remove a lot of the obstacles.
Well... I agree and disagree. Taking one direction and placing all in that cart makes it a little tenuous. In the example given, the type and style of photography was the given, then the camera was sought to create that.
When photographers say "it isn't the gear" we (yes, I say it all the time) are not referring to not having the right gear. The Right Gear is always a necessity to create a specific image or approach.
But a 5D MKII will not make a bad photographer good. Nope - no way.
It is a good read, so see what Brian is saying.
1 comment:
It's not the gear. Here's a book of very compelling photos taken on a BlackBerry: http://photographynewsnotes.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-favorite-photo-book-of-year.html
Post a Comment