Why Gear Doesn't Matter

Taken with an iPhone 6

"That's a great photo! What kind of camera did you use?"

 If you have been photographing long enough, you will have undoubtedly heard that question before. It's a very common idea among people that nice cameras always produce nice pictures. In fact, one of the most often situations I find among beginning photographers is that they just spend a ton of money on a shiny-new DSLR and are still running into difficulty getting "nice pictures" with it.

Unfortunately, today's camera marketing and our typical american consumerism would like to tell you that buying newer gear or more gear will help you improve. That's just a bold-faced lie. Taking better images has nothing to do with gear. In fact, sometimes newer gear can make your photos WORSE because of the sheer amount of features that can overwhelm a new photographer. 

The following list are a few tips that I have for someone who is caught up in this idea:

1. A good photographer can take good photos with just about anything. Just consider the fact that some of the most legendary photos that exist today were made with cameras and lenses that you can find today in most pawn shops or even garage sales.

2. Taking time to learn what good photography looks like and education in this area will have a much more profound effect on your images than any camera or lens that you can buy. In other words, taking a photography class, buying a book, or watching a video on photography are often cheaper and better roads that can lead you to better pictures.

3. "Gear is good. Vision is better"-David DuChemin. Don't mistake this post for saying that new equipment isn't a good thing. I, as well as most people get very excited about the latest and greatest when it comes to cameras and lenses and software, etc. However, when someone begins to RELY on their gear to make their photos better, then they have lost what makes photography truly great...the person behind the camera. 

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