Why your photo gear matters
And why it doesn’t at all.
If I had to count the hours I have spent watching online photography gear reviews, I could draw 2 conclusions:
I need to spend more time out taking photos rather than watching others take them.
I just love photography, so much so that I enjoy watching others practice and talk about it.
I think that in reality, both of these are true. I love taking photos, I love watching others take photos, and I love the cameras, lenses and accessories we use to capture these special moments in our lives.
The Rocks: Sunshine Coast, AUS
But when I look at my camera collection, I realise something quite profound. The photography equipment that I take the best photos with is nearly always the equipment that is the least expensive and, as a result, more expendable. When I catch myself drooling over that >$3000 Leica or Contax, I remind myself of how the expensive equipment can sometimes limit me creatively and force me to take the less adventurous route in capturing images.
Anchorage: Whitsunday Islands, AUS
In reality, I am guilty of owning photography equipment that does more for me as a collectors item or fancy paperweight than an actual picture making device. I think that is OK ; not all cameras work as well as they used to, nor keep up with the modern standards of photography.
The reality, however, is that the gear I care less about often gets me my best photos. They are the cameras that I worry less about breaking and, consequentially, they are the ones I have on me most often. They are the cameras most likely to find themselves in the rain, near the ocean or in any of the more extreme environments I would hesitate to take my collectible items. In many ways, I use these cameras most closely to how their manufacturers surely intended them to be used, and that should make any photographer glad.
My Canon New F-1, a workhorse within my collection.
The world renowned wildlife photographer David Yarrow makes an inspiring statement on this subject, and for those of you who are not familiar with his work or his methods, I recommend watching a YouTube video or two about him (see link below). I think David is correct when he says:
“A camera is just a piece of metal. A camera is just the way into your heart … photography is not about a camera, it is about you.” David Yarrow
I have come to realise that for me, equipment that I can use without thinking about it gets me my best images. The cameras that are not considered special, are in fact the most special to me.
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