Daffodils along West Cove Road
McLemore Cove, Walker County, Georgia
Olympus OM-D E-M5, Panasonic 14-140mm f3.5-5.6 II lens
In a word, no.
A good photographer can make good photographs with just about any camera. A not-so-good photographer with the very finest cameras and lenses may be able, with the help of auto-focus, auto-exposure, and a high-resolution sensor, to make photos that are sharp, well-exposed, and capable of enlargement to mural size, but if they are still bland, boring, and empty, all the technical perfection in the world will not make them good photos.
Of course, I'm not against owning excellent photo equipment. I think you should own the best cameras and lenses you can afford, because they can make the work easier. But fine equipment does not a fine photographer make. Good equipment can make it easier to express your vision, but it cannot provide that vision. Good photographs do not come out of a camera: they come out of you. Out of your heart, your soul, your mind, your total life experience.
So if you don't have the latest and greatest, don't feel you can't make excellent photographs. Most of the photographs that I consider my personal best were made on film, which is far more limiting than even the simplest digital camera.
When we lived in a house, I made a photo panel for each season to go above the fireplace in our great room. The panels were four feet wide. The Spring panel at the top of this post was made with a 16-megapixel Olympus OM-D E-M5 and a Panasonic 14-140mm lens -- a good lens, but not the sharpest in the world. But at 16x48 inches, the flowers are beautifully detailed and the panel looks great and actually dominates the room.
So, my point? Use what you have and work on developing your ability to see photographs -- which, as I have written in previous posts, is mostly about learning to notice things.
Photograph and text copyright 2021, David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week unless life gets in the way.
Soli Gloria Deo
For the glory of God alone
Hi, I appreciate your last two posts. On gear, I have collected many film cameras over the past 12 years. I have kept the ones that are special or have historic significance. In particular is an affinity for my Leica M3 since we were born in the same year 1957. What I am left with is often having a devil of a time deciding what camera to use. I know I should "simplify", but I have an attachment to many of the cameras for different reasons. When I want to shoot something special, and if the situation warrants it, hands down it is my Rolleiflex TLR. It is sublime. I have shot some of my best images with it. I have tried a written cycle of running through different cameras or brands, but am so disorganized it never is followed. All of it aside, I rummage through the collection and pick up something that piques my interest and go with it. At this point, my skills have developed to the point where I adapt to the limitations of the gear. As far as noticing things, my interest in photography began after my daughter died from the swine flu in 2009. I needed an outlet to free the mind from the incredible stress. I picked up a Nikon D 40 and have not looked back. That camera saved my life. I used that camera recently and it still produces good imagery. What changed since 2009 is my technical ability (from copious practice) and more importantly, the exact trait you describe. Awareness and the ability to see. From the work and practice I also gained the understanding of how to translate intent to a photograph. Thanks for the great posts, they made me stop and think. Louis.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your excellent comment, Louis. Very sorry to hear about your daughter.
ReplyDeleteDave