I always believe that the camera is a tool and should be as seamless as possible. The more transparent the camera is, the easier it could help us tell stories. However, the reality is that most photographers do not think about this very much. There are plenty of photographers who continually chase the latest and greatest gear, thinking that “if only” they had a sharper lens, or a faster camera, or any other number of reasons – that their photography would improve by leaps and bounds. Of course, we all know that this simply is not true. In fact, photographers are often split into two main camps, 1) those who always upgrade to the latest equipment and are gadgeteers at heart, and 2) those who are spellbound by the art of photography so much that they rarely seek out reasons to upgrade their equipment.
While we all love shiny new gear and better equipment can make our lives easier, they should by no means be the focus. This does not mean to skimp on good equipment. It simply means that the energy is best invested in creating art with photography. Just like money, time is a currency, and is arguably even more valuable as it just so easily trickles away, never to be replenished again. Undoubtedly, we could all choose to invest the currency of time in producing better photography. Gone are the days when photography is a slow, drawn out process that requires tripods and long exposure times. Creating art with photography is an intentional process requiring technique and creativity in spades. At the end of the day, the camera is just the tool that photographers use to tell stories. Similarly, writers rely on the pen and painters on their brush. To draw some parallels with photography, it would be silly to think that a better pen would create better writing. The only time that such would be true is if the writing is judged simply on its aesthetics and not at all on the ideas and stories created by the author. Now, that would be something else entirely!
Late last year, I was invited by Fuji X Passion magazine to write an article of interest, and in it, I explored the true meaning of photographs. The story was published in issue #18 of the magazine where I decided to completely omit the camera settings used for each of the photos so that readers could adopt a similar mindset. That’s a long, drawn out story for another time though. For now, I hope you gathered a newfound inspiration for crafting your next photography project! So go out there, experiment, talk to other artists, and try out different creative ideas for your photography. Know that your equipment is not the limitation and be dedicated to the craft. I promise you that your photography will improve by leaps and bounds!