As I continue my journey on photography, I am always learning new things. Not just the technical jargon and technicalities of using the equipment, but perhaps other revelations as well. Photography has taught me to look for details of interest, to take a view from a different angle – see things differently, and even to work with limitations imposed by situations beyond your control.
A lot of times, I look at a picture that I just snapped using my new Nikon D90, and wondered to myself that my old Canon Powershot G7 could have produced the same results. It can be rather frustrating, that the limitation actually lies in the mind, and not the technology. I suppose life’s education process is a cycle of initial learning curve, followed by a spark of enlightenment, where you have to cross a boundary and thus hit that “Eureka!” button.
Greg Schmigel’s iPhone Photography on his Just What I See site, exhibits that very fact that it is the man behind the camera, and not the camera. I am inspired by Greg’s keen ability to pick the details, and turn ordinary situations into beautiful, memorable images. Images that you and I may probably overlook in our everyday lives. I have much to learn from him.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
True, it’s never about the same gear.
There are a few persons that I know, one of who is a semi-professional. I am sorry despite the expensive gear that they have, their shots are often unimaginative. They may think that they ‘know’ the rules but I see poorly composed shots.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Agreed. Give the best in class camera to a novice and you may not get much from it. Give a point-and-shoot to a great photographer and you will get some astonishing results.
But give a best in class camera to a great photographer and you will certainly see some legendary photos being made.
Jason and I used to debate over what guitars to get for enthusiasts. And we have come to a conclusion that to be acceptable at a certain level in order for public consumption, the gears have to be of a certain standard as well.
Some thoughts to share.
January 18th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
CSC, yes a lot of us can study the composition rules, yet fail to see certain aspects that brings that additional wow factor to the end product. Perhaps the shot is taken from the wrong angle, perhaps it is missing leading lines, or it needs a tighter crop to filter off distractions in the background.
Wilfrid, yes I agree that the gear is important for the 99.9% of us. There is just that extra something in the man (or woman) behind that lens that is required to see the potential of a scene or subject, and translate that to a great photo.