I admit it, I enjoy geeking out on gear reviews on YouTube and have been doing that quite a bit during this quarantine. Camera gear interests me and seeing the latest camera technology and lenses reviewed by entertaining personalities is fun. But it brings up a topic that I feel is important to remember when thinking about photography as a whole. Ultimately, it’s not the gear that makes memorable images but the photographer.
At the bottom of this blog entry are three images. Each photo was taken with a different camera and two different brands. I used my first digital camera for nine years before finally upgrading. In 2007 I purchased the Nikon d40x and loved using that camera for everything! Of course, buying the top of the line lenses will make a difference in the quality of your images when compared to the kit lenses, but ultimately the images we capture are meaningful to us because of the emotions they evoke in us as a photographer and the viewers who enjoy them. Thinking of past customers who have purchased a print or clients who have received wedding photos, I can’t remember anyone saying to me, ‘I’d love that image you took but was that taken with a 10mp sensor and not a 24mp one?’ No, people connect with your art because of the emotion it evokes within them, not because you have x amount of megapixels or a G Master lens. Cameras are tools that we use to capture special moments forever, and it’s those moments that provide meaning.
Recently someone made a comment on my Instagram post saying that because of the color, I must be shooting with a Nikon camera. The truth is that I did shoot with Nikon DSLRs for ten years before switching to the Sony mirrorless system in 2017. That particular image was shot with my Sony camera which shows that the viewer can’t tell the difference what camera I’m using. I think the most important thing photographers can do is to just take images and continue searching for those moments that inspire and convey that emotion that we feel we want to be communicated in an outward way. You don’t need a full frame camera or an expensive lens to take impactful images. So many people think that if they just had this camera or lens then they could finally start creating the work they always wanted to but the reality is that practicing and learning will take you farther than any gear will, however expensive it may be.
When I look at the three images in this post, I don’t see a beginner Nikon DSLR, prosumer Nikon DSLR, or full frame Sony mirrorless camera. I see three memories and moments that bring me joy because I used the tool that I had in that moment to capture images that convey those feelings of being in those moments.
