"Is it the equipment?" story that strikes home

[farlymac]

My philosophy on camera gear is if I can afford it, I'll buy the good stuff. Since I don't make a living at photography, I'm under no pressure to produce results, or to have a decent ROI. But I like to think I can get decent photos from what ever I'm using, unless it's just physically impossible. A crappy camera is, after all, not going to get better no matter what technique is used.

There are cameras that I have lusted after over the years, only to find out they are an ergonomic nightmare to operate. And then there are the little surprizes along the way that get me interested in the other models of the line, so I seek them out. I'll never find the best camera for my use, as I have as many ways to want to shoot, as there are different cameras.

I did rebuild my first camera outfit out of nostalgia sake. And reminded myself at the same time why I got rid of it in the first place. But it will look sharp in the future display case it will reside in when I get a larger place to live. I took some decent shots with that outfit when I first owned one, and the test roll I shot 40 years later didn't come out too bad either. Would have looked a lot better with good lenses though. And the camera is such a bear to work with, and change lenses on (why I traded it for a bayonet mount system). But early on, I knew I could do good work with a camera, and others told me so too. I just took a different path to where I am now than the guy using the famous name. Military duty tends to get in the way of things, and after that little episode, it was a long time before I got interested in even owning a camera again. By then, I had started a career job, and just couldn't seperate myself from that to do photography full time, though I gave it a go a couple of times.

As I look over my old photos, I see where I could have done better by using a different film, or format, and sometimes better equipment. I see the technical mistakes I made along the way, but for the most part, I'm not embarrassed by what I've shot over the years. I just never made much money at it. But I still have fun discovering good cameras to shoot, and new-to-me techniques to use. One should always strive to improve.

PF

 

[jordanstarr]

The big problem with all of this is the subjective narrative of "better" or "good" or whatever. I know I can make a 35mm pinhole camera out of a matchbox that can potentially take "better" photographs than an M9 with an FLE 35mm Summilux for $15,000+. But what is the point in trying to convince it either way? Great photographs have a narrative that is so beyond the topic of gear it makes photographic forums (like this one) obsolete unless the entire concept is to expand creative expression.

 

[Richard G]

If I look back 40 years at my images since I started shooting, over that time the four great leaps forward were taking pictures of friends and family in my late teens and twenties with a Leica and fast (400 ASA!) film and fast lenses; a holiday to Italy in my mid 20s when I saw a lot of things photographically, almost certainly underpinned by having looked at a lot of photographs up to then and having by then an appreciation of different light and there in Italy, getting that light; and the last four years coming first to photo.net and then RFF more importantly; and this year frequenting the gallery, looking at all the pictures there, putting some of mine up and looking always at more pictures and taking more pictures. I have a few old cameras but don't need to shoot my new Rolleiflex to know that it too could deliver a lovely picture like one or two I took in my 20s, just as the iPhone can too. And I agree with Roger about doing better with a camera I like, and with the others, a camera that gets out of the way.