Why yes I do thank you very much. I actually have a few of them. But allow me to let you in on a little secret – the camera can’t do a thing without a photographer behind the lens that knows how to use it.
I took a picture recently at a college recital, from the back of the room, with my iPhone that was met with rave reviews. I adjusted the exposure, framed the shot creatively, and knew just how to do some image editing to make the image really nice, and it was just a camera phone.
A few weeks ago I was photographing one of the Easter services at Eagle Brook church. I was chatting with a “new photographer” who spotted me walk in with my case. As we were visiting, I opened my case to get setup with the camera bodies and lenses I was going to be using. As my case opened, this new photographer was shocked by the array of lenses, flashes and accessories I had neatly packed in my very efficiently designed case. The question that got to me was this “wow, do you really need all this gear?”
The answer is yes, and no. For any given exposure, I only need one camera, one lens. The mark of a true professional is to be armed with the experience, and knowledge to know when and how to the gear on hand.
I enjoyed watching the Masters Golf tournament this year. I could buy the same driver that Masters Champion Bubba Watson used to win in a playoff, but no one would expect my results to be the same as what Bubba can do with the same exact tool.
Cameras are no different. While a horrible golfer, can get lucky a bounce a shot off a tree into the hole for a hole in one, anyone can get lucky and get a great shot, with a variety of cameras, but the key is to be able to create great images in all situations. I observe photographers out and about that clearly have no idea what their “really nice camera” is doing, and sadly, their results speak for themselves.
The many years I spent using Hasselblad Medium Format cameras, clearly separated me as a professional, and most people noticed not only how different the camera looked from theirs, but also how much better the images were I created.
While the lines have blurred with a rapid increase in the number of DSLR models and features, one this will never change. The camera is just a tool.
Call me at 651-426-0232 to discuss just how you CAN Experience, Experience!
Thanks for stopping by the blog, time to pack up and go photograph a wedding.
Barry
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