Still wondering what it is. Well, it’s the photographers' camera.
A lot of people presume that a good camera makes a good photographer. It’s understandable with the amount of consumer advertising that has conditioned us to believe that the latest and the biggest are the best.
I still haven’t found the technique, composition and experience settings even on the most modern cameras and the reason is they can’t be programmed in.
The most important piece of the camera without question is the operator.
In my early days of photography, I heard a story about a famous photographer in Scotland called Trevor Yerbury who was approached by the manufacturer of the camera that he used and asked if he wanted to be sponsored by them. Part of the deal was that he had to use the latest camera which he refused to do because he knew his present camera inside out.
I took his advice on board and also stuck with the same camera for 5 years which meant I had to learn how my camera operated inside out. I found it’s weaknesses and then developed the necessary techniques and skills to turn those into strengths which is where I developed my lighting skills.
What are the key takeaways from this:
- Don’t look at the camera that the photographer has with a shinny beads mentality and remember that a good camera does not mean a good photographer!
- It’s only a tool and you need to focus on the results that the operator can produce with it.
- A camera does not know how to arrange a group shot!