abby Loc: Tampa, Florida

Hello all. I am new to UHH and am sure this topic has been well-covered in the past: "you don't need expensive equipment to take good photos". It seems I continue to debate my fellow local photographers concerning this and they SAY they agree with me but every other week they are buying more expensive cameras and lenses.

I shoot with a 'middle-grade' Nikon dSLR and have taken some pretty decent pictures - but only after I had read the owners manual cover-to-cover a couple of times. I would recommend to everyone who has either a point and shoot or a professional grade camera that before upgrading to the newest and latest thing, that you understand everything your present camera will do for you.

Some of the best pictures I have ever seen were black and white photos from the film cameras of the 1930's.

Personally, I believe composition is the key. To illustrate this, below are 3 photos I took with my I PHONE. First photo is typical tourist shot. Second is a bit better and the third shows a more "artsy" aspect of this ship. Not that any of these are great pictures but the photographers perspective is key - more so than the most expensive camera or lens.

I would like to hear what others think about this - sorry if this topic is redundant.

Tourist shot


Not bad


Photographer's perspective

RaydancePhoto

I agree. I have a friend that has a 50.00 p/s camera and he takes wonderful photos, better than most I have seen on this board. His pics are stunning. Of course he does some PP.

ggiaphotos Loc: Iowa

I like the second one the best, I Phone makes a good pix, your composition makes the photo pleasing.

G.Feduccia Loc: Paradise in Florida Panhandle

Great pics! Yeah, even the lessor cameras and cell phones can take wonderful pictures! It all depends upon the composition and creative mind of the viewer and picture taker.

abby Loc: Tampa, Florida

I agree - phones can take some good pictures but don't sell your camera quite yet!

ebaribeault Loc: Baltimore

Nice photos of Baltimores inner harbour. I agree with you it is the photographers eye that is the difference from oh hum and wow

abby Loc: Tampa, Florida

So you've seen the ship before! Great city.

gonate Loc: sacramento,calif

Yes Ebar you are so right.

shadow1284 Loc: Mid-West Michigan

You do if you want more than you can get with the equipment you currently own. There are limits to what any piece of equipment can do. The reason we spend our money on more and better camera equipment is that we want to get more and better results for our efforts. A kodak
110 can and has taken great photos but I believe a 50mp
Hasselblad View camera could produce pictures that most of us could ony dream of producing with our equipment. JMO.

gym Loc: Athens, Georgia

Both are correct. A good photographer can take exceptional photos with less than average equipment. But that same good photographer can take better and better photos with increasingly better equipment.

Otherwise, Ansel Adams would have never used anything but his Kodak Box Brownie.

abby Loc: Tampa, Florida

Exactly the kind of feedback I wanted!

Let me know when you get the Hasselblad ( if you don't already have it ).

The point of the post was to hopefully inspire everyone to learn their present cameras capabilities inside and out. Once they have done that and understand aperture, light metering, various focus modes, composition, etc. and they still want more - go for it - I love medium/large format photography!

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

You make a good point, Abby, and it's very well illustrated, too.
On the other hand, some people just like to keep buying new equipment, and there's nothing wrong with that, if they just like doing it. If they think they will produce superior work simply by changing gear, they're probably mistaken, though it does happen once in awhile.
I've known people who always had to have the latest and greatest camera, but when faced with a photo-op they didn't know which button to push! Luckily, they were still having fun, so it's okay.
For me, my brain is the limitation, and that's plenty to deal with!
Good topic, Abby, thanks for posting!

Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

First vrey nice shots with your I-phone. Next the lust for bigger and better keeps the camera makers in buisnes. We also have to have the best so we can pat ourselves on the back and make others envieous. The person makes the shot the camera no matter how expensive only assit us in our passion.

glojo Loc: South Devon, England

Surely it is all about the freedom of choice. If someone can afford an expensive DSLR and a very nice lens to go with it, why on earth should they start off with a basic model and cheap lens?

Give a good photographer a cheap DSLR and the cheapest of lens and let them take a picture of perhaps a bird having a bath (preferably the winged variety and then give that person a top of the range camera with a top of the range lens and I guarantee we will all see the difference and could easily point out what camera took what image and I would guess the same would be said if we gave the same equipment to a competent photographer, so I am in the camp that suggests better equipment gives us the opportunity to take better images and sadly a cheap lens cannot compete against the expensive option under certain conditions.

ebaribeault Loc: Baltimore

I have no doubt the better the glass the better the photo. A great photo has three main characteristics great lighting, great composition, and interesting subject. Yes cheap equipment versus top of the line equipment of a brick wall we would all tell the difference