Do You Really Believe Its The Photographer And Not The Equipment: Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter;...

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter; its the photographer.

Then one has to ask, how many cameras, lenses, flashes, accessories, etc., do you have? Or what cameras or equipment do you lust after?

I think the evidence suggests that gear does matter, although it may not be most important. A skilled lumberjack with an axe will not compete with a man/woman who knows how to use a chain saw.

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

joer wrote:

Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter; its the photographer.

Then one has to ask, how many cameras, lenses, flashes, accessories, etc., do you have? Or what cameras or equipment do you lust after?

I think the evidence suggests that gear does matter, although it may not be most important. A skilled lumberjack with an axe will not compete with a man/woman who knows how to use a chain saw.

I am an amateur; but I believe it is both the Photographer and the equipment. Then again, the best equipment in the world will not fix photographs from someone who doesn't know how to use the equipment.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Photography is a technical art. Knowledge, experience, equipment, and skill are all important. So is the condition of the equipment.

Watch a lumberjack competition. Skill and proficiency must be demonstrated with an array of equipment under a range of circumstances. And their chain saws aren't "straight out of the box" either. They are top of the line, specially tuned, and meticulously maintained.

I've written here before about the danger photographers face around being "one trick ponies or "one hit wonders." The best are also flexible and versatile with whatever equipment they have. Not tied to it or limited by it. (And of course there are those cases where some equipment is simply not capable of doing the required job, requiring a change.)

Bazbo Loc: Lisboa, Portugal

joer wrote:

Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter; its the photographer.

Then one has to ask, how many cameras, lenses, flashes, accessories, etc., do you have? Or what cameras or equipment do you lust after?

I think the evidence suggests that gear does matter, although it may not be most important. A skilled lumberjack with an axe will not compete with a man/woman who knows how to use a chain saw.

Agree. Tools matter. A master craftsman with good tools will produce a better product than a master craftsman with inferior tools.

Of course, a master craftsman with inferior tools is still better than a novice with good tools.

nikonnate Loc: Woodbury MN

I have 1 really nice DSLR body, which I got for noise handling over my T5i, and 2 lenses - a good macro and a basic 50mm f1.8 which is just above the bottom for Nikon's lineup.

I won an award last night for a photo I took a while ago (https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-586873-1.html) after hardly knowing what I was doing with the camera. Turned out it was kind of dumb luck that I did as well as I did, but the post-processing was very helpful in this case (again, kinda dumb luck).

An Average Joe driving a Ferrari is probably going to beat a NASCAR driver driving a Prius around a racetrack. That said, the Average Joe probably doesn't fully understand what his rig is capable of, therefore putting Average Joe and Pro Driver in the same model of car on the same track is going to show you who really knows what they're doing, and they're going to make it look easy relative to the guy struggling.

dick ranez

A camera is a tool and every tool has limitations. Working within those limitations is the worker's challenge and also to push those limitations. The further the limitations can be pushed is a measurement of the difference between the journeyman and the craftsman. Additional tools may help but vision and skill are still the basic requirement for implementation. How many "hammers" I happen to have is not an indicator of how well I can strike a nail.

BebuLamar

If you take good pictures you have good camera/cameras I don't know if it's the photographer or the camera. However, if you see 100 people who take good pictures the majority of them have good camera.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

Since I'm new to photography I can't answer from that point of view.

But as a semi-pro drummer, I have two kits. One is an entry level ($500'ish) drumset and the other is a high-end ($4,000) set. My skill level and sound doesn't change much from set to set as my skill level of 30+ years is very consistent. But I do enjoy the higher end set more, so I may play with more excitement and enthusiasm. But the technical portion of the performance doesn't get better with higher end gear.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

joer wrote:

Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter; its the photographer.

Then one has to ask, how many cameras, lenses, flashes, accessories, etc., do you have? Or what cameras or equipment do you lust after?

I think the evidence suggests that gear does matter, although it may not be most important. A skilled lumberjack with an axe will not compete with a man/woman who knows how to use a chain saw.

IMHO, photography is an art. As such, an artist must be inspired to create beauty. When I use my Pro-caliber Nikon gear, I am inspired and I think that comes through in my images. When I have used lesser-caliber cameras/gear/whatever, I feel that my "art" suffers. Kinda like Yogi said about baseball; photography "is 90% physical. The other half is mental."

le boecere

joer wrote:

Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter; its the photographer.

Then one has to ask, how many cameras, lenses, flashes, accessories, etc., do you have? Or what cameras or equipment do you lust after?

I think the evidence suggests that gear does matter, although it may not be most important. A skilled lumberjack with an axe will not compete with a man/woman who knows how to use a chain saw.

Of course we don't. If we did we'd practice what we preach and keep using our 50-year-old cameras.

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

joer wrote:

Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter; its the photographer.

Then one has to ask, how many cameras, lenses, flashes, accessories, etc., do you have? Or what cameras or equipment do you lust after?

I think the evidence suggests that gear does matter, although it may not be most important. A skilled lumberjack with an axe will not compete with a man/woman who knows how to use a chain saw.

I think we can honestly say that a large majority of users on this forum, especially me, have never exhausted all the capabilities of any camera they have ever owned... The lust for new equipment comes from a denial of our own capabilities and the idea, conscious or unconscious, that the latest and greatest will improve our images. Go back and look at your favorite images; I would be willing to wager that the majority did not come from your newest purchases. Sometimes I think I have become more collector than photographer.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your attitude will go a long way toward determining your success. Or, you can buy a new camera.

chevman Loc: Matthews, North Carolina

MrBob wrote:

I think we can honestly say that a large majority ... (show quote)

Collecting, is fun!

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

CHG_CANON wrote:

Your attitude will go a long way toward determining your success. Or, you can buy a new camera.

Love your wit!

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

joer wrote:

Mostly what one hears from photographers, i.e., pro, enthusiast and neophytes, is that the equipment doesn't matter; its the photographer.

Then one has to ask, how many cameras, lenses, flashes, accessories, etc., do you have? Or what cameras or equipment do you lust after?

I think the evidence suggests that gear does matter, although it may not be most important. A skilled lumberjack with an axe will not compete with a man/woman who knows how to use a chain saw.

Does owning expensive, high quality art supplies make one a good artist?

What is important is that the photographer knows how to use and get the most out of the gear he/she has, and also has a certain amount of artistic vision. If you don't have that, you have nothing. Adding more lenses, flashes, cameras, etc. isn't really going to help.... even if it feels like it does.