CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Improvement begins with I, not $.

Josephakraig

_______________________________________________________________________________
Ansel Adams work is thrown around a lot. While it is true he obviously had an "eye" for an interesting image and we have seen many of those images, we don't however have them in our homes today because many of us in this forum have or are learning to have just as good an eye. With a good eye today and even low cost equipment available today we can out perform Ansel Adams without breaking a sweat. We are not limited to a 50mm lens, we are not limited to the grain of low speed black and white film. I can take dramatic pictures that hold your attention with deep colors even in the shadows. I'm convinced that if Ansel Adams could be here today he would have a high priced digital camera as his workhorse.

Part of the allure of Ansel Adams was his venturing into the Great wide open American spaces in the west. If one of us were to post a picture identical to one of his we would be laughed off the site. Many of us have taken images from the same vantage point as the great Ansel Adams and have much more spectacular images, images that we are proud to display on the walls of our homes.

Photography has come a long way since Ansel Adams took the trouble to lug his equipment into the wilderness and show us what was there.

It is a little silly to not be impressed with what our modern photography equipment can do. Today anybody with even a modicum of talent for selecting a good photographic subject can create a memorable image using relatively inexpensive equipment that Ansel Adams would love to have had.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

LOL - I think you're over-subscribing the physical abilities of the UHH community and a willingness to get out and away from the parking lot to captures such landscape images as Adams is known for. The reality is that anything within 500 meters of the car is rarely worth even turning on the camera.

BebuLamar

But Adams often shoot from the top of his car too. He didn't always use his burro.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Exactly.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Interesting examples. But do be aware Eddie Van Halen preferred cheap homemade guitars that were not considered very good by other guitarists. But he got the sound he wanted.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Yes, otherwise it would only be a photo gallery.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Part of what she says makes sense. Gear can definitely make a difference, BUT, the eye is part of the equation as well. There is the rare individual who can take almost any photo with almost any camera and it come it comes out very well because that individual has a great eye for a great photo op. Some can have the best equipment and have a so-so picture. Somewhere there is the sweet spot between “how much is it due to the eye and how much to the equipment”. I do not profess to be a great judge of photos, but I have seen judges rave about a particular photo & I just don’t get it, or I do. It’s a combination of a good eye, good equipment, and a good eye for what makes a good photo. Just my thoughts.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Have you ever looked at an out of focus image and thought, "too bad, they really screwed that one up?"

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I get what you’re saying, but it’s an oversimplification. Even if you have a great eye, not all gear is capable of achieving your vision.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

There is also a matter of learning good technique. A good eye and good equipment are not enough unless you learn to get the best from the equipment.

Canisdirus

Few and very far between...a statistical anomaly is not realistic.

Gear can definitely limit you...

If you don't care about doing your best...don't spend the coin...pretty simple.

But don't fool yourself into believing it doesn't make it more difficult.

You could still use a 486 computer...and some folks out there still do...but they aren't competing with that hardware either.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

For that a burrito would work just as well.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

It is, and never was necessary to use the “best” equipment to make fantastic, memorable images. And it never will be.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The whole point of owning a camera with the most megapixels is that you don’t have to explain things with words.