Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still”— Dorothea Lange
Would newer, better equipment improve my photographs? I get that very question from time to time from readers of my books and these blog posts and would like to share my response in case anyone might have a similar one. Please keep in mind that this is not the answer but is just one answer and it’s my answer. Feel free to ask other photographers what their opinions on this topic are and when all is said and done, make up your own mind based on the kind of photographs you like to make.
Big Question; Some Suggestions
The short (and truthful) answer to the above question is, sadly, maybe it will but maybe it won’t. Ultimately it’s the photographer who makes the picture, not the camera. The most important photographic accessory you can have is the one between your ears. That’s why I think that the best thing you can do is…
How I Made this Photograph: Regular readers know one of my favorite places to test new cameras is to photograph the gazebo at O’Brien Park in Parker, Colorado and I went there near the end of a snowy day. For this shot, I used a Canon EOS 80D and EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens at 19mm. As I shot the light began to grow muddy and I so made this shot using the 3EV setting for the camera’s Standard Art HDR mode, which then assembles three images in camera to produce the result you see here. Nominal exposure was 1/500 sec at f/5 and ISO 400.
- Practice, practice and practice. If you can, make a picture every day; that’s actually harder to do than it sounds but at least give it a try.
- Don’t chase perfection, instead work on gradual and incremental improvements in the way you make photographs and how they look—to you. Don’t worry about making mistakes because that’s how we all learn and be prepared to discover that some mistakes will give you ideas that will lead to creating more interesting photographs.
- Don’t be afraid of trying a new, different photography genre. Tackle a subject you think is hard (but maybe really isn’t) such as macro photography or infrared photography. or maybe even pinhole photography. To me street photography is a challenge,
- Be budget minded: When trying something new don’t look at the most expensive ways to accomplish these things; instead look at the cheapest ways, such as using on-camera IR filters for infrared or close-up filters for macro photography. There’s time later to spend money when you realize this is something you want to pursue further.
- If you want new gear consider purchasing used and demo equipment. After all, you’re going to use it anyway not wrap it up and kiss it goodnight. You can purchase used gear from eBay, Craig’s List or friends and I’ve have great experiences with KEH.
If it doesn’t sound too self serving, please visit this blog from time to time. It has many tips with different themes that appear each day of the week. There are hundreds of posts here as well what you might find on my YouTube channel—Joe Farace’s Videos—including podcasts featuring Barry Staver and myself. I’m sure you’ll find something here or there that might grab your attention.
I’m always glad to answer questions from readers; just click the Contact button above and drop me a note. I promise to get back to you quickly.
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Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography that’s available from Amazon for $21.50 with used copies starting around eight bucks., as I write this. No Kindle version is available, sorry.