It doesn't matter except when it matters

[plonq]

There is a sentiment that I see expressed in some photography forums that rubs me the wrong way. Actually, there are two sentiments that annoy me.

The first is a comment that photographers (rightly) rankle over: "Wow, you take great pictures. You must have a really good camera!"

I have been on the receiving end of those, and I try not to let them bother me because I know the person means it as a compliment. When you think about it though, the sentiment is a bit insulting, because the person is crediting your camera for the pictures, rather than your eye and timing. This same person would probably not make a similar comment to the host after a delicious meal. "Wow, that food was wonderful! You must have a really good stove."

On the other side of the coin though is the sentiment that goes, "The best camera is the one in your hand." On the surface, this makes sense. It is better to have a camera in your hand when a picture presents itself than to be caught without one because you can't settle on which one is the best. Alas, it underlies the philosophy that the skill of the photographer is paramount, and the quality of the camera is irrelevant.

This is one of those canards that is trotted out by people who want to assure you that their pictures are much better than yours, not because they are using $20,000 medium-format camera bodies and lenses that cost more than your car, but because they are just that skilled. Still, if the camera is so unimportant then why are they laying out so much money? By their own logic, a <$200, 3.2 megapixel fixed-focus instamatic should be everything they ever need.

Of course the fucking camera matters. If it didn't, then people would not part with ridiculous sums of money to upgrade.

A great chef can probably prepare a very good meal with only a hotplate controlled by a toggle switch and a single aluminium pot. Give him a stocked, professional kitchen though and he can create a masterpiece. The same thing is true of cameras. Everybody will get the occasional great shots from their iPhone or instamatic, but eventually one is hobbled by the limits of the hardware, whether it can't handle low light, quick motion, or various combinations thereof.

By the way, speaking of bad photographers with shitty cameras, I broke down and installed Instagram this week. Eventually I may settle down and make an effort to take real pictures with this app, but for now I am taking douchy, Instagram stereotypes.

Comments

[tydence.livejournal.com]

I'd venture to say that the camera itself is no more capturing reality than a pencil and paper. Everyone is going to use it differently and in creative ways.. Making it an art.

As a video editor, the first question I get -without fail- is "What system do you edit with?" It's mostly being friendly and trying to make conversation, but truth is.. A cut is a cut and a fade is a fade. It really doesn't matter!

[unciaa.livejournal.com]

> The first is a comment that photographers (rightly) rankle over: "Wow, you take great pictures. You must have a really good camera!"

This sounds like the photography version of "I wish I were this talented!". Yeah, so do I, it would've saved me years of practice.

[azhdragon.livejournal.com]

An interesting correlation to this is the idea that with a superior camera, any idiot can take a noteworthy picture, or that every picture taken with said camera will be an instant masterpiece.

I saw a guy in Fiji with a Canon 7d. (cue drooling). As we were sitting behind and slightly to one side of him on a ferry, I was able to view over his shoulder as he looked at his photos of wife, child and scenery from the day.

Frankly, his pictures were no better than mine, and often not as good as mine, in terms of composition and balance and so on. As well, he had a large number of slightly blurred to completely out of focus shots. His horizons were all off true (just like mine!) and many of the ones of his child were apparently taken just as she turned her head, or looked down, or covered her face with her hand or hat or other object.

My "take home" lesson from this was that, ok, he had a great camera - one I will never be able to afford, and even if I could, my skill would never justify owning one. But as a photographer, he was certainly no better than I am. All he had was better hardware which would allow him in some cases to make judicious crops to rescue a so-so picture and make it a good one.

My second lesson was that it is always worth working on composition, framing and timing. Good shots could be great shots, if they were just composed a little better. Also, there's a reason why there's a delete function right there on the camera.

My third lesson was that if I'm going to review my day's photos, not to do it sitting where other people could look over my shoulder and make judgements about them. :-)

[mwalimu.livejournal.com]

This post reminds me of the question about which is the better compliment to give:

"That dress looks good on you."

or

"You look good in that dress."

[robin f. andersen (from livejournal.com)]

hello

[dakhun.livejournal.com]

Most people aren't deep enough to know what could be insulting 1 logical derivation removed. Let alone 2.

And some photographers don't have the funds to upgrade their equipment, therefore sour grapes abound.