March 31, 2007
It’s About The Art
All too often photographers get caught up in the equipment we own instead of
the images we make. I include myself in this statement as it has happened to
me. Back in the day, the 70’s and 80’s, I used a 4x5 view camera with three
lenses, two light meters, a big tripod and a pile of film holders. That was it, no
frills or advanced technology there. I was making photographs pretty much the
same way they did back in the 1800’s .……. ahhh the good old days.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Today we have so much hi-tech equipment to
choose from that it is easy to get lost in the equipment jungle. Now I’m not
saying that all this technology is bad, but it is easy to get caught up in the “next
best thing” syndrome. At the Nikonians website they even have a name for it,
NAS - Nikon Acquisition Syndrome. I’m sure that Canon users have a similar
malady. Is all of this stuff a good thing? It is as long as we keep it in
perspective and within the boundaries of our chosen photographic venue. As an
example, I shoot landscapes, architecture and some street photography. I don’t
need a 600mm f/2.8 super duper telephoto lens, nor do I need the latest and
greatest flash system. These two things don’t fit my needs to make the art that
I make.
In the not so distant past I got caught up in NAS too. This happened when I
switched to digital and it was all new and cool. I have bought, sold, horse
traded, re-bought and re-sold more equipment than I care to say. At one time I
had three lenses that covered the 180mm focal length and the same thing at
35mm. Now is this crazy or what? Then, one day I woke up and realized that I
make fine art photographs and I sure didn’t need all these lenses. It’s about
my art, not about how much cool equipment I can own. I put equipment
into two categories, the “I need to own” and the “I want to own”. The “I want to
own” equipment has been sold.
Camera’s and lenses are the tools we use to create the kind of photographs we
want to make. What you own depends on what you do. We are no different
than a painter or sculptor, we all have tools of the trade. It is what we do with
these tools that really matters. To date no camera maker has made a camera
with the Ansel Adams mode, but give them time. What we have to remember is
that it is about the final image, whether it is a fine art print or a commercial
photograph for a client. I have never had a customer buy a print and ask how
many lenses I own. The customer doesn’t care if you shot the image with a
85mm f/1.4 prime, or a 18-200mm consumer lens or a 70-200mm pro lens.
The customer is buying the art, they don’t care about technical details. Save
your money and buy only what you need, and use what you saved to attend a
workshop or buy a book about your favorite photographer.
It’s all about the art.