“But, I thought you said…”
You’re right. I did.
I’m talking about something else now, however.
Good photography is very often confused by many to be one part photographer and one part camera. It’s not, and if anything it’s really all about the photographer.
In the same way that no one told Pavarotti that he had a magnificent microphone and acoustical auditoria, good photography is about the photographer and not the camera he or she uses to create pictures.
The camera is an enabler. It’s a tool by which photographers express their creative vision. And it’s that creative vision that leads to good images, and not about whether you have the latest and greatest camera, or a continuation of playground my-lens-is-bigger-than-your-lens antics.
This also means that the camera can be a disabler. There will be times when a photographer will be hamstrung by their equipment. I’m not pretending that it doesn’t happen, because it does. There will come a point in time when a photographer visualises something, but just doesn’t have the lens for it. But the key element of the equation is the visualisation; if the photographer doesn’t visualise it then the image will never be created, regardless of the size of the kit bag.
Yet the very technical nature of photography frequently leads to the misconception about the importance of the technology. People frequently exclaim, “that’s a great picture,” and then spoil it with, “what camera did you use?”
Computers are a brilliant piece of technology, but they only help you write a blog, not a interesting blog.
What makes a professional better than John Smith with his little point and shoot is not the fact that the professional’s camera is better than Mr Smith’s. It’s because the professional knows how to compose, how to use the light, how to put a subject at ease.
Since moving into weddings, I’ve found that a lot of couples choose photographers primarily on price. Some will have a (low) minimum standard they require, but primarily it’s about finding the cheapest. Far be it from me to quibble with the demands of a finite bank balance, but this methodology is upside down. Have a maximum budget that you can spend (low if necessary), but then find the best possible photographer you can for that money.
At the end of the day, no one would pay to hear me sing at the Royal Albert Hall. Pavarotti down the local karaoke would have been quite something.
Rest in peace, Luciano.
