It's the camera that makes the difference, not the photographer.

It's the camera that makes the difference, not the photographer.

On my last post I cited Nikon's tag line "Anyone can take amazing digital pictures with a Nikon in their hand". Another photographer was quoted "The camera has nothing to do with the outcome & great photography lies in the skill of the photographer." So which is it? The camera or the photographer?

I believe years ago, back before the digital era this question was simple, the photographer made the difference. In this new digital era, camera manufacturers will tell you that with the technology today anyone can take a great picture but how true is that? But like any tool, if you don't know how to use it properly nothing else matters. For example, give me a canvas & oil paints, simple directions, & have me paint a mountain scene. I might do a half way decent job but it won't compare to that of someone who does this for a living who has the true skill & talent to do it. You can give me the most expensive brushes & the best paint & the best canvas but it won't change the outcome. With practice, I might get a little better but it still won't compare to that of a professional artist. The professional artist will know how to use the oil paints and different techniques that I simply don't have a clue about.

Let's look at another comparison, web design. Technology has made it easier than ever to create your own web site. Many companies help make it easier to design personal pages etc. Let's say you have Dreamweaver, a web design software. You study it a bit & can design a basic site. Will the person who has the education/experience be able to design the site better? Of course. Why? They know how to use the software.

Photography is no different than any other art or skill. I can give someone my equipment and tell them to go take pictures. Give them instructions on how to use the equipment & I guarantee you that the results might be OK but it won't compare to what I can do. A wedding I did back in November the formal portraits were being accomplished outside under an overcast sky. Easy shooting conditions for me and of course there were people all around taking pictures of the formal portraits I was doing. When I went to drop off the couple's CD of images she was showing me these pictures. To be completely honest, I thought the pictures that everyone else was taking will look just as good as mine since some of them had really nice cameras & we weren't in tricky lighting conditions, right? WRONG!! The bride was just amazed at how much better my images were than all the others! Why? Because I know how to use my equipment.

This concept is very simple, the tool is only as good as the person holding the tool. But the artist is only as good as their tools. You give me a crappy digital camera & I will make the best possible pictures with the limitations of the equipment. Will my pictures look better still on that camera than the Uncle Sam? Probably. Any photographer will tell you, equipment selection, especially in this digital era, is extremely important. One reason why when you see me at a wedding, I have at least $3,000 worth of equipment hanging around my neck & I'm looking to upgrade my system to have even more than that!! Some photographers will easily have $10,000 to $15,000 worth of equipment around their necks to photograph a wedding. Hard to believe? No, not when you look at some camera bodies cost $5,000 & then you need to spend at least $1,500 for a lens! One may say that you don't need to spend that much and the cheaper DSLR's are just as good. Well, let's take a look. The below images come from a site I referance frequently when making equipment purchases. It's called Digital Photography Review and you can access it by going to www.dpreview.com. Now one must remember, the below pictures are ones taken by a professional photographer

The first image is actually the general layout of their testing:


Art is not dead in photography!!! Let's not forget that not only do you hire a photographer for their skill but for their artistry as well. This digital era has seemed to take the artistry out of photography but to those who are skilled it actually added a whole new dimension to it. Take the artist again, they make their money not only because of their skill but also because of their vision. Photography is no different. It has changed over the years but it is still no different than the artist. Not only are you looking at the artistry in composing the image & creating dramatic lighting but in the digital rendition of the image afterwards. It all starts with a picture that even if nothing else was done to it, it would still be a beautiful picture.