The Secret of Time
There is something magical about photography. I have always been fascinated by photographs and I never understood why. I knew it had something to do with the fact that I couldn’t fathom how it all worked, but there was something much more to it.
I was around 12 years old when my sister invited me to tag along while her boyfriend shot pictures of a sunset at one of the many lakes in Orlando. I went along and was wide eyed at the whole experience. He set up his camera on a tripod and let me look through the view finder. I remember being surprised at how cool things looked through the camera. He was shooting slides. I just couldn’t understand why anyone would do that. Pictures are easy to get and they are bigger!
Several days after the fascinating experience something happened that I think altered the course of my life. I didn’t know it at the time, but as I look back I can clearly see it. He showed me the slides and I was blown away by how the shots were so much more beautiful than the actual scene was that day. Then my sister’s boyfriend made a decision that seemed like nothing to him I am sure, but it meant so much to me. He gave me a slide of the sunset.
I can’t explain it, but I felt like I had something very valuable in my hand. I use to look at it in fascination. How could a moment in time be on this little square in my hand? How could that work? This exact moment will never happen again, but I have it in my hand. It was like I could see into the past. I don’t know why photographs printed on paper never had this same impact on me. Maybe because they were snapshots, but this was more. There was magic in this little square. I held something powerful. I held time.
Tick tock tick tock. You will never get that time back. Time truly is the most valuable resource that you have. Money and physical wealth can be replenished, but time is gone forever. Tick tock tick tock.
A woman will never be as young as she is now. As a photographer you hold that immortality in your hand. She will always be young in the image you just shot. Come back in 10 or 20 years and meet her again. She will have more experience and more years behind her. She will have a different kind of beauty, just as beautiful, but different. Now look at that image that you shot. There it is – unchanged. There SHE is – unchanged. She will be that way for as long as that film, or as long as those pixels exist. She is forever young.
Photography is something to love, but somewhere inside hold a place for a certain reverence for it. In some ways it is one of the most god-like things that a human can do, perhaps second only to creating a new life. There is nothing more powerful than that, but you do have the ability to stop time. You can make a perfect moment last forever and you have the ability to offer someone a tiny piece of immortality with a simple click of the shutter.
Shooting is getting easier and easier with the advent of digital photography and photographers get lazier and lazier as a result. Please challenge yourself to capture images worthy of the immortality you hold in your hand. That little noise that your camera makes seems insignificant, but it is a piece of eternity happening in your hand.
Tick tock tick tock. Click.
The Necessity of a Makeup Artist
Camera – Check!
Lighting – Check!
Model – Check!
Location – Check!
Checklist complete? No. One of the most important parts of a photoshoot is the makeup artist, often referred to as an MUA. Without a makeup artist a shoot can still be a “good” shoot. If “good” is your goal then you might be ok without one. A fantastic shoot needs a great MUA.
A bad photographer can get lucky and shoot something good. A bad model can be made to look amazing by a makeup artist. Bad makeup can’t be overcome. A great makeup artist makes everyone look so much better. Working without a makeup artist on a critical shoot is like going to a surgeon without the anesthesiologist. The results can be pretty painful.
Many times inexperienced models won’t like what a makeup artist does. “I don’t look like me!” I want to reply with “I really don’t care. I am not trying to make you look like you. I am trying to make you look better!” A model’s job is to model the clothing, makeup and style set aside for them. In Europe models are called mannequins because they are something to hang clothes on to make the fashion look good. This may sound cold, but it truly isn’t. The model is already chosen because they are the current “ideal”. It is their job to model what is given to them in the best possible way. It is the photographer’s job to capture the image in the best light. The makeup artist is an enabler. They enable the parties to perform at peak while the shoot is happening.
It is important that a photographer supports the makeup artist on the shoot. Photographers many times are willing to back down and pander to the pretty model allowing the final result to suffer. If you are on the same page with the makeup artist before they start then it is up to the model to get on board. The model does not get get to choose the lighting. It isn’t their job. Why would it be ok for a model to choose the makeup style?
Backing the work of your makeup artist does not mean that you can’t suggest changes to the makeup. How you do this is a key. You can look at a makeup artist’s work and make constructive suggestions in a positive way. “That looks great! Let’s go darker with the lips.” Don’t say, “Those lips aren’t what I am looking for at all.”
Your makeup artist is on your team and they can be a fantastic resource as well. My favorite catalog shoot that I have ever done came as a direct result of a makeup artist’s referral. Establishing a great relationship with a makeup artist or two is very important for your business as well as for your creativity.
Not all makeup artists are good makeup artists. Even if their makeup skills are great they may be a bad makeup artist. How many times have I run into makeup artists that radically slow down a shoot because they are more interested in chatting away than completing the job? The model sits in the chair and the Jerry Springer show begins as the makeup artist and model begin complaining about boyfriends, jobs or whatever. A good makeup artist has the same goal as you – the final image. The counseling and whining can be done elsewhere. A good MUA sees a shoot a shoot as a job and not as a social opportunity. They do the shoot, clean their brushes and kit quickly and leave.
Also, sometimes makeup artist hit a stage in their career where they become too opinionated and get too involved in a shoot. Their assistance is nice, but the shoot is the photographer’s responsibility and the photographer can’t lose control of the set. If the makeup artist wants to take over a shoot they need to purchase their own camera and change careers. Everyone has a job to do. Stick to it!
One more issue is a key. If a makeup artist’s kit is not clean, appears disorganized and messy it is a poor reflection on their cleanliness in general. Who wants makeup put on by someone that is not clean? Are the brushes as nasty as their kit? “Is that pink eye shadow going to give me pink eye?”
I am very loyal to makeup artists that show loyalty. I don’t expect them to only work with me, but I expect them to show up on time and act professionally, like everyone else on set. Showing up on time and readying a studio, having the model show up on time only to have to wait on a makeup artist is not a good thing. They should be there on time, unpacked, set up and ready to go when the model arrives. How late woud you be to a regular day job? This IS a job. It can be fun, but it is a job.
If you find a makeup artist that you can truly become a team with you have a true leg up on the competition. Your work will be better because in so many ways the makeup artist is the most important person on the set. The model’s weaknesses and your weaknesses can be covered up by a quality MUA. They make over more than just the model. They can cover up the flaws of a final image.
Complete your set. Complete your shoot. Take the time to use a quality makeup artist.
Not A”muse”d
Since the first drop of paint dripped from a brush or the first spot of clay dried on a sculptor’s hand, the muse has been a part of our world. I am sure that some cave drawings can be found where the artist tended to use the same subject repeatedly because that subject provided inspiration.
What is a muse? A muse is the source of an artist’s inspiration. An artist often falls in love with their muse because they are so deeply moved by that subject. What I want to discuss is what part of the artist is deeply moved by a muse.
I have come across many photographers that seemingly fall head over heels for so many of the models that they work with. They gush about how the latest model is just so stunning and unbelievable. They are perfect in so many ways. “You just won’t believe how perfect.”
Really?
Most of the time that model is deeply moving a part of that photographer, but it is rarely the seat of creativity that is stimulated. A muse is not merely a source of physical arousal. A muse stirs within an artist something new and something far deeper than anything found in their trousers. A new world of images and visions flood the photographer’s creative heart when a muse is encountered. Muses are not something you run into often. I think THAT is the ultimate judge of whether you have found a muse. Do your images of that model make both you and others reevaluate your talent?
I can only name a few models that have honestly truly moved me to new heights of creativity. I can think of many models that had truly stunning beauty, but only a few that changed my talent simply by working with them. It isn’t easy to find a true muse. You tend to stumble into one and might not even recognize how special that subject is immediately. You might think, “Wow!” but you might not understand how your photography has changed right off the bat. It may take a second shoot where again you and others all see a marked, clear and obvious difference in your images. Your muse won’t just move you. Your muse will move others through your creativity.
I have been shooting for around twenty two years. If I were to count on my fingers the number of true muses that I have had in my life I would be left with one hand uncounted and a good part of the other hand also unused.
Long for a muse. They are special and they change your creative life. If you are familiar with my portfolio and can picture certain images, think about why those images come to mind. How many different models are there in those images?
It is clear to me that the most powerful creative tool you will ever have at your disposal is not a camera, a location or lighting. These things are all critical to great images. A true muse has no equal. When you do find that special muse you have found the reason that you shoot. You have come across inspiration and something that moves you into a new visual world. It can’t be faked, planned, manufactured or purchased. You can spend your life trying to emulate what you found in a particular muse and that is a wonderful part of photography, but when all is said and done value the special gift of a muse. Enjoy the new creative world where you can adventure. Nurture that relationship and glean from it every drop of creativity that you can.
Don’t think that falling for every model is the same thing. Aim higher. A muse is so much more.
Studio Lighting and Your Wallet
I have been a professional photographer for 22 years and one thing that I learned many years ago is to not be cheap when it comes to lenses. Go ahead and pay more, it’s worth it. Camera bodies are usually a little more flexible. A good quality DSLR can be found in the mid-range area. Lighting is something entirely different.
I have had the opportunity to work with top of the line lighting and also with lighting that is much (MUCH) less costly. What I have found is that price has little effect on your final image.
Pretend for a moment that you mortgage the house and shell out for some really expensive German gear. It recycles a little faster and the consistency is a (very) little better from one flash to another. You can drive a truck over the equipment and it will still work.
Now take that same photographer only this time they don’t mortgage house. Instead they stock up on less expensive lighting. We aren’t talking cheap. We are talking less expensive.
If you look at the final images from that photographer I doubt you will find much if any difference at all no matter which lights they used. This photographer may have to wait a second longer to shoot, which in most caes makes no difference at all. He will have to avoid running the truck over the lights, but now he has no mortgage on the house. He can acquire more lighting, spend less and still get the same images.
Some lights are poor quality. A little bit of research can help you weave through this maze of lighting.
I shoot exclusively with Westcott Lighting. I used to shoot with a very expensive brand of lighting and the truth is that I really just can’t see a difference other than in price. I also used to work with Alien Bees. I am not going to sit here and tell you that they are bad lighting. They aren’t. I just found that the quality and price of Westcott is more appealing. They are better quality. They are relatively inexpensive and still have the feel of higher end lighting and function fantastically.
The appeal of expensive lighting is the same appeal in owning a super expensive car. A Bentley will get you from point A to point B just like a Ford Focus. That Bentley sure makes ya feel good though doesn’t it? Same goes with lighting. The one argument to be made is that there are definitely marked differences in comfort and amenities with the Bentley. The differences are far less noticeable with less expensive lighting.
A tech guru and gear geek can certainly wax eloquent about how great the differences are between the lighting companies. I had a buddy once go on for a long time about the differences between his expensive Nike golf ball and a less expensive Titelist. Which golf ball does a pro choose to play with? The one that endorses them – as long as they can perform at the top of their game with it. The same goes as a photographer.
Westcott has chosen me as one their Top Endorsed Pros. I work with them because they endorse me and I can shoot at the top of my game with them. The results of my shoots are no worse between them and the uber expensive lighting I used to work with. I could be endorsed elsewhere, but I chose Westcott. The customer service is so much better than that expensive company that I used to work with and that matters to me a lot more than the recycle time.
I was speaking with a rep from a high end lighting company and he relayed a story about a day at his company’s factory. He explained how he passed a room where there was a bank of lighting from an inexpensive company that was firing over and over and how all of the engineers were trying to figure out how the quality could be so good at such an inexpensive price. You won’t find that story on that company’s marketing materials.
No matter what company you choose to go with ask yourself if the cost/benefit is really worth it. Drive the Bentley if ya can, but don’t get confused. It won’t change the destination, but it will make you feel more important. Just get ready to be saddled by the bill.
Livin’ the Dream
I’m sitting on my boat in the Caribbean, listening to waves gently lap against the side as the yacht softly creaks. The sun is gently beating down on a perfect day. It isn’t too hot–it isn’t too cold. Charlize Theron hands me a cool drink and gently leans forward to …
BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP
I smack the alarm clock, only to come to the realization that my cat is licking my face and telling me ”It’s time for breakfast!” Yuck! I wipe my cheek clean of cat drool and force my eyes open. Another day in Atlanta.
This is the curse of dreams: waking up. Reality. The dream world is gone, and daily life takes over. At first glance, this may seem to have nothing to do with photography; but believe me–it certainly does. I meet so many photographers who desperately dream of shooting full-time. They say it is their dream. They treat it as a dream, as well.
The truly successful photographers are not dreamers–they are visionaries. They have a vision, and they set out to make it happen. That vision becomes a part their everyday reality. There is no waking up. It isn’t something that is set aside until the realities of fleshing out daily life are through. Making this vision become a reality is as much a part of their everyday life as their “day job.” They don’t wait for the day job to finish and then start dreaming again, only to once again face “wake-up time.”
The ultimate test in finding out if you are a dreamer or a visionary is this: What are you doing to make it a reality? Taking pictures has very little to do with making shooting full-time your reality. What are you doing to contact potential clients? What are you doing to get published? What are you doing besides talking about plans or dreams? How are you fleshing it out?
I have met so many dreamers through my workshops. They tell me how they want to be a fashion photographer or glamour photographer. They tell me how much they love photography and how it is so much a part of them. That passion is wonderful and inspiring. The love of capturing a beautiful image is something not everyone truly understands.
Think about it. You are photographing a beautiful model. She is moving gracefully, and you are really on top of your game that day. Everything is going right. Her makeup is perfect. Her attitude is great. The wardrobe matches the perfect environment. The light is magnificent. Dead on! The shoot concludes.
BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP
Now what?
Developing Your Personal Style
Have you ever looked at a photograph and immediately known who shot it? That photographer has a style so clear that it is unmistakable. Herb Ritts had a style so identifiable that it launched him from his still fashion work into music videos for artists as renowned as Michael Jackson at the peak of his career. David LaChapelle has a style like that.
There is no real way to define what a photographer’s style is. You can identify characteristics of an individual style, but I don’t think that I have ever heard any style completely defined. A style is as unique as a snowflake. Can you tell me how one snowflake is so radically different from another? It isn’t…yet it is.
The ultimate question is what is YOUR individual style? How do you develop it and refine it?
When I started shooting 20 years ago I used to look at my work and think it had no style. Sometimes black and white, sometimes color, sSometimes higher contrast and other times flat. No discernable style. At least that is what I thought. A few clients came to me and made comments that opened my eyes to what my style actually was. I like to shoot very clean images. I gravitate towards beauty crossed with both fashion and glamour.
While I struggled trying to decide what style I would settle on, one emerged on it’s own. Others could see it before me and the same will go for you. Your style will emerge. You DO have a style. You don’t need to adopt one. Just shoot and it will emerge. Don’t make the usual mistake of trying so hard to adopt a style that your lose what is uniquely you.
Look at photography books and magazines that show the kind of photography you like. Shoot images similar to what you like. Don’t be afraid to fill a folder with pages that you have torn out of magazines and keep it in your camera bag for inspiration when you shoot. You are not copying a shot that inspires you unless you are truly copying absolutely every element in the shot. Take a shot that you like and tweak it. Make it your own. Your style reveals itself.
Some people like black and white and shoot it almost exclusively. Some people have embraced the whole tattooed pinup model genre. Even within those types of shooting there are subtle, but clear differences from one photographer to another. Look at your images. What do you see that you genuinely like? What do you want to improve?
If you spend the bulk of the time looking deeply into your images and the images of others you will find elements that you like. There are poses, lighting techniques, colors, tones and shades, expressions that ring true to you. Experiment with those things and your style will emerge. You already have a style just allow it to come out by not giving up. Pick up that camera and fire away!
So You Want To Be A Fashion Photographer
You want to be a fashion photographer? Fashion shooting can offer a rewarding career full of exciting opportunities and experiences. The truth is that it does not come easily. There are countless more opportunities in glamour and wedding photography. Most fashion magazines and modeling agencies prefer working with photographers that are experienced or have a reputation that is already established. Many times the quality of the photography is not as important as the star power of the person behind or in front of the camera.
This is not meant to discourage anyone from choosing this path. Hanging a lantern on the truth makes it easier to face, or at least more difficult to ignore.
The first key to success is to honestly assess your talent. I am not talking about your photographic talent. I am talking about something far more important. Your marketing talent. Is marketing something that you do well? Do you have a natural sense of what is marketable and how to best achieve marketing success? If your answer is not an unquestioned “Yes!” than you are going to struggle in the fashion arena.
Fashion is about what? Art? No. Looking great? No, believe it or not. Fashion is about sales. Sales to who? Young people. What do young people buy? They buy “cool”. Catalog Photography is about sales to the masses. Have you ever seen clothes that come into style that really are ugly, but they are an accepted trend and people wear them for a season anyway. It isn’t about beauty, or style or looking good. It is about sales. The same goes for fashion photography. The truth is that fashion is generally about the “cool” factor. Is the photographer as trendy as the clothes? Are you ready to be, or even able to be what is “cool” in the moment?
These are uncomfortable facts. Any photographer that has worked in the fashion industry has seen it. Someone with no talent becomes all the rage for a short period of time. That photographer comes and goes very quickly. The trick is staying power. There are an extremely small few photographers that last in the fashion world. How do they do it? They learn how to adapt and market themselves differently as time goes by. The know that the “new kid” is gonna be cooler by nature, so they have to find ways to make their age become part of what is cool about them.
“Huh?”
Think about it. Sean Connery won People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” tag at age 59. How? He understood how to market himself. His age was not something he hid. He embraced it, and used it. He became that experienced man, with character and strength. The average age of the other winners is over 20 years younger. So much for character and experience. Fashion is about youth , and more importantly “cool”. Selling the clothes that the average 50 year old wears is NOT fashion. The catalog industry is radically different and offers many more opportunities.
So, back to marketing for fashion. Like with any marketing you identify your target market. Is it modeling agencies? Fashion magazines? Who is running these companies? What are they like? Do you fit what they are buying?
I learned this lesson the hard way in South Beach many years ago. I walked into a modeling agency and they were not interested in working with me even though they said they liked y work. In a horribly refreshing moment the booker let the truth slip out of their mouth. “Your work is great, but you don’t look like a photographer. You look like a guy from Colorado.” The next day I put a bandana over my head and changed my nice clothes for jeans and an old t-shirt and returned to that same agency. “Much better! Let me send you some models to test.”
This is an extreme example, but make no mistake that when you choose fashion you are choosing an industry that thrives on being trendy. Are you prepared to enter that field and ride the trends? Be honest with yourself. It is an amazingly fun and exciting field to operate in. You meet celebrities and go to fantastic parties and see some wonderful things. Just understand the facts when you enter the arena and be ready for the ride. It is rewarding, and uncomfortable.
Now, stop reading and get your marketing plan together.
Taking Control of Your Set
It’s never easy doing something new. It’s never easy feeling confident when you aren’t completely positive about what you are doing. Such a situation has become a huge stumbling block to far too many good up-and-coming shooters; and, honestly, it highlights a skill that every photographer needs to master as much as any photographic technique. What’s the skill?–The ability to control your set.
On a typical photo shoot, there are a lot of different elements that come into play. Lighting, styling the set, posing the model, crew, staff clients and–oh, by the way–your equipment are only the tip of the iceberg. Personalities can often be the greatest obstacle to achieving a great results.
How many times has it happened? A model walks in the door looking pretty rough and immediately begins sharing her drama about her horrible boyfriend or how late she was up last night partying. How many times has a makeup artist slowed the process of a shoot by chatting away about the latest unrelated melodrama?
The most common mistake I see with many photographers is inaction. The fear of controlling your set is crippling. Photographers must understand this simple principle: the images created are your responsibility. You are accountable, and ultimately it is you who needs to control the outcome of a shoot.
Keeping a reasonably professional environment does not make you a jerk. You are not the makeup artist’s therapist. You are not the model’s counselor. The MUA and model may want you to play a violin while they cry about life’s troubles; but you are a photographer, not a violinist. You are there to capture images with impact. Ultimately everyone is relying on you for those images. No client will say, “Oh, these images aren’t very good, but it’s ok. The model broke up with her boyfriend the night before. It’s not your fault.”
Furthermore, you are not on a set to entertain a model’s boyfriend or even her parents. I have personally run into several circumstances where a meddling mother was interjecting her own opinions while she watched a shoot. She started directing her daughter while on set. Because of this distraction, I had to ask the mother to leave the set. I was not being a jerk but, rather, was taking responsibility for doing my job. The mother’s intrusion was affecting the shoot.
The key to everything is not WHAT you do, but rather HOW you do it. First, I casually warned the mother in a light-hearted way. “All right, Mom! I can do a shoot with you later, but right now let me do my job.” That caution said with a smile and laugh is a great beginning. Next you say, “All right. I know this is fun, but I need you to let me do my job. I am the one looking through the camera. “ Then comes the final, more serious warning–“Mom, I’m going to have to ask you to leave if you get involved again.”
The same goes for boyfriends or whoever. Have you ever had a makeup artist become too opinionated on set? Just say, “Hey! You can always buy a camera and do this yourself, you know. You did a great job with the makeup. Let me do the same with the photography.” Said with a smile, these comments can solve a lot of problems.
Now, back to the model with the boyfriend drama…Just say to her, “I’ll be happy to listen after the shoot, but right now I need you to focus on what we are doing here.”
Taking immediate control of a set in a nice way does not mean that you are being harsh. It doesn’t mean that you don’t care or aren’t a nice person. It does mean that you are concerned about the images you are responsible for creating.
There is time for the personal stuff when the lights are shut down. Until then, focus on the task at hand.
The Uncomfortable Truth
“Can I be successful as a photographer?” This question is usually asked of me as an unpublished shooter hands me their portfolio. I usually give them my honest personal assessment of their book, but there is a truth that always seems to go unspoken. Your photographs are a very small part of whether or not you will be successful.
Professional photographers like to think (or at least act like) their work is better than others and that is why they succeed. Most know that there is one key element that is actually far more important than the quality of their images- social skills.
Yes, I said far more important than the quality of their work.
You have to have “game”. Just like courting a potential mate you must also be attractive to a potential client. “Game” can’t really be taught. You either get it or you don’t.
Fellow professionals, especially workshop organizers don’t like to admit this. The truth is that there are many photographers more skilled than them that will never find success at their level. They don’t know how to do business. They may know how to crunch numbers. They may know how to plan and organize. They may be amazing with a camera. They will fail miserably as a photographer because they don’t look right, dress right, speak right, smell right or just plain have people skills.
Your photographic skills are important, but whether they are as important as your people skills can easily be debated. You definitely must be “good enough” to succeed consistently, but we have all seen bad photographs published, and sometimes even lauded.
It’s the same thing as when you were in high school. The cool guys got all the girls. Adults just know how to dress the same game up a little better. A photographer with phenomenal photographic ability that smells bad or looks “uncool” or has a big “creep factor” is going to have a more difficult time getting the jobs. We like to think that it’s all the bottom line when we do business, but the bottom line is not the only factor in who gets a job.
My advice is that as you develop your photographic skills you need to be developing your social skills. You need to learn to little things that seem like they shouldn’t matter, but the truth is that they do.
Wear the uniform. As I teach workshops I amazed at the absolute slobs that show up. They dress in their cheapest logo screaming shirt that they probably won at a local wet t-shirt contest. The “Follow Me to Hooters” t-shirt is accompanied by loose legged short pants that bring attention to what they are exposing with their shorts and not their camera. Why do they dress this way? “It’s hot and this is comfortable.” This very clearly shows that the photographer is more interested in immediate comfort rather than networking and approaching things professionally. “But it’s hot.” Yes, and you are lazy and don’t REALLY care about how you come across to others. “But it’s just a workshop!” Yes, it is. You have just guaranteed that you are just another attendee. This is a reflection of a mindset. It’s a parade of “reasons” why you aren’t standing out on top.
Companies like to hire people that project their image. Models like to work with people that care how they look. Successful photographers are always projecting a hirable image. It isn’t just how you dress though. The most uncomfortable part of all of this is that sometimes the problem isn’t your clothes. Sometimes it is the photographer themselves. Some photographers are just creepy not matter what they do. They shower, shave, say nothing inappropriate and yet that feeling is still there.
“Can I be a successful photographer?” Sometimes it is easy to answer that without ever even looking at that portfolio. That is the uncomfortable truth.
Equipment Envy
What weapons do you carry in your arsenal? What equipment is in your bag of tricks? How new is your camera? Your lenses? What lenses do you have?
I have had the opportunity to work with some pretty amazing equipment. Whether a lighting company allowed me to use their gear for free or a different company put a fantastic medium format digital camera in my hand, there is one thing that I have come to realize: The equipment will not make you a better photographer.
Save yourself a little money and understand that the latest and greatest camera to come out is probably not going to make or break you as a shooter. It is your talent that makes a huge difference. Place more emphasis on fine-tuning your talent and less time updating your equipment.
I am not saying that your gear is completely irrelevant. You do need good equipment, but price is not always the benchmark for quality.
When I first started to shoot models 20 years ago, I had a very inexpensive Nikon 35mm film camera. I constantly lived in a state of camera envy as I looked at the equipment other photographers around me were using. Slowly but surely I upgraded. A little here. A little there. Then came the day. A photographer brought in his camera bag and opened it in front of me. Sitting inside the bag was not one but TWO brand new, shiny Nikon F4 camera bodies. I swear when he opened his camera bag, light shot out of it and angels sang! I remember the day so clearly. I knew I would NEVER get equipment like that. I would never be THAT good.
Several years later, after working day after day and fighting, biting and scratching to make a go at it, it happened. I picked up a phone, called B&H, and placed the order of a lifetime. I ordered an F4. My F4. I then waited forever for the delivery. Finally that magical day arrived, and I became the proud owner of an F4. Angels sang again.
You may think I am about to tell you I was disappointed by the camera. No, I wasn’t. I think it is still my favorite camera of all time, although the Canon 5D certainly competes. What I did realize is that my pictures did not get markedly better. The camera felt nicer in my hands than my old camera. I felt more important, but my pictures were not really affected. Just like before, I still had to know how to see light. Just like before, I still needed to use the shutter and aperture to capture a moment with impact.
Let’s be honest. Equipment is not entirely irrelevant. Your lenses are more important than your camera, but you do need a camera that can capture a good image. A good 24-70mm lens and a good 70-200mm lens will pretty much get you by. You don’t need lenses that talk, beep, vibrate, play mp3s, or have a GPS attached. You don’t need a camera that shoots images so big that your hard drive chokes at the input.
I no longer hear angels when I see the latest and greatest equipment. I hear cash registers screaming “cha-ching!” I DO get impressed when someone shows me a great image. If you feel the resolution of your images is good enough for the work that you do, then don’t be dazzled by the latest and greatest. You don’t have to have it. You simply WANT it.
When you are awed by images, and they are better than the ones you take, don’t think the equipment took the shot. Remember, the photographer did.