When you start out, it’s easy to believe that more lenses, more megapixels, and more gear will make your photos stronger. Over time, you realize the opposite often holds true. The way you see and think while shooting carries far more weight than how much equipment you bring with you.
Coming to you from Kyle Cong, this thoughtful video focuses on five shifts that change how you approach photography. The first is using less gear to spark more creativity. Cong explains that limiting yourself to a single lens forces you to explore what it can really do, rather than constantly resetting your perspective when switching lenses. Sticking to a focal length between 28mm and 50mm, you can cover establishing shots, medium frames, and details without interruption. Working this way saves mental energy and helps you reach that “flow” state where the lens feels like an extension of your eye. It also makes you more efficient during a shoot when time is tight.
Cong also touches on how your perception of imperfection evolves. In the beginning, it’s tempting to chase flawless sharpness, clean highlights, and distortion-free lenses. With more experience, you see how softness, vignetting, and even grain can add mood and character. Instead of treating these qualities as problems, you learn to use them with intention. Shadows can build atmosphere, lens flare can suggest energy, and grain can add texture that feels more natural. These choices give your work style and individuality that technical perfection alone can’t provide.
The video goes further into the balance between quantity and quality. Cong points out that taking hundreds of frames from one angle only produces repetition. A stronger approach is to treat your session like building a storyboard, shooting fewer images but with more variety and purpose. Slowing down, observing longer, and thinking through what you want before pressing the shutter leads to photographs that stand apart. He compares it to working with manual lenses, where the slower process pushes you to be deliberate. Even in fast-paced scenarios where autofocus is essential, the principle remains: spend more time seeing before you shoot.
There’s also a refreshing perspective on megapixels. Many chase the highest resolution possible, yet Cong shares that he often chooses a 24-megapixel body over his 47-megapixel camera. Smaller files mean faster workflow, better low-light handling, and lower costs. For most situations, 24 megapixels are more than enough to deliver professional results. This mindset extends to location as well. Instead of obsessing over traveling to epic landscapes, he emphasizes the value of making compelling images anywhere, using light, timing, and your eye to elevate ordinary spaces. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Cong.
2 Comments
I have seen it in golf and triathlon way too much gear and not enough skill training or endurance. I ve been playing with photography since I was a kid and finally at age 58 I have 3 lenses…. A manual 800mm that cost nothing a 300ml that I am learning about and my trusty 50mm … I don’t photoshop and I long for photography that is honest
I have mixed feelings anytime someone starts talking about downplaying technical merits in photography. Granted there are some images that are so incredibly compelling that a blown out highlight is not very important, mainly due to the emotional impact triggered by a famous person or event as the subject. That doesn't happen very often. People are quick to condemn the idea of "perfection" as some sort of phony eliteism by people with way too much expensive gear in their camera bag. But just because a picture is imperfect doesn't necessarily make it a stronger image either. Honesty and imperfections in photography can be just as boring as perfection. In my opinion, cultivating the idea that technical merits are overrated offers a convenient excuse for sloppy work. And making strong images is more than simply aiming the camera in the general direction of something that caught our eye. Photography is equal parts vision, camera work, and post-processing... a lot of thought, planning and work.
Maybe perfection is the wrong word for our goals as a photographer since it implies only one right or best result, when that is clearly not the case. But technical qualities such as sharpness and detail are what separate photography from all other art forms. I try to make photographic prints that are visually interesting because of the camera lens's capacity to capture detail that the human eye has trouble discerning. Of course the vast majority of people on social media are consumed by cute kittens and puppies. Most people don't appreciate the technical details of a photograph, but photographers should or what's the point of working so hard at our craft? Stronger images generally result from working toward perfection rather than a conscientious effort away from it.