Spend any amount of time looking up photography on the internet, and you will be bombarded from every direction by claims of how you can improve your work, a lot of them centered around gear. Really, though, if you want to improve, it comes down to how you approach your photos, and this insightful video discusses what you really need to make better images.
Coming to you from Blake Rudis from f64 Academy, this great video discusses the importance of having a vision for your photos. This is something I think we overlook quite a bit (I know I am plenty guilty of that). We can often take competent photos that have plenty of potential to be edited into a compelling finished shot, but we might not know where that edit is going when we sit down at the computer. That is not to say there is something inherently wrong with improvising a bit, but if you listen to how a lot of the best photographers work, you will notice that they have the entire shot previsualized before they even pull their camera out of its bag, let alone before they start to edit it. Working on your artistic vision can help you form a stronger creative voice and create more purposeful shots. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Rudis.
How do you know that I do not need gear if you have no idea of what gear I already have, what are my goals, and what gear I may need to reach the goals?:) And how many times do people have to keep saying "the gear does not help you create better photos"? Yes, it does. Basic example: start shooting with a baseline consumer camera and kit lens, progress to shooting with a pro DSLR and better lens, and compare the results. Would the photos look better? Yes, they would (assuming a photographer knows how to use his gear properly and get quality results). Another case: two photographers applied to shoot a football game. One has a slow pocket camera with 35mm non-changeable lens capable of shooting 4 frames per sec, another one - DSLR with 70-200mm capable of shooting 20 fps. Who will get the job? Who will deliver better images to the client? What is the point of telling people what they do or do not need and making it sooo generic? Everyone is different, everyone has different needs, etc. and everyone should decide for themselves what they do or do not need. Saying what everyone does or does not need without knowing our needs is meaningless and does not add any value. No offense intended.