Important Advice on Gear and Photography

Whether you are a new or highly experienced photographer, the allure of new gear can be strong. And there is nothing wrong with geeking out over the latest and greatest, but when that starts inhibiting your growth as a photographer because you are blaming the tools for a lack of technical or creative growth, it can become a serious problem. This great video discusses the topic and the sort of pitfalls you need to watch out for. 

Coming to you from James Popsys, this important video discusses the issue of our relationship with gear. A common trap all photographers (but particularly beginners) fall into is blaming a lack of technical quality or creative inspiration in their images on their gear. And it is certainly true that a certain new lens or camera can enable things that might not be possible otherwise, but we tend to vastly overestimate how commonly this is the case. Rather, the majority of the time (particularly with the advanced capabilities of modern cameras that have high ceilings), we would be better served by investing our time, efforts, and, in particular, our money into education and practice. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Popsys. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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I'm sure for hobbyists and professionals alike, it can be invigorating to do new things with existing gear. I've recently gotten more involved in shooting video with my 70-200, whereas I tend to shoot stills with a 35 and 85. Spending some quality time with the 70-200 for video has been fruitful on its own, while also causing me to explore shooting stills on the 70-200 far more frequently than I would otherwise.