There is no doubt that most photographers love gear; after all, modern cameras and lenses are pretty nifty gadgets. And while it can be fun to have a pile of gear on your shelf, sometimes, having less equipment is actually better for your abilities and your creativity.
Coming to you from Evan Ranft, this great video features him discussing why he has reduced the size of his kit. It is certainly fun to have lots of gear, and I will be the first to admit that I love playing with all the latest and greatest and having lots of options on hand. The truth is, though, having too much gear can actually lead to a sort of decision paralysis that makes it difficult to know in which creative direction you should take a shoot. Furthermore, when you have a smaller collection of gear, you tend to get to know it so well that you do not even think about it when you are working, and that can make you a more efficient and confident photographer. Lastly, the limitations imposed by having less gear can lead to the sort of problem-solving that opens up new creative avenues. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Ranft.
I’m delighted to say that I’ve got past Gear Acquisition Syndrome! That’s not to say I don’t look at new products, or even old ones, and lust after then - I just don’t go and buy them (not even the ones I could afford!).
These days I have a Nikon D850, a 70-200/2.8 and a 50/1.8. I could be tempted to swap the 50mm for a 35mm or maybe even a 20mm but nowadays I only get a new item instead of something I’ve already got, not as well as something I’ve already got.
I remember a photographer John Sexton, he used large format 4x5, he built a career on one camera body and one lens.
less gear = less confusion = more good photos --- I have proved that a number times myself starting back in film days . Some of my better wedding photos came from a little Olympus MJU2 and some my better wedding photography happened when I carried a Nikon body and just the one 50mm lens . It's really amazing how many subjects will fit nicely through a fixed focal standard lens around 40-50mm (FF/Film) . Not sure if a cranky old Polar bear would fit too well though :lol:
I agree we tend to become pack rats,and overload ourself with lots of stuff we finally dont use.In the end i learned to take lesser and lesser material,this teach me to use the most of what i have.for me its better to not have much material , but to have what you need in the best quality you can afford... better to have 1 lens pros very hight quality , then 20 teleobjectif with low qulity , and in the end using just 1 anyway
There is a lot of truth in this clip.. makes sense
A few year ago I started a project to shoot 100 units for a rental management company. They were all in about 15 buildings clusted around each other. 6 stories high and NO elevators. I quickly discovered I was going to have to cut back the amount of gear I was carrying to the bare minimum if I was ever going to be able to climb all those stairs. I ended up with a backpack that had two strobes and their triggers, one Jobby clamp a Morris mini flash and tiny stand a roll of gels for the strobes and some extra batteries. I then put my camera with a 10 - 35L lens (I know that's all I'll need from experience) around my neck, the backpack on my back my tripod in one hand and a 5 pound sand bag in the other. It worked so well, that is what I usually take with me on every shoot now. Sometimes when shooting a very large home and will put a bunch more equipment in the back of my car just in case I need some of it. And as I am getting older it is so nice to not have to carry a lot of gear all the time.