Is Leaving Your Pro Gear at Home a Mistake?

Is Leaving Your Pro Gear at Home a Mistake?

A recent trip to Disneyland had me stressing about the photos I’d capture. The experience taught me that leaving my professional cameras at home is possibly the only way I can truly enjoy myself.

As a professional photographer, the second I begin the thought process involved with capturing an image, a flip is switched in my mind and I go from a fun and lighthearted family man to a demanding and serious photographer. It isn’t something I’m proud of or have the best control over. However, over the last couple of years I have been learning that my personal photos and the photos I take for my clients are two different things entirely, as is the process required to capture each of them. Often, my favorite and most memorable personal photos are the imperfect captures that aren’t posed or rehearsed or controlled 100 percent by me.

I had planned on packing my Pelican 1520 case with a couple of camera bodies, a few lenses, and a speedlight for a trip to Disneyland with my wife and kids. About an hour prior to leaving, I made the decision to leave the case and camera equipment in my studio and simply rely on the iPhones my wife and I would both have on us. I’ll admit, I was worried that I’d crave my Nikons and feel stupid and somehow less of a photographer if I only had a phone on me at a place as magical as Disneyland. For some reason, snapping pictures of my kids with their favorite characters while bumping shoulders with other moms and dads doing the same thing with nearly the same tool (cell phones) just didn’t seem very appealing.

I’m going to make an ugly confession, perhaps you can relate. You see, as a professional photographer, I guess there is always some judgment and condescension that takes place when I see someone else snapping pictures. The kid in me starts looking for a way to identify what the other person is using to capture their image, and in my mind, I begin to point fingers and say, “Ha, I’m better than you,” and it’s all fueled by the knowledge that I usually have thousands of dollars in photographic equipment on me. For some reason I’m not proud of, I tend to scoff at other photographers knowing very well that it isn’t the camera the determines the impact an image will have on the viewer. Why do we (I) do this? Is it our (my) competitive nature showing its horns? I don’t know.

As the day and fun progressed at Disneyland, I found myself occasionally trying to pose an image as if I had my professional gear right there with me. I could feel my brain reaching for the pro-photog switch within as my mind began to frame the perfect image of my kids against something like a castle. The fun and smiles would gradually fade away as the moment would suddenly become serious and all about the pictures and less about the fun my family and I were supposed to be having. When this would happen I’d scan my surroundings, observing other parents photographing their kids and taking the whole process of taking a photograph far less serious. What I observed served as a reminder. Not to take better pictures, but to understand the trade off between professional quality photographs and snapshots taken with a phone.

This whole process helped me come to grips with something I hadn’t been able to before — that sometimes snapshots are just fine. In fact, in order to leave the pro-photog switch within in the off position, I must rely and trust that the impulsive and technically flawed images I can capture with my phone are enough to be able to keep a visual reminder of a specific special moment in time, and sometimes more importantly, a pleasant memory from when it was taken. Something that isn’t always the case when the aforementioned switch is flipped in the other direction.

Are you able to maintain a healthy balance of professional photography and personal photography? Are there any occasions that you’ll leave your gear behind to benefit the quality of time you have to spend? Share in the comments below.

Dusty Wooddell's picture

Dusty Wooddell is a professional photographer based in the Southwestern United States. Self-proclaimed thinker, opportunity seeker, picky eater, observer of things.

Log in or register to post comments
62 Comments
Previous comments

Totally agree. Sometimes it is hard to let go and accept what you can do at that time. I wrote a similar blog post which was more based around weather and light conditions, 'Accepting reality: sometimes an OK photograph is all you can do' http://bit.ly/2rdrxSj

I've shot point and shoots at WDW a couple of times, and have always come home knowing the picture could have been better,. I took a t3i on my next 2 trips, once with the kit lense, and once with the 85 1.8, and 24 2.8 pancake. I was able to capture what i was seeing in my mind when I took the photo. When shooting on vacation I aim for candid photos with the real smiles and excitement. We do a few family pics that are posed, but I really like the candid pics, especially on rides. I get motion sick so most the time i sit out on the spinning rides and take great pics with huge real smiles. Those pics are much more difficult to get without a decent camera. I'm sure if someone wanted to monkey around in the manual settings of their phone they might be able to capture their child riding, but I'll go out on a limb and say they wouldn't be as good as I can capture with my 7D2, or t3i. If Iwant to go light, Ijust grab my 7D2 and toss the 24 pancake on it, if I need to go lighter I can use the same lense on my t3i. One thing about judging otgers that take pro kits to the parks... Maybe that is all they got, and since I'm not carrying it for them... I'm happy that they are out tbere doing their best to capture those moments with their friends and family. Shoot what you got, capture those moments in time... Because isn't that what it is about?

You could always buy/rent a small compact camera like a fuji 100F. It kills the cravings when traveling around.

I have often seen that the people with the most expensive cameras on holiday tours, are too often not the best photographers. Withe expections of course. There are also people who use expensive cameras and are really good.

But often,these are rich dudes who don't know the first thing of photography but think that a 3000$ camera makes them look like a pro.
Cameras on auto-mode, flashes popping up in the middle of the day when taking landscapes and when the pictures are shared, most of them are horrible.

There's one very simple thought - there's a saying that "we all go to the Devil on our own terms!" All of us makes choices that suit our particular style of photography. You can leave the primary question in this article right there.

If you're asking me? (and why would you :) ) - I shoot with three cams - an FF, a HF and an "almost pocketable" Canon PowerShot. I rarely have two of them with me - and I shoot with whatever suits what I'm out to photograph. If I ever took the family to Disneyland, I'd probably take the HF with a kit zoom - or would I, because that'd make me a pain in the butt for the rest of the gang, so maybe I'd wind up only taking the baby of the family - the Canon. And if I'm not printing larger than A4, it'd be a hard job telling the difference!

Leave all the $H!+ at homes and enjoy your time with your kids. They could give a ISH about any of it but they WILL remember that time with their parents. That is far more valuable than any photo.

Exactly!

Headed to Italy in a few days. I have a few Nikon FF bodies, holy trinity and a couple of other lenses...only taking X2. Weighs nothing and has fantastic images. There will be times when I give myself a dope slap but I'll manage....

An old photographer friend of mine once observed that the images we value most, (and should be taken with the best gear), are the pictures of our families. If you can afford great gear for your clients, you might want to consider the investment in making high-quality memories of your family. I know my grandchildren love to look at pictures of their parents as they were growing up. Now, I'm glad we purchased a good camera and used it. Today, we have so many high quality, light camera choices. Don't get me wrong, iPhone may be fine, and yet, M4/3 or APS-c cameras have a much larger performance range. Doesn't your family deserve the best images you can take?

Sometimes I wish I had my pro gear when I'm not expecting to use it because I see something my casual gear can't handle well. But I do take with me my Moment Wide and Tele lenses which on my Plus model give me a range of ~14mm - 112mm equiv. and use my stacking apps to get some pretty good images on the phone. I think the new RX100 VI provides a good option for these kinds of situations -- good enough to get a close up when you want it without schlepping a ton of gear, lenses, and then don't forget your backup body and lenses lol.

I'm gonna be a dissenter here. I've been using (D)SLRs for so long now that when I try to use a point and shoot or a phone to take pictures I can't get a comfortable grip on the camera. And pointing the phone at the scene doesn't work for me either. (Beside the fact that FOR ME, it doesn't seem natural to hold a camera out in front of you to capture an image) I shake too much when I hold a camera out. It's why my 70-300mm lens requires a tripod.

I own one camera body and three lenses. Most of the time I have a 10-18mm lens on the body or my 24-70mm. I'd rather be prepared for the shot. If I'm out with non photographer friends or family, then I just won't bring the camera that day. But if I'm going on a vacation, my camera is indeed coming with me.