Articles about gear and whether it matters

[Village Idiot]

Skipping to the bottom.

Having the right gear matters.

/thread

 

[(Ghastly) Krueger]

My gear matters to me.

Is that enough?

 

[MarcusM]

The gear matters. Just like with any mechanical/electronic device, there are better-quality models than others.

But the photographer matters too. If you just pick up a DSLR and you have no idea how to use one, you will only be able to take a decent shot if you get lucky. Both the photographer and the gear do matter. (Little recent real-world example: I was at the park the other day with my 2 year old son and I was taking pictures of him on the swing. I can only use AI Servo in Sports mode on my 300D, therefore I am unable to take a sharp photo using the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO that I want while he is in motion, because in Sports mode my camera sets all these automatically. There is an example of the gear limiting my creativity.)

Photography is most definitely an art. Not that Webster's is the know-all, end-all, but there is a pretty good definition in my opinion:

1: skill acquired by experience, study, or observation

4 a: the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also : works so produced b (1): fine arts (2): one of the fine arts (3): a graphic art

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

I would add that it is a skill that produces works that others enjoy or appreciate (not everyone, but some). Photography is hard work if you really delve deep into it. To really master the fundamentals, (composition, exposure, lighting, etc.) and to really learn your equipment in and out with the manual settings, takes a lot of time and effort.