After a bit of a break from social media I have decided to write, again. Motivated, in part, by lovely feedback I received for an earlier post that had really helped someone and, also in frustration about a particular issue. The issue? A tendency for some people to focus on the brand of camera that you use.
Now, hear me out. I am as guilty as the next person of tagging my camera brand in posts. It is something that I didn’t really think about …until, feedback on images started to be about the camera I was using not the image that I had captured, or the story that I was trying to tell. It’s a bit of a lazy (and often derogatory) approach to comment on the equipment.
For the last couple of weeks I have had the privilege of hanging out with an awesome group of photographers. People passionate about photography, extending themselves, going outside their comfort zone. Not once, during the days that we were together did anyone utter the nonsensical “oh, it’s just because you have a good camera”. No, we focused on what one of the group described as being in L.U.C.K - being in the right Location (for the subject you wanted to capture), Understanding the subject, Choosing the correct equipment and choosing the correct settings, and Knowledge - combining all of the above along with previous experience to get the best outcome.
I understand that I am privileged enough to get away from work to spend time on photography but that does come at a cost (working weekends and nights) and I understand that I am privileged to have a supportive family. I also work hard. I study the subject I am wanting to photograph, most often the image that I am most happy with was not the first shot or first attempt, I have learnt that resilience and persistence pay off.
It is unlikely that I will ever be a camera brand ambassador, this is left for those who have high levels of mastery combined with popularity; for these folk commenting on equipment used is part of their job. However, for me, commenting on a brand merely serves to provide a camera giant with unwarranted exposure; I have paid for the equipment I use so I have no requirement to promote it. Ultimately, though, I would rather force the lazy commentators to search for something else to say about my images and, in the words of my late mother “if you have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all”.