That's a great camera ... it takes great pictures 

 

Art pencils and photographyI can't draw two straight lines with a ruler so why should buying expensive pencils make me an artist

 

 

 

  I can't draw two straight lines with a ruler ... I'm actually in awe of the people who can take a pencil, some paper and depict what is infront of them.  After all they are creating something out of nothing.

 

 If I go and buy the very best box of pencils money can buy, all of the colours and I mean all of them and a pad of paper am I suddenly a good artist ? Of course I'm not ... I still remain unable to draw, I am just unable to draw in a lot more colours on better paper.  I guess if you like abstract art I might be able to get away with it ! So why is it that so many people believe that buying an expensive camera and a clutch of lenses is the way to making a great photograph.  The answer is it isn't.  Sure that camera has a purpose and when I'm using mine I know how to get the best of it.

 

I see so many examples of bad photography that it saddens me.  I know that we all start somewhere and that over time the good ones would get better but it only takes 5 mins of a trawl through Instagram to see some really bad work by professionals.  

 

 

 

Is an iphone a cameraIphone camera The entry to photography has never been easier. We all carry phones in our pockets, and in recent releases the phones are being marketed more and more as cameras, with multiple lenses, modes and other whistles and bells. We've all heard of the Infinite Monkey Theorem .. you know the one where enough monkeys, with enough time, hitting typewriter keys will eventually write the works of Shakespeare.  I'm sure if you look on line you'll find some GCSE math proving it or not ...

 

This however is not the case for art.  Either with pencils or with a camera ...

 

I'll tell you why.

 

There's a photography quote that unfortunatly can't be attributed to anyone ..

 

"When people ask me what equipment I use - I tell them my eyes"

 

- Anon

 

Being a photographer is more than putting a camera on automatic and taking 1000's of photographs

 

It's about so many different things 

 

1. Knowing how to deal with people
2. How to visualise the end product
3. How to frame the image so that it looks interesting and imaginative
4. The way to crop, frame and print
5. How to set the camera, and then tweak those settings, to get the best results
6. What kind of editing is needed to make the digital negative a finished image

 

The order of this list is deliberate ... I put the subject matter first and for me, as a portrait and event photographer it's all about the people.  If they aren't comfortable then it's going to show.

 

I'm always taking the photo with the idea of the final image in mind ... will it be dark and moody, light and airy, corporate in look or show the events of a party .. you get the idea.

 

So many pictures are snaps ... and in an age when we are taking more photos than ever before this has never been truer.  Take the time to find the angle, pose the subject, wait for something interesting, then you will get a great image. 

 

Lower down the list it's about the camera and the editing ... because if you haven't considered the top ones no camera in the world will make a great picture happen.

 

So yes a good camera, can take a great picture, if you know how, but there's a lot more to it that point and click.  That's what make a professional photographer, hours of training, practice and experience.