Equipment Accumulation vs. Using Equipment

snegron · Oct 31, 2009

Recently I decided to simplify my shooting style down to one camera with three small primes. I ran into a bit of a snag when I tried getting a Nikon 24mm 2.8 AF-D (didn't work right, so I ended up having to return it). I decided to go through all my old stuff to see if I could find a light set up I could be happy with.

Then it dawned on me. All the stuff I have purchased in the past at one time or another were "must have" items. The cameras, the lenses, the accessories, etc. With all these items I went through a "honeymoon period" thinking that I had finally obtained the set up that I would be happy with; the set up that would let me focus more on the subjects I was shooting instead of focusing on the strong points or limitations of the gear itself.

Of course, lasting happiness never came, so I ended up getting more stuff. Here I sit with 4 DSLR bodies, over 20 film SLR bodies (I truely am afraid to count how many film bodies I actually have, so I estimate around 20), 4 medium format film bodies, and half a closet-full of lenses (also afraid to count). Sadly, I find myself still looking for that "perfect set up".

Is there ever a time when the honeymoon bliss period one experiences after buying new gear actually does become true happiness over an extended period of time? Is there actually a point one reaches when one can say "I am happy with what I have, I don't 'want' or need anything else"? Is there a time when one can own a single camera and lens and focus on producing art along the lines of Robert Capa, Henri Cartier Bresson, or David Seymour; actually capturing the critical moment instead of thinking about how to capture it?

At what point do we stop thinking about the equipment and think only about the image? Does that time ever come for everyone, or are some of us doomed to dwell perpetually in equipment purgatory?

Jeremy · Oct 31, 2009

snegron said:
Is there actually a point one reaches when one can say "I am happy with what I have, I don't 'want' or need anything else"? Is there a time when one can own a single camera and lens and focus on producing art along the lines of Robert Capa, Henri Cartier Bresson, or David Seymour; actually capturing the critical moment instead of thinking about how to capture it?

You're asking like there is some magical moment where this happens which is just like trying to find the perfect set-up or waiting for a muse to strike.

I can let you in on a secret: CREATIVE WORK IS HARD WORK.

Buying things makes people happy as have been proven time & time again. And then you have this new toy to play with and if you only ever photograph when you have said new toy you may want to ask if you're into photography for the gadgets and the gear or to make photographs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being into the gadgets and gear, but if you don't have that obsessive need to make photographs that has been expressed by all 3 men (well, by Cartier-Bresson until he gave it up for drawing) you may never have the drive to push yourself to that level. I would find a living photog you respect and find out how much/how often they work at what they are doing.

The trick is to stop buying equipment and use what you have--block eBay and keh.com from your web browser if need be. Hell, see if Sean can block all of the equipment forums here on Apug and just look at the processing/printing forums. You ask if there is a time when this happens, yes, there is: when you decide to do it. The only way to be a better photographer is to make more pictures and the best equipment choice you can make to better your skills is to buy more film. Make photographs when you're inspired but more importantly make photographs when you aren't inspired. All of the guys you listed were professional photogs who went out and made the shot regardless of how they felt and regardless of what gear they had at the time because they had to, it was their job.

You'll never see a pianist buying a Steinway to be a better piano player just like buying equipment will never make you a better photographer because the most important equipment is you.

PhotoJim · Oct 31, 2009

I'm a gearhead and I don't mind admitting it, but I find my 35mm system is approaching perfection. Aside from a couple of fairly costly items that are hard to justify (I'd really like a 35/1.4 one day, but I don't want to spend the better part of a thousand dollars for one), my 35mm system is essentially done.

Now, don't ask me about my Bronica or my large format systems... they are still in progress. I need some time to report back.

snegron · Oct 31, 2009

Jeremy said:
You're asking like there is some magical moment where this happens which is just trying to find the perfect set-up or waiting for a muse to strike.

I can let you in on a secret: CREATIVE WORK IS HARD WORK.

The trick is to stop buying equipment and use what you have--block eBay and keh.com from your web browser if need be. You ask if there is a time when this happens, yes, there is: when you decide to do it. The only way to be a better photographer is to make more pictures and the best equipment choice you can make to better your skills is to buy more film.

Yes, I believe I know a bit about your "secret". I have been shooting since the late 1970's, had my first photos published in the early 1980's. I went from shooting social events photography to wedding photography. I have also been using and collecting gear ever since.

Back in the film days (when film was the only option available to everyone) life was a bit more simple. The camera did not matter; only the lens and how good your lab skills were. Things have changed. Without delving into the fruitless "film vs. digital" debate, some things that were readily available a decade or two ago are scarce today. With DSLR's your camera is your film. Therefore, film labs are getting more scarce and developing color film in your bathroom is not a practical option. Experimenting with film is a more costly proposition today than when labs were available at every corner. The focus then becomes "what equipment can I use to nail the shot?" Buying more film is not a practical option, as devoloping the film is expensive; mistakes are more costly now. If you only shoot in B&W, then I understand your point, but imo, B&W is limiting. The world is in color, so why not capture it as such?

As far back as I can remember, camera and lens manufacturers have always been in a race to develop the latest greatest, fastest equipment on the market. There is always something developing that will "improve your chances of nailing the shot". Anywhere from faster shutter speeds to better metering and more efficient flash to camera communication; the next model is always designed to outperform the one you currently have. Will I be able to capture the moment better with my F100 and AF primes than with my F3HP and manual focus pimes? Will an F5 help me capture the moment any better, faster, more accurate than my F100? Will the IQ of my prints look better with 645 negatives instead? How about upping it a notch and going with 6x7? And so on.

There is a very fine line between using creativity with your equipment than using your equipment creatively. This makes it very easy to get caught up in the marketing hype.

rphenning · Oct 31, 2009

wanna sell some of that MF stuff to a kid with one camera and one lens?

Mike1234 · Oct 31, 2009

You have a photo gear fetish. Sell 9/10 or more of your photo equipment and replace it with porn and booze. You'll be much happier.

David Brown · Oct 31, 2009

Jeremy said:
The trick is to stop buying equipment and use what you have--...

So, who are you and what have you done with Jeremy? The Jeremy I know has bought and sold more gear than I could ever imagine!!!

Jeremy said:
You'll never see a pianist buying a Steinway to be a better piano player ...

No, but a pianist will buy a Steinway because it is a better piano!

Better tools (cameras are tools) do make the work easier. I'm not sure the oft-used music analogy always holds up. (Never mind St. Ansel as the classically trained pianist, etc.) The top musicians can make music on almost anything, and a weak musician will only be able to play marginally better on the best instrument. But, the instruments DO make a difference, and the top guys always seek out the best instruments. That is why there are $100,000 pianos and $million (300 year old) violins!!

There's nothing wrong with photographers buying gear they can afford and will use. There's also nothing wrong with "collecting", especially as cheap as much film gear is now. Yeah, I should probably sell half of mine, and maybe the OP should too. But then again, I spend less than some people spend at Starbucks, it won't bring much, and maybe I will use it someday.

eddym · Oct 31, 2009

snegron said:
Is there ever a time when the honeymoon bliss period one experiences after buying new gear actually does become true happiness over an extended period of time? Is there actually a point one reaches when one can say "I am happy with what I have, I don't 'want' or need anything else"?

Yes. I am happy with what I have and I don't want or need anything else.

I think you have an identity crisis. You need to answer for yourself the following questions. Are you a photographer? Or are you a photo equipment collector?

eddym · Oct 31, 2009

snegron said:
As far back as I can remember, camera and lens manufacturers have always been in a race to develop the latest greatest, fastest equipment on the market. There is always something developing that will "improve your chances of nailing the shot". Anywhere from faster shutter speeds to better metering and more efficient flash to camera communication; the next model is always designed to outperform the one you currently have. Will I be able to capture the moment better with my F100 and AF primes than with my F3HP and manual focus pimes? Will an F5 help me capture the moment any better, faster, more accurate than my F100? Will the IQ of my prints look better with 645 negatives instead? How about upping it a notch and going with 6x7? And so on.

There is a very fine line between using creativity with your equipment than using your equipment creatively. This makes it very easy to get caught up in the marketing hype.

Bullshit. The only thing that will "improve your chances of nailing the shot" is shooting and shooting and shooting and shooting until you know whatever camera you presently own (forget about the one you "need"!) so well that you can "nail the shot" under any conditions or circumstances.

This requires a little self-analysis. Make up your mind what you want to shoot and learn how to shoot that and forget about shooting anything else. If I wanted to shoot birds and wildlife, I would know I need to invest in expensive long and fast lenses. But I don't want to shoot birds, so long and fast lenses, no matter how cool or sexy they might look in a catalog or on a dealer's shelf, do not interest me in the least. I know what I want to shoot, so I invested in what I need to shoot that, and now I don't want or need anything else.

If you are a collector of photo equipment, then that's another story.

Sirius Glass · Oct 31, 2009

When you get the best equipment available, then you only have yourself to blame!

Steve

Jeremy · Oct 31, 2009

David Brown said:
So, who are you and what have you done with Jeremy? The Jeremy I know has bought and sold more gear than I could ever imagine!!!

No, but a pianist will buy a Steinway because it is a better piano!

David, I'm speaking from a place of experience And you might be surprised to know I'm still shooting the exact same gear I shot the last time we were out with cameras.

I agree that you can buy a Steinway and sound better, but does the steinway make them a better pianist? Regardless if they sound better are they themselves better pianists?

This may sound silly because if you buy some new whiz-bang gear and you get better pictures that's great, right? Of course! A better photograph is always the idea, but are you any better of a photographer (practitioner of photography)? I would argue no. This is the root of how I cringe when people say I must have a really great camera to make such-and-such picture because to the average consumer (and photographer nowadays, imo) the talent lies with the machine and not the operator.

What I got from the OP is a bad spiral of using gear as the inspiration to make photographs and increasing quality not through practicing the craft, but by buying equipment. I know I'm preaching to the choir with you (David) as you understand this, but I don't want this message to get lost because I think it's a very important one:

I'm separating the operator from the machine as the machine is just technological improvements and convenience, but those never improve the operator; only work will improve the operator.

Jeremy · Oct 31, 2009

Sirius Glass said:
When you get the best equipment available, then you only have yourself to blame!

Steve

You'd be surprised. Check out some of the forums with the guys shooting $60k MF digital set-ups, literally the "best" money can buy, and they still blame their gear.

Rick A · Oct 31, 2009

Jeremy said:
You'd be surprised. Check out some of the forums with the guys shooting $60k MF digital set-ups, literally the "best" money can buy, and they still blame their gear.

AMEN!! I'm still using a Contax 139Q with a 50/1.4 and a Yashica D and sometimes my Duaflex II and home made 4x5 pinhole I'm very happy and very proficient with the Contax and the Yash.

Domenico Foschi · Oct 31, 2009

The best way of focusing more in your shooting is not having any money to buy new gear.

Jokes aside sometime you have to make a research of finding the right tools for you by using them.
Practice will make you understand what you really can do with photography and this will divert your attention from the gear to the great satisfaction of creating a good image that really means something important to you.

keithwms · Oct 31, 2009

snegron said:
Is there ever a time when the honeymoon bliss period one experiences after buying new gear actually does become true happiness over an extended period of time?

Sure. This has happened for me... with many different cameras that I use. Doesn't make me feel any more attached to one specific camera- I have a dozen or so cameras to which I feel truly happy and productive.

Is there actually a point one reaches when one can say "I am happy with what I have, I don't 'want' or need anything else"?

Not likely to happen in my case; I am an experimentalist always thinking about adapting, rebuilding, and tailoring cameras for specific shots. If I need to throw something together to get a particular job done, I will enjoy that process. For me, the photo in my head usually guides the gear. The camera is just a way to connect myself to a scene, nothing else. And different cameras connect me in different ways.

Is there a time when one can own a single camera and lens and focus on producing art along the lines of Robert Capa, Henri Cartier Bresson, or David Seymour; actually capturing the critical moment instead of thinking about how to capture it?

Those are two separate things. Yes, sure, I could get by on a single camera... but I don't see why you assume that means I'd be any more productive. Surely you mean: more productive with that specific camera and more aware of its capabilities.

Different cameras have totally different capabilities, there's no reason to expect one camera to do it. I know that one camera works for some people, but... I also know some who religiously shoot one camera or one type of lens and, frankly, it shows. What's the point?

At what point do we stop thinking about the equipment and think only about the image? Does that time ever come for everyone, or are some of us doomed to dwell perpetually in equipment purgatory?

You make it sound like such a bad thing!

I have ~20 cameras and almost all of them get used routinely. They have different strengths. I certainly would not want to have to pick one. Nor do I feel that I am any less creative because I don't have a monogamous relationship with one camera.

P.S. Creative work is not hard work. Not at all IMHO. You know what's hard? Having to do the same mundane thing over and over. That is hard work. Creativity cannot be forced... so it is effortless by definition. Either you have something creative to express at a particular moment or you do not. At the moment that you have a creative thought, the clouds part, the path is clear and you just put one foot in front of the other and let instinct take over. It's that easy. On the flip side, when you do not feel creatively inspired, the camera feels much more heavy, the path much longer, the light not quite right... so why force it? If you do force it, it will simply become harder as you become more and more frustrated.

ntenny · Oct 31, 2009

snegron said:
There is a very fine line between using creativity with your equipment than using your equipment creatively. This makes it very easy to get caught up in the marketing hype.

I think that's the basic truth of gear fetishism in a nutshell. Goes for just about any area, not just photography. People think a better guitar will make them a better guitarist, too. (It doesn't work, and anybody who's familiar with some of the great acoustic blues recorded on Kay and Stella bottom-of-the-line guitars oughta know that!)

-NT

Sirius Glass · Oct 31, 2009

Jeremy said:
You'd be surprised. Check out some of the forums with the guys shooting $60k MF digital set-ups, literally the "best" money can buy, and they still blame their gear.

But they are not being honest with themselves.

Steve

Mike1234 · Oct 31, 2009

One cannot apply logic to lust.

ntenny · Oct 31, 2009

Sirius Glass said:
When you get the best equipment available, then you only have yourself to blame!

I think as long as your equipment doesn't have gross limitations relevant to the situation (e.g., something is broken, or you're trying to do candid street with an 11x14 monorail), you already only have yourself to blame.

-NT

MattKing · Oct 31, 2009

New (to me) equipment is fun!

It is rarely critical, but sometimes it is important (e.g. a cord that allows one to take advantage of TTL flash capabilities that both a flash and a camera offer).

It can also expand options (e.g. a 4x5 enlarger, when you have a few 6x12 negatives).

It can create the opportunity to learn something new in photography, and IMHO learning something new is one of the greatest sources for enjoyment.

It can also just simply be neat! (e.g. my Koni-Omegas - my very first medium format rangefinders, and my very first 6x7 cameras to boot).

New equipment isn't likely to be a panacea, but I'm not going to apologize for liking it!

Matt

removed account4 · Oct 31, 2009

Domenico Foschi said:
The best way of focusing more in your shooting is not having any money to buy new gear.

exactly!

i am on that bus ...

snegron · Oct 31, 2009

keithwms said:
Sure. This has happened for me... with many different cameras that I use. Doesn't make me feel any more attached to one specific camera- I have a dozen or so cameras to which I feel truly happy and productive.

Not likely to happen in my case; I am an experimentalist always thinking about adapting, rebuilding, and tailoring cameras for specific shots. If I need to throw something together to get a particular job done, I will enjoy that process. For me, the photo in my head usually guides the gear. The camera is just a way to connect myself to a scene, nothing else. And different cameras connect me in different ways.

Those are two separate things. Yes, sure, I could get by on a single camera... but I don't see why you assume that means I'd be any more productive. Surely you mean: more productive with that specific camera and more aware of its capabilities.

Different cameras have totally different capabilities, there's no reason to expect one camera to do it. I know that one camera works for some people, but... I also know some who religiously shoot one camera or one type of lens and, frankly, it shows. What's the point?

You make it sound like such a bad thing!

I have ~20 cameras and almost all of them get used routinely. They have different strengths. I certainly would not want to have to pick one. Nor do I feel that I am any less creative because I don't have a monogamous relationship with one camera.

P.S. Creative work is not hard work. Not at all IMHO. You know what's hard? Having to do the same mundane thing over and over. That is hard work. Creativity cannot be forced... so it is effortless by definition. Either you have something creative to express at a particular moment or you do not. At the moment that you have a creative thought, the clouds part, the path is clear and you just put one foot in front of the other and let instinct take over. It's that easy. On the flip side, when you do not feel creatively inspired, the camera feels much more heavy, the path much longer, the light not quite right... so why force it? If you do force it, it will simply become harder as you become more and more frustrated.

Thanks for the feedback! You are definitely correct, imo, "creativity can not be forced". No matter how many hundreds of rolls of film a person shoots, if he is not inspired, all he will have are just hundreds of mundane pictures.

Like you, I have experimented throughout the years with many different cameras and lenses in order to obtain different results. For the past few years (maybe 10 or so), my experimentation has led me to try to achieve a simplification of gear. Prior to this I remember carrying a large bag full of gear just in case I needed something or something unexpected popped up. A review of actual equipment I used vs. what I carried with me led me to the point where I started this whole post; what I really need is one camera and three primes.

I don't really think it will make me any more productive, but I do think it will narrow down my focus to the subject matter I am photographing instead of thinking about the gear. An example of this would be if I were trying to capture a candid image during a social gathering. If my only choice is a Nikon F3HP with either a 24mm, 50mm, or 105mm lens, then I would reach for the appropriate lens and grab the shot. Now on the flip side, if I had the F3HP and an F100 plus the 24, 50, 105 lenses and a couple of zoom lenses all in the same bag, I believe I would dwell a bit more on which camera/lens to use in order to get the shot. When I'm getting the shot with whatever camera/lens combo I select, there will be a slighly nagging voice inside me telling me that I probably could have gotten better results if I had gone with the other camera/lens combo instead.

Despite the fact that I have accumulated lots of equipment throughout the years, I have never believed that a better camera will make me a better photographer. Like you, I enjoyed experimenting. I admit that on a few occasions I fell for the marketing hype that claims newer is better, but overall my focus has always come back to one idea; capturing the moment is what counts. I believe that it is a combination of inspiration, skill, technique, interaction with the subject, and having the right equipment (equipment that does exactly what you want when you want it to) which will ultimately let you capture the image you have in mind.

PVia · Oct 31, 2009

Read what Domenico says above...absolutely right!

And as I (and Lance Armstrong) always say, "It's not about the bike."

snegron · Oct 31, 2009

eddym said:
Bullshit. The only thing that will "improve your chances of nailing the shot" is shooting and shooting and shooting and shooting until you know whatever camera you presently own (forget about the one you "need"!) so well that you can "nail the shot" under any conditions or circumstances.

This requires a little self-analysis. Make up your mind what you want to shoot and learn how to shoot that and forget about shooting anything else. If I wanted to shoot birds and wildlife, I would know I need to invest in expensive long and fast lenses. But I don't want to shoot birds, so long and fast lenses, no matter how cool or sexy they might look in a catalog or on a dealer's shelf, do not interest me in the least. I know what I want to shoot, so I invested in what I need to shoot that, and now I don't want or need anything else.

If you are a collector of photo equipment, then that's another story.

Ok, so let me see if I understand your point. What you are saying is that if I "shoot and shoot and shoot" with the present camera I have I will become familiar enough with it to nail the shot "under any circumstances"? Ok, so then if I have a Nikon F3HP with a 105mm 2.5 AIS lens I will be able to "nail the shot" everytime so long as I shoot and shoot and shoot with it; practice with it until I know it very well?

Ok Eddy, here is my dillema. I have been using my F3 with 105mm lens since 1983. That it a total of 26 years. I am not saying that the camera was made 23 years ago, I am saying that I have been using the same camera and lens for 26 years. Does that qualify me for "knowing one particular camera"? I recently shot a night football game. There is no way I could have achieved great results with just that one F3 and the one 105mm 2.5 lens. I had to use my D200 with grip and an 80-200mm 2.8 AF-D lens on a monopod in order to nail the shots.

A few weeks ago I took my kids to a park with water rides. I would have taken my F3 with 105mm 2.5 lens, but I felt that taking my "experimental" little Lumix TS-1 waterproof camera would enable me to "nail the shot" without ruining my gear. Having used an F3 for the past 26 years I can tell you first hand that they are rugged but not waterproof.

Now let's talk a bit about AF vs. manual focus. I have gotten many nice shots throughout the years with my F3 and 35mm 2.0 AIS lens. I have also gotten many out of focus shots beacause the action was too fast for me on occasions. I have been able to nail quick action shots with my F100 and 35mm 2.0 AF-D lens that I know I would never have been able to with my F3. Does this mean that the F100 suites me better than my F3? Not necessarily. There have been times when my F100 will not AF on a particular subject because of lack of contrast issues; times when only the split image prism of my F3 will work.

I can't subscribe to your idea of "make up your mind what you want to shoot and learn how to shoot that and forget about shooting anything else". That seems a bit too narrow-minded for my taste. This is photography (an art form) we are talking about, not bootcamp. We grow by learning and experimenting. It's about expression, not supression.

snegron · Oct 31, 2009

PVia said:
Read what Domenico says above...absolutely right!

And as I (and Lance Armstrong) always say, "It's not about the bike."

I will believe you when I see Lance winning the Tour de France on a store-bought, off-the-shelf Shwinn instead of his $10,000.00 custom-made Trek!

Equipment Accumulation vs. Using Equipment

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