Buying a digital camera is the first step to becoming a better photographer
A common photo-rookie error is to think that once you have purchased that brand new digital camera you are going to start taking great photos. Following that same logic, many people think, the more money they spend on a camera the better their photos will be.
I got some bad news (and some good news.) Good photography is made by good photographers. No amount of deluxe camera equipment will matter if you do not have skills. Now the good news photography is a set of skills that are learnable and need to be practiced.
My mantra, that is often repeated in my photography workshops is “It is not the camera, It’s the photographer”.
Purchasing a camera is the beginning of the process, not the end for being able to create good photos. Our digital cameras are remarkable tools for personal and creative expression but they require some effort to master and use well. Invest the time and effort into learning how to make quality photos and you will be richly rewarded.
Creative photography is best produced in deliberate manner. Carefully observing your environment, finding visual opportunities is the name of the game. Knowing your camera and the tools it has for image making, is how you translate those observations. Photography, the craft of image making, requires practice and experience to master. No musician made it to Carnegie hall without practice and no photographer produced great images without the same commitment.
My point is not to discourage the new digital photographer. Rather, I want them to embrace the challenge and build their creative abilities.unities is the name of the game. Knowing your camera and the tools it has for image making, is how you translate those observations. Photography, the craft of image making, requires practice and experience to master. No musician made it to Carnegie hall without practice and no photographer produced great images without the same commitment.
The fact that photography provides an infinite learning opportunity is one of the reasons I most attracted to this profession. I vividly recall my first experience of watching a print develop before my eyes in a darkroom tray. At that moment (in 1972!) it occurred to me I would never be bored with photography, that if I did it every day for 100 years I will still have plenty to learn and practice. For me that insight was not daunting, it was inspirational.!
Thirty five years later I still work at my craft and practice new skills. That commitment to quality image making has been richly rewarded and I still have another 65 years to go before I discover if assumption was correct!
If you want to learn from my experience and get some guidance on becoming a better digital photographer attend one of my photography workshops or photo tours. Sign-up to receive my email notices about the workshops (see form on right sidebar) or contact me at info@testoftimephoto.com
