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| Riding mules down the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon, AZ (click to enlarge) Olympus E-M5, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @39mm; ISO 200; 1/800th sec. @ f/5.6 |
Perhaps, alternatively, you find yourself scouring the camera reviews and looking at every little aspect of a newly introduced camera to see what features you deem "necessary" are or are not included, how many Fn buttons are on the body and examine every minute aspect of the camera?
Do you find yourself looking at lens reviews and mulling over in your mind whether to buy the newly introduced "Whiz-bang" 35mm f/1.4 or keep your older "Glasflex" 35mm f/1.4 because the newer, much more expensive lens has 3% more resolution in the extreme corners, focuses 0.005% faster and has a newly designed lens hood?
Do you find yourself obsessing over gear? Do you read what every "reviewer" has to say about the camera you already own, let alone one you might be considering, and worry whether or not you may have made a mistake buying your camera, although you are completely happy with it?
Do you find yourself scrutinizing images from different cameras on the internet trying to determine which has the "wee bit" more perceived resolution or which image's color looks closer to your taste? Do you get excited over the prospect of new gear coming out?
How much time do you spend engaging in these activities? How many hours a day or days a week do you worry over gear? If your answer is a lot, do you think you are spending much more time worrying about the gear you own or gear you want more than actually getting out and taking photographs?
If you engage in these kinds of gear related activities, you may have already figured out you may no longer really be a photographer "at heart" but a geeky gear head, obsessive/compulsive, micro-examining photo perfectionist instead. And...as many of us know, it is easy to fall into that gear-obsession trap. Many, many do. Gear is enticing, mesmerizing and exciting! But is gear lust why you got into photography in the first place?
After conducting too many tests on too many cameras over the past few months, I started questioning if I had lost my "photography focus", pun intended. That thought progressed to thinking that many of us have become obsessed with gear, relegating actual image making to a secondary endeavor. I asked myself if I had now taken an unintended detour and have gotten too wrapped up with gear, testing gear and obsessing over not being happy but with only technically perfect (or as perfect images) as can be possible? I ask you, can you be happy with the gear you have and the images you make with it or do you chase the "ghost" of technically perfect images by obsessing and buying new gear each time something new is introduced?
Don't get me wrong. There is plenty of room for all kinds of "photographers," from professionals all the way down the spectrum to those who lust over gear and only use it on occasion. But, at some point in time, you must ask yourself, why did you get into photography? What about photography makes you smile? What about photography gets your adrenaline flowing? Is it the gear? Is it the chase? Is it the editing of raw images into something special created out of your personal vision? Is it the entire process from hunting, finding, taking, editing, printing, framing and hanging your images? Everyone of us is different and we all will have different answers.
Have you accidently become a different type of photographer than what you originally intended? Do you obsess over gear much more than you should? Do you buy, sell, trade-in or trade-up when what you have has hardly been used and not even used to the point where you really know it? Do obsessively read photography blogs, news about photography gear? Do you hang on every bit of news from the big photography shows? Or do you spend your time looking at photographs to better understand what constitutes a good image? Do you spend your free time listening to interviews with photographers to try to get inside their heads to understand their motivation and their creative process? Maybe you are balanced somewhere on that spectrum of extremes. In any case, you need to make sure you are, photographically, where you want to be.
I am primarily left-handed which makes my right-brain dominant. That is supposed to be the artistic and abstract side of the brain. However, I'm somewhat ambidextrous and a very technically oriented person who has interests in particle physics, cosmology, archaeology, geology, technology, etc. (I have a university degree in geology, in fact) I guess my brain must be confused by the artistic/analytical nature of my interests! LOL
However, photography is a left-brain/right-brain activity for me. It satisfies my technical needs and my tendency to be methodical and precise in everything I do, but it also satisfies my need to be creative and produce something that evokes an emotion and a sense of accomplishment. I appreciate the technological aspects of the photographic gear I use, and also appreciate the ability to leverage that gear into emotion evoking images.
I try hard to balance those two conflicting but complementary needs. I like to read about what new developments camera manufacturers have in store for us. I like to upgrade to better gear so I can make better images, from at least a technical standpoint, and I like the excitement of trying out something new, on occasion.
However, I dove headlong into photography 45 years ago when I saw the first photographs I made come back from the photo lab. I didn't fall in love with photography when I took the pictures and handled the camera I was using, I fell in love with the images I made when I saw the finished product.
Nothing makes me happier (don't relay this to my wife!) than getting in my car, driving out through the country to explore and wander around in places I've never been to see what I can find photographically. I love the chase. I love looking for little bits of a vast scene before me of which I can make into an interesting image that almost everyone else passes by. I love finding something that evokes an emotion in me, whether awe, interest, or fascination. I then love to spend time exploring its potential, recording it in my camera in several different ways, then coming back to my office to artistically make what I can that is pleasing.
Here's my recommendation. If you're a gear head, good for you. Be the best gear expert you can be and become the "go-to" person for your friends in everything gear related. Be the person who can answer any questions. Don't listen to people who tell you you are wrong. It may be wrong for them, but right for you.
If you're a diehard photographer, good for you, too. If it is all about finding and capturing an emotion-evoking image, by all means spend as much time as you can pursuing those images so you can fulfill your inner desires. Don't let anyone tell you you're wrong.
If you like gear but also love to make images, great! Balance your pursuits between the two. Many do. There is plenty of room in this world for people all along the photographic spectrum.
For whatever reasons you love photography, jump into it with all of your heart. Don't go lazily forward. Give it your all. By all means, find your place in the photographic world and enjoy. It is a terrific passion, hobby, profession, pursuit and endeavor. Photography can be very rewarding and well worth your efforts.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis Mook
Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com. Please pay it a visit. I add new images regularly. Thank you.
All content on this blog is © 2013-2015 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.
Dennis, at our age, I think it's important to keep the neurons firing by any means available. For some, it's toys and for others, it's imagery. Whatever fires one's neurons and staves off the dementia is a good thing!
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