Do You Feel Guilty about Buying Gear?

Shiloh School, one room. Children attended classes here from 1906-1929. It is located near the town of Kilmarnock in Northumberland County, Virginia.  (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T1; 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens @ 18mm; 1/350th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200

Allow me tell you a quick story to make my point.

I love photography.  I have loved it since my cousin gave me a Minolta Hi-Matic 7 fixed lens rangefinder camera in the spring of 1970.  I was a college student in the Cleveland, Ohio area.  My first outing with the camera came when I took it over to Cleveland's airport and photographed jets taking off and landing from the end of the runway.  I mean right at the end of the runway.  There was no airport security back then.  When I opened that envelope containing the 3.5" x 5" (~ 9 x 13 cm) prints from my first roll of film, I was absolutely taken back by what I saw.  Any photos I had made before that were snapshots.  These were photographs.  At that moment something happened to me and I fell in love with photography.  I have never lost that passion in all of my years since then.  From that day forward, photography has been a huge part of my life.

I loved the process of learning about shutter speeds, aperture settings, depth of field, film types and all other aspects of using my 'new-to-me' camera.  I read everything I could get my hands on about photography (no internet back then either) and with the little money I had, I bought all the photography magazines I could afford.  I looked at thousands of photographs over the years trying to learn what constituted a good photograph from one that wasn't so good.  In fact, I was so taken with photography that I sold all of my beloved audio gear I had worked so hard to buy the year before and bought a Minolta SR-T 101 with a 55mm f/1.7 Rokkor lens.  I still have it.  Still works.

I carried the SR-T 101 everywhere.  I  loved experimenting with the camera and learning how to see photographically.  I bought another lens, a Minolta 28mm f/3.5 Rokkor, to expand my capabilities.  As I progressed with learning photography, I wanted to also learn how to develop my film and make my own enlargements.  I built a darkroom.  I loved being in the darkroom testing, trying out different developers and different papers for my black and white film and prints.  I remember watching my first print come up in the developer. Still, today, I love the entire photographic process from finding a subject, to composing and making an image to editing, printing, matting, framing and hanging my own work on my walls.  

In my journey, I also fell in love with the tools of the trade.  I bought a large format camera as I was learning the Zone System.  A while later, I bought a medium format camera as I became dissatisfied with the quality 35mm black and white negatives gave me when making prints.  I've owned Nikon, Canon, Mamiya, Pentax, etc., etc.  I've owned point-and-shoot cameras, the best 35mm film cameras available at the time as well as medium and large format cameras.  Each was different.  Each taught me a different way of working and the required photographic technique and allowed me to become a better photographer.

Finally, several years ago, I figured out that not only do I love the creative side of photography, I love the technical side as well.  You know.  A left brain/right brain kind of thing.  I love the tools I use and I love the creative process.  My college education was mostly science.  I love science and technology.  I love art.  I love music.  Photography nicely marries the two for me.  A perfect pursuit for people like me.

I used to feel guilty when I bought photography gear.  Some would say the camera doesn't matter, it's the photographer.  Well, the camera does matter if it enables you to achieve your vision and make the images you strive to make.  You don't build a house with a tack hammer.  The right tools for the right job.  Overall there seems to be a bit of disdain for those who love the kit as much as the making photographs.  Why?  What's wrong with liking the tools you use to enable your art?  I'll tell you.  Nothing.

Here are some things to consider.

Is it a bad thing for an automobile enthusiast to like both driving as well as obsessing over his or her custom hot rod or automobile?  No one criticizes them.

What about the sailor who loves to sail but buys and appreciates various sailing vessels?

How about the writer who not only liked to write but sought out and loved to use fine typewriters?

Or the painter who loves to create but loves to buy and try a wide variety of brushes?

Don't forget the rock musician who loves music but obsesses over and plays his or her collection of many, many guitars?

You get my point.

There is nothing wrong with someone who doesn't care a hoot about which camera he or she uses.  Their goal is just to make photographs.  They just want to shoot, not even edit.  There is nothing wrong with the individual who loves, collects cameras and fine optics.  He or she may never use them but they appreciate the carefully crafted camera, highly engineered and manufactured by hand, in some cases.  Same with fine optics.  Also, there is nothing wrong with an individual who loves it all.  They love to shoot.  They love their cameras.  They love their lenses.  They love to get creative when editing their images.  They love everything about photography.

Don't feel guilty about buying gear.  Buy what you want or need.  In fact, I wish more of you would buy more gear to ensure the future of the camera companies.  Photography is to be enjoyed on many levels.  Don't let anyone convince you that you have to enjoy it only one way, their way and not your way.

I hope I never lose my passion for any part of photography.  It has brought so much pleasure to me for so many years that I would be lost without it being a part of my life.

Join me over at my website, www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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