Wow, you must have a great camera !!!!

I have been taking photographs , using a 35mm camera, since my teens. Then I had an Olympus OM10 , which used 35 mm film. It was a long process and you never knew if you had a good photograph until you went to the chemist, get your film developed and see the results of your endeavours.

Now for those of you who have not used a SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera , it. is not just a matter of point and shoot, as it is in a lot of modern camera’s. You have to know what type of film you are using ( How sensitive to light the film is) then select the shutter speed , and then set the aperture. So one this is done you then have to focus the lens on the subject or interest, and then take your photograph.

Having learnt my skill using my 35 mm film camera , I found it easier to transfer to the digital camera. I found that using the digital camera was a lot more satisfying, as I could see the photograph I had just taken on the digital display. I could see my mistakes and alter the setting (s) to get the picture I was looking for.

I had bought myself a Nikon D 40 , a great camera and I would highly recommend getting one if you want to start on your photography journey. When I retired I treated myself to a nice expensive Nikon camera, including several lenses and the Photoshop editing suite.

Now, getting a more expensive camera, does not make you a better photographer, or take better pictures, but it gives you more options and ways, and means to take the pictures you want. For example , more shutter speed settings, light sensitive settings ( DIN or ASA settings) The way I can explain to those of your who are not photography inclined. A car (Or automobile or my American cousins ) gets you from A to B, a cheap car does the same as a very expensive one, but, the expensive one has more options. If you are a bad driver, you will still be a bad driver in either the cheap or expensive car . If anything , the expensive car may show the weaknesses of the driver.

I hear my friends talk about how their phone has a camera with millions of Megapixels , and advertisements on the TV of the camera having lots of these wonderful megapixels . The truth is, no matter how many of these pixels you have if you. do not have a good sensor and a good lens, the photograph will be bad.

Having a great camera give your more options, and at the same time makes it easier to make mistakes. You can st the camera to automatic, so all you have to do is slightly press the shutter speed button, and it focuses and adjusts to the light.

The thing is, if all you had to do was point and and shoot, there would be little need for professional photographers. So it is never that simple. Now, don’t get me wrong, you can get great photographs from phone cameras, and from just point and shooting. However if you want to enlarge or blow up a photograph taken from a phone camera, you will see that the lack of a good sensor will show up and the enlarged photograph will be grainy , due to the amount of pixels in the photograph.

So, the composition, settings, depth of field , positioning of the subject on the frame , all comes into account, now to mention the photographer experience.

On several occasion now, (and the reason for this semi rant) when I have. Shown some friends my photographs, including some, I took of models in a studio, I get a response “Wow, great photographs, you must have a great camera”?

“Sorry” I say “Great camera”?????

“MMM” I say, “Next time you have a great meal, go to the chef and say, “The food was wonderful, you must have great pots and pans””

Or to an artist, “Wow , you must have great brushes and tools”

When I am walking around, I am always looking at things , people and objects and seeing how they will look in a camera lens.

So please , when you see a great photograph, compliment the photographer, not the camera.

Mini rant concluded.