I recently started to check out my newly arrived Canon 5D Mark II. I’ve heard comments from various people that they can’t wait to see what pictures it produces. I’m reminded all the time of the uninformed perception that the camera makes the picture. We’ve all head it an it can be annoying as it devalues your photographic talents.
I dug out the image below which is a scan of a drawing my wife had made for me when she was in Thailand a couple of years ago.
It illustrates the result of the following exchange: A photographer is invited over to a friends house for dinner. He brought along some of his pictures to show. The hostess commented that the pictures were great… “you must have a nice camera”. The photographer bit his tongue and didn’t say anything. As he was leaving after the dinner he thanked the cook for the wonderful dinner and commented that she must have some “nice pots”. The cook was none too pleased to hear that!
The moral here is that the camera is just a tool. I could shoot 80+% of my images with just about any camera. The finer the tool the more control and functionality it provides. However, it does nothing to help an unskilled photographer take better pictures. No camera can fix someone’s inability to compose a decent image. Composition and light are the keys to making a great picture.
Hey Doug, I am guilty of the above. I’ve always thought the quality of a camera would make/break a good picture. I have do doubt of your talent…your photographs are always amazing. Thanks for setting the record straight…!