What kind of camera do you have?

Really? You want to know what camera I have? Aw.... I'm blushing.

But really - it doesn't matter. Why? Because it's not the camera that takes great (or poor) pictures. It is entirely the person behind the camera that's taking those great (or poor) pictures. (Okay - I'm going to be optimistic from now on... all the pictures are going to be great, right!?)

Think of your camera as a tool - a tool that records light, yes, but it isn't really any different from a piano or a hammer or a computer... All of these things help you (the wielder of the tool) do something. Can a better tool sometimes make your job easier? Yes. But the tool does not determine the final result - even if you might have had to work harder to get there.

The cameras of today are far superior to those fifty and more years ago, and yet the photographers of those eras took fantastic pictures, even given the limitations of the technology of the time. And, in a hundred years, I'm certain photographers will look back on us and say the same thing - that we took fantastic pictures, even given the limitations of our tools.

But picking up a fantastic camera doesn't guarantee a fanstastic picture. You as the photographer have to know the right settings to use, the right composition of the scene, how light works, etc., and then you've got to know how to post-process (develop) the image, and then figure out how to present it to your audience. All of those things are things you know - and the camera is only a small part of that equation. It can take fantastic pictures given the right inputs (from you), and it can take horrible pictures (again, given your input). (And there goes my optimism!)

So, regardless of the camera you have with you - even if it's a lowly camera phone - if you take the time to compose your image, use the right settings, light the scene effectively, etc., you can come out with a great shot. And if you find that you really want that big, expensive camera that you've been lusting after, then fine - but understand that it won't make you a better photographer - after all, that new camera is one more new tool you'll have to learn how to use effectively!

On this blog and in our workshops, we try not to aim our content at a specific type of camera. If you have a point-and-shoot, then the content in this blog should be of use to you. If you have a dSLR, then the content should be of use to you too. If you only have a camera phone, well - you might be a little more limited in your settings, but that doesn't mean you still can't learn something and take fantastic pictures with it.

And with that, our next learning blog post will be the start of a series on the basics of photography - something anyone can use regardless of the type of their camera! Hope to see you then!