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YOUR CAMERA TAKES GREAT PICTURES : PART 1
07.31.2008

A few weeks ago a groomsman approached me at a wedding and said, "I looked at your website and WOW, your camera takes great pictures! What kind of camera do you use?".

This remarkable comment (I get it in some version or other quite frequently) is interesting on so many levels. Did he actually think the camera took the pictures on my website all by itself? That I was simply an accessory to the camera? That the camera understands lighting, exposure, and composition? That the camera knows how to elicit emotions from its subjects?

I find it amusing that much of the general public believes that gear is a primary factor in the quality of a photographer's images. Curiously, this misperception appears to be isolated to photography. I've never heard it said that Yo Yo Ma is a great musician because he has a great cello (he plays a Domenico Montagnana, built in 1733). Was William Shakespeare a great writer because he had a nice quill? Not that I think I'm photography's version of Yo Yo Ma or Shakespeare, but you get the idea.

And you know what? It's not just the general public that overestimates the importance of gear. I get lots of emails from photographers around the country - and most of their questions are about what gear I use!

This topic is something that I've been meaning to post about for quite some time. It's on the top of my mind again because of what happened at my latest wedding (see the post below this one), in which I shot much of the day with an obsolete camera that was originally designed and marketed for amateurs (the Canon 20D). The 20D is significantly inferior to Canon's cheapest entry-level dslr of today (the Rebel XS/1000D), yet I'm sure the camera didn't affect the quality of the images one way or another.

So for today's post, here's one of my favorite portraits of my Theresa and my little Charlie, taken just a few weeks ago. This image was taken with an old Canon Powershot point-n-shoot camera that's probably worth $10 on eBay. This camera sure takes great pictures, doesn't it?
  

 

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Paolo Visenio: Hi! I am commenting on your old blog "Your camera takes great pictures: part1" and there might have been a lot of followers who might have said this or perhaps you know it already. I think the the "public-overestimation-of-gear" phenomenon is pretty much isolated to photography because most people get better pictures (less noise, better colors, sharper, etc) with better gear - so they think!- but not get better sound with a better cello and obviously not a better novel using the most expensive pen in the world (or does it? LOL) (02/04/10, 06:14)     
Arun: Very well said Lauren... I read this on David duChemin .. Gear is Good. Vision is Better. You have the Vision :). Great work on your blog, very creative. All the best. Cheer´s +Arun (07/18/09, 09:56)     
Kip Beelman: Just read this and thought of you... Complimenting a photographer´s work by saying, "You must have a great camera" is like telling an award-winning chef, "You must have great pots and pans." (08/20/08, 06:02)     
Scott Roeben: I´m with you on this one, BUT I have to say that beyond composition and lighting and a million other things involved in capturing great images, one can´t deny the differences between good and bad glass, good and bad lighting equipment, etc. You´re absolutely right that even inferior tools, in the hands of an artist, can result in great work. But I´d submit that two images of the same thing, taken by one artist, using both good and bad equipment, can result in vastly different images. People give far too much credit to one´s gear, but I know my photos have gotten better with each new camera. I´m not sure I´ve gotten better, but the tools sure have. Thanks for the insights! I hear that "You must have a great camera" line, too. I always agree. Ark. (08/04/08, 04:09)     
Deyla: Hurray for you! well said and I completely agree with you. I get this question all the time and it urks me every time! It is not about the camera gear and flare that we use , it is how we use it and much of the eye of the person taking the photograph. Cheers! (08/01/08, 05:33)     
Jahangir : You just made it easy to undrestand by those examples .Any way you are amazing in photography and I am learning alot here . Thanks , Jahangir (08/01/08, 09:00)     
Bonnie Berry: Well said. I get this a lot too. And even if I take something good with a p&s I STILL get "Wow. What kind of camera is THAT?" (08/01/08, 08:27)     
Jason: great post Laurence. :)  (07/31/08, 11:50)     
Jon Marshall: So true.  I love that one and get it a lot.  Keep up the fantastic work Laurence.   (07/31/08, 10:00)     
kelli: Lol, great post!! I´ve had friends say "You´re pictures are so amazing! So much better than anything I could ever get with my camera" (from the wife) followed by "Well, yeah, look at her camera!" (from the husband).  It IS a tad more than just the camera.  I mean, I could be wrong, but I´m pretty sure.  And I think you just validated me :) (07/31/08, 05:14)     
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