And this is exactly how I feel every time someone makes this comment. Like MCP and many of the bloggers that commented, a camera is solely a tool. Yes, there are people out there that can simply snap great images. But it takes talent to consistently create amazing images using composition. Is it easier to achieve Bokeh? Yes. Can a better sensor pick up more detail? Yes. Does that make everyone with a DSLR a photographer? No. Anyone can shoot in Auto mode. To quote one commenter, "Did people admire Julia Child for her oven?" No. Hey, I own a ton of pencils and paint, but that doesn't make me a fine artist. Matter of fact, Daddy would be so proud if he knew that the caliper he gave me makes me an Engineer. Are you with me? When I used to shoot with film, I worked with infrared film. I preferred Black and White infrared because I could develop and handle it, as working with color infrared meant I would have to send it out for other people to do my finish work. And that is precisely why I no longer shoot BW infrared—the lack of access to a darkroom requires I send out my film. That, and the fact that infrared film is $$$. Anywho, the camera I used was a Nikon FM10. The most basic, fully-manual SLR. To answer why, I once shot a wedding, and the uncle with his "Mac Daddy" Canon came over and asked me what I use. He made snide comments about my camera, to which I told him, "My camera can do anything that yours can. The difference is that mine doesn't have an auto setting." I still don't think he understood. Part of being a professional at anything is fully understanding what you are doing and how to use all your tools. I own plenty of wrenches, and while I have more understanding of vehicles than most women, there's a reason you don't find me fixing them. (Hint: read my last post). So to sum this all up, it's not the camera that takes great images. And yes, I want to wring a neck every time I hear how my camera takes great photos. I have, after all, won awards for photography.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Photographic Mama, better explained...
Some of you may or may not know, this past Christmas, the Husband gave me a Nikon D60, my first Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera. The rest of the story is that I sold my traditional (read: 35 mm film) SLR on ebay to further finance a DSLR. One of my goals when we moved up here was to get back into photography and shoot more often. After all, I minored in photography in college. Now, I'm trying to remind myself to take my camera with me everywhere. That's always been my biggest problem. Life happens, and I don't have my camera to chronicle it. Now, I was hopping around the blogosphere and found MCP Actions, specifically the post of which I swiped borrowed this: 
And this is exactly how I feel every time someone makes this comment. Like MCP and many of the bloggers that commented, a camera is solely a tool. Yes, there are people out there that can simply snap great images. But it takes talent to consistently create amazing images using composition. Is it easier to achieve Bokeh? Yes. Can a better sensor pick up more detail? Yes. Does that make everyone with a DSLR a photographer? No. Anyone can shoot in Auto mode. To quote one commenter, "Did people admire Julia Child for her oven?" No. Hey, I own a ton of pencils and paint, but that doesn't make me a fine artist. Matter of fact, Daddy would be so proud if he knew that the caliper he gave me makes me an Engineer. Are you with me? When I used to shoot with film, I worked with infrared film. I preferred Black and White infrared because I could develop and handle it, as working with color infrared meant I would have to send it out for other people to do my finish work. And that is precisely why I no longer shoot BW infrared—the lack of access to a darkroom requires I send out my film. That, and the fact that infrared film is $$$. Anywho, the camera I used was a Nikon FM10. The most basic, fully-manual SLR. To answer why, I once shot a wedding, and the uncle with his "Mac Daddy" Canon came over and asked me what I use. He made snide comments about my camera, to which I told him, "My camera can do anything that yours can. The difference is that mine doesn't have an auto setting." I still don't think he understood. Part of being a professional at anything is fully understanding what you are doing and how to use all your tools. I own plenty of wrenches, and while I have more understanding of vehicles than most women, there's a reason you don't find me fixing them. (Hint: read my last post). So to sum this all up, it's not the camera that takes great images. And yes, I want to wring a neck every time I hear how my camera takes great photos. I have, after all, won awards for photography.
And this is exactly how I feel every time someone makes this comment. Like MCP and many of the bloggers that commented, a camera is solely a tool. Yes, there are people out there that can simply snap great images. But it takes talent to consistently create amazing images using composition. Is it easier to achieve Bokeh? Yes. Can a better sensor pick up more detail? Yes. Does that make everyone with a DSLR a photographer? No. Anyone can shoot in Auto mode. To quote one commenter, "Did people admire Julia Child for her oven?" No. Hey, I own a ton of pencils and paint, but that doesn't make me a fine artist. Matter of fact, Daddy would be so proud if he knew that the caliper he gave me makes me an Engineer. Are you with me? When I used to shoot with film, I worked with infrared film. I preferred Black and White infrared because I could develop and handle it, as working with color infrared meant I would have to send it out for other people to do my finish work. And that is precisely why I no longer shoot BW infrared—the lack of access to a darkroom requires I send out my film. That, and the fact that infrared film is $$$. Anywho, the camera I used was a Nikon FM10. The most basic, fully-manual SLR. To answer why, I once shot a wedding, and the uncle with his "Mac Daddy" Canon came over and asked me what I use. He made snide comments about my camera, to which I told him, "My camera can do anything that yours can. The difference is that mine doesn't have an auto setting." I still don't think he understood. Part of being a professional at anything is fully understanding what you are doing and how to use all your tools. I own plenty of wrenches, and while I have more understanding of vehicles than most women, there's a reason you don't find me fixing them. (Hint: read my last post). So to sum this all up, it's not the camera that takes great images. And yes, I want to wring a neck every time I hear how my camera takes great photos. I have, after all, won awards for photography.
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