In order to get into the physical positions you sometimes need to get into to capture the photograph you're after, you sometimes need to take a deep breath and remember that you're a serious photographer. If you make a total ass of yourself while trying to get this shot, that sort of humiliation just comes with the territory. (Well, I need to reassure myself, anyway. At least, I did when I climbed under this bridge and balanced precariously and awkwardly to take this photo.)
Pretending to be a semi-serious photographer in a world of enthusiastic amateurs (while waving around a highly amateur camera and trying to ignore the fact that my own status is "enthusiastic amateur" at best) is a tricky business.
It's funny. Last year, when I bought my Fuji S700, part of the reason I bought it was for its snazzy looks... so that people would look at my gear and not automatically say, "What kind of a loser tries to take serious artistic photos with THAT kind of a camera?" This year, while I still think the Fuji S700 is one of the best-looking point-and-shoots out there (and I still love the fact that its 10x optical zoom is internal), there's no denying that EVERYONE and his dog has a digital camera. And uses it to take attempts at artsy photos. I see people with pretty fancy cameras--DSLRs, lens hoods, the whole deal--and I think to myself, "Huh. I'll bet they're an AMATEUR. Pfft." (Which is of course ridiculous because I myself am as amateur as they come.) It's not until I see huge 100-mm lenses that I start believing the photographer might be a professional.
But even professionals are using point-and-shoots now. A journalist for the Asbury Park Press came to one of my band rehearsals to take some photos of the group; she was using either a Fuji S700 or its Canon or Olympus or other brand equivalent. Whatever it was, it was not a DSLR. And those photos made it into the weekly version of the paper and onto the website.
I'm not sure what it just goes to show you, but I'll bet it's something important.
Date: April 2008
Where/What: bridge over Spring Lake's lake
Camera: Fuji S700
Shutter: 1/50
Aperture: f 3.5
ISO: 200
Listening to: It Only Takes a Moment (Hello Dolly)
Thankful for: dachshunds
2 comments:
I think it's more important to have a good eye than a good camera. Without the first one you only make lousy photos. At least if you're not very lucky.
I of course agree with hpy.
On my recent trip, I saw a woman with a gigantic, I mean HONKING, telephoto lens. It was much longer than my forearm and the outermost segment could easily swallow a large grapefruit. But even she didn't seem very professional to me. I am sure the best photographers there were milling about with inconspicuous cameras.
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