Hello ,
First, a heads up on the term “real camera” I’ll be using in this email. I’m using the term “real camera” because it’s the usual lingo to describe a more complex camera. But to be clear, the cameras on our phones are real cameras, too, just less complex.
And on top of that, I think the cameras on our phones are, in a lot of ways, fine for making pictures.
Yeah, they don't have the image quality, file size, or the bunch of functions we get with bigger and more complex cameras, but the technical specs of a camera aren't important in producing. uniquely creative work.
How It Begins
I think nowadays, our first exposure (no pun intended)
to making pictures is by using the camera on our phone. If we enjoy photography, we probably think of getting a real camera.
We Get a “Real Camera”
So we get the real camera, meaning a
mirrorless or DSLR, and our mind boggles over the level of functionality and settings.
We’re overwhelmed
and confused about the exposure and focusing modes, not to mention the buttons and dials and the menus that spiral us into the camera technology abyss.
We want to give it our best try, but we discover we have no idea what we’re doing, so we set the camera to fully automatic. And at that point, we’re using our new, highly functional camera that puts the world of composition possibilities within our reach not much differently than we used the camera on our phone.
Granted, the image quality and size we get are technically better and bigger, but we still think our pictures aren’t what we want them to be.
The
Crossroads of Our Evolution
This is an excellent place to be. We’ve come to a crossroads. We can give up on using the real camera and go back to using the camera on our phone. Or maybe we sell the real camera. Maybe we set it aside
because we think that one day, we’ll get around to learning how to use it to its fullest potential. Or we can keep using the real camera and evolve as photographers.
We can also evolve creatively with the camera on our phone, but we just need to understand that the technical limitations of our camera will limit our use of techniques available in mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
Guidance From a Photographer Who’s Been There
Based on personal experience, my guidance is to don't give up if we really like photography. And don’t put the real camera aside for the future. It’s a good idea to keep using the real camera and evolve as photographers. Or, at the very least, learn to operate the camera on our phones thoughtfully and intentionally by learning
to think like a photographer.
If we’re feeling ambitious, this is what I suggest doing. Use the real
camera, even if in fully automatic exposure mode. We should make all the pictures we feel inclined to make.
Maybe we take pictures with both the camera on our phone and the real camera.
Whatever our approach when using our cameras, especially our real camera, It’d be good practice to note where we struggle or get stuck.
Those notes are the map for us to evolve as photographers. It’s an opportunity to understand what we don’t know and what we need to learn to get to where we’d like to be as photographers.
Once we get to that point, we might start looking at “how to” videos online or reading books, and maybe at some point, we start looking for a good teacher.
A good teacher is worth it. A good teacher listens and understands what we need to learn to get to where we want to be. A good teacher should teach us camera operation, composition, and light.
But while finding a good teacher is a good idea, if we don’t do our part by studying and practicing, we fall short of who we aspire
to be as photographers. In other words, we’ve got to practice what the teacher showed us to study.
We learn
and become better by doing.
That’s all for today; thanks for reading!
And be sure to make at least one picture today.
Sam
