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And if you want more photography stuff to read, there's a place on the interwebs where past emails I wrote are stored. You'll find 'em in the "Newsletter Hub."

Remember, I'd like to know what you want to know about photography. So, if you have any questions, email me at sam@samdamico.com. And for what it's worth. When you send me an email, unless someone's lookin' over my shoulder, I'm the only one that sees it.

The cameras we choose are important because they help us do the work we wanna do.

But there's a lotta cameras out there, so how do we know which cameras will help us become better photographers?  

Our situation is what should drive our decisions.

What I mean by our situations in this case is whether we know what we're doing as photographers.

Specifically, do we understand the cause-and-effect relationship between camera operation, composition, and light?

If we do, that's great because our understanding is crucial in making informed camera buying decisions.

When we understand, we know exactly which camera we need to help us do our work more efficiently and effectively.

We'll also know what will help us best when looking for a new camera because we understand our situation.

For example, back in the long-ago days when I was frequently working as a professional photojournalist, my pictures didn't come out the way I composed them in the viewfinder because the viewfinder showed me less than I was getting on my images.

In other words, no matter how attentive I was to the framing and content of my compositions, I always got more than I included in my viewfinder; this was annoying, to say the least.

After digging into the specs in the owner's manual for the camera I was using, I learned that the viewfinder wasn't showing me everything I was recording from edge to edge onto the light-sensitive material recording the photograph.

In this case, the light-sensitive material was 35mm film.

I understood the situation regarding the camera I was working with and purchased a new one that offered a hundred percent viewfinder coverage, which showed me exactly what I was getting from edge to edge in the photographs I made.

The one hundred percent viewfinder coverage, which shows the entire image I'm recording, was, and still is, important to me because I want to get my cropping and everything related to composition done in camera on the first go.

My situation as a photojournalist required that because there are no do-overs regarding news.

I was able to make smart decisions because I understood what I was doing when it came to camera operation, composition, and light, as well as the requirements of the work I was doing and how I wanted to do it; knowing my situation guided me toward the right choice of camera.

But if we don't understand all or some of our situations, we can make a bad decision when purchasing a camera.

So, before we purchase a camera that is more than we need in terms of functionality and budget, we should understand our situation.

Otherwise, we risk buying the newest camera that the manufacturers and biased sources are hyping and being disappointed by our purchase because we made a decision based on not fully understanding our situation as photographers.

Alternatively, we can invest in something that will allow us to understand photography and what camera we need to do the work we wanna do.

Our understanding of our photography should guide our camera buying decisions, not the hype or the latest trends.

Remember, the situation isn't in charge; we are.

The best situation we can be in is understanding how to use our cameras confidently and intentionally.

The Introduction To Photography class starts soon. 
  
More ways to study and practice photography with me are below.

Call me if you need help determining the best course for you.

I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with me. 

Currently scheduled classes are below.

Smaller classes mean better learning, so class sizes are limited to 5 participants plus me.

But smaller classes also mean spots fill up quicker, so sign up soon. 

And what if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes? Private in-person lessons suited to your schedule are always an option.

And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture daily.