There have been several times where people see my work and exclaim, "wow! What a beautiful shot! I really want your camera!" To say the least, it bothers me. Sadly, some are under the impression that a nice camera is what makes the photographer. When I complained to one of my mentors about how this comment upset me, he calmly reassured me, "It is not the violin, it is the violinist,".
I have seen a couple of people walk around with polaroid instant cameras and the shots they take are beautiful!
It really bothers me when people give all the credit to the camera as if all of my reading, frustration, advice-asking, more research and experimenting were completely unnecessary. It's like admiring Picasso's work and saying, "Wow! I want your brushes!" Photography is art. Would you wear a pair of Air Jordan's and proclaim yourself a professional basketball player? Would you tell the Beatles that you want their microphone and instruments? No!
I received this email today and it made me smile, "Camera quality is 20% of photography, the talent of the photographer is the rest!" Under the signature was, "Your camera does not define the type of photographer you are." Perfect.
What is so beautiful about photography is that you can work with what you have. If you have the eye/passion for it, that's all that matters. Having the enthusiasm for photography is worth so much more than people realize.
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