Photos by Ray Potes
Cameras are tools. They are an important part of the craft for sure, but asking someone what their favorite hammer is or needle nose pliers is not really a good first question. If you just ate something delicious, you wouldn’t ask the chef which frying pan did they use. Maybe you would but I think it would come later in the conversation. “Excuse me, did you use a spatula or tongs on this?”
This post is sparked by the last post about people asking me which camera to buy. What is happening is that I have assumed everyone reading Hamburger Eyes is already obsessed with photography which is not true, some are just getting started. I think my new mission in life is to keep you obsessed if you are already, or get you obsessed if you are not.
Part of the obsession is chasing a certain quality or fidelity or feeling, chasing that secret sauce. So you experiment with different cameras and lenses. It’s fun and it is part of how you “develop” technique and skill and vision. I am not trying to say it’s not ok to ask, I am saying it’s not ok to not experiment for yourself.
Don’t worry, in a future post I will list cameras I have used, am using, and hoping to use in the future. These photos here are screenshots of my IG page (@rays_reports). These photos are a mix of old and new, shot with Samsung Galaxy 7, 8, 10e, Olympus TG6, Lumix GX85, Nikon A1000, Nikon D750, Nikon F100, Yashica T4, Fuji Natura Black, and maybe more that I can’t think of. I am still experimenting.
The point is it doesn’t matter, just get to shooting. Too expensive is not a good excuse, there are good finds at swap meets and thrift stores. And we have published photos from disposable cameras, broken cameras, plastic cameras, etc
2 responses to “Tools”
I think that most people these days seem to just want a ‘shortcut’ – ‘just tell me how can I make those photos’ – so when you suggest ‘experiment’ some don’t really care (time wasting – just tell me!), as experimenting means, trial and error in order to get something you ‘like’ (takes time). – Funny that we are living in a day and age, where camera manufacturers are not even making photo cameras anymore (because of cellphones and youtu… sorry ‘content creators’), yet the question remains – what camera do you use?
brilliant advice Ray – it doesnt matter!
Thank you Chris!! Yep, I think that is just it, we all want shortcuts but when it comes to photography, there isn’t one. Which is why we like it. Right?