Is it the Camera or the Photographer? Part One

As the magazine salesman said in Office Space, "That all depends". Sure, he was about to blackmail Peter and Samir because of something they'd said about money laundering, but the quote still applies here. :)

In other words, if you already own a camera of some sorts (and most of us do, what with camera phones, and point-and-shoots), then stick with it in the short term. My previous post outlined ways by which you can identify your strengths. Different types of photography require (or don't) specialized equipment:

I have many examples from my personal portfolio. I'll go through three at a time, until I've covered all of the topics.



This picture was taken before dark, and while I was standing still. What's also important is that my camera at the time could only handle 3 megapixels. You definitely don't need anything special for this shot.



Although this picture was taken in the middle of the day, I didn't need any special equipment because I was in the shade and used an angle that avoided harsh shadows and highlights. Nothing special for this shot is needed, either.



For this picture, I wish I'd had an SLR. Nighttime photography is very difficult with a camera phone or a simple camera, because nighttime is a less than ideal condition. This means that the camera is more sensitive to movement. You can also see a very harsh contrast between the lights and the darkness. If I'd used/owned a digital SLR, I would have been able to adjust my ISO - and I would used a tripod. Then, my picture would have been incredible. If you like nighttime photography, I'd strongly recommend an SLR.

More tomorrow!