I'm clearly not saying this well. I keep saying the equivalent of "A
good photographer can take advantage of better equipment" and folks
keep translating it to "good equipment will make you a better
photographer." To be clear, I think the former statement is obvious,
I think the latter is usually wrong, and there is a clear difference
between the the two. If a good photographer can take advantage of
better equipment, then equipment clearly matters because they will
take the trouble to buy it. To use the car example, this is like
saying, "you are a fine race car driver so you should be able to set a
track record in a Ford Fiesta instead of a an F1 racer". Or going
into the kitchen of Chef Antoine and telling him he is a fool for
buying the best cookware when a chef of his caliber clearly doesn't
need it.
Every photographer is stuck with the skills they have at that moment.
The skills I might acquire in the future through practice are not
available to me today. Therefore, for each photographer, the major
remaining variable is quality of the equipment. A really good
photographer can get good pictures with inferior equipment. Chances
are he/she would do even better with better equipment.
I admit folks, I fail to see why this idea is so controversial. The
best photographers often buy the best equipment. Maybe they can
overcome inferior equipment, but I simply point out that very few of
them bother to take this route.
On Sun, Jan 30, 2011 at 3:12 AM, Boris Liberman <bori...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 1/27/2011 7:03 PM, Steven Desjardins wrote:
>>
>> My real objection is generalizations like "equipment doesn't matter".
>> For some shots it doesn't matter and for some it does. My opinion is
>> that for a great majority it does make a difference. Better equipment
>> is far less likely to be inappropriate for a particular photographic
>> situation than lousy equipment.
>
> Steven, I am thinking of the following /almost/ real life situations:
>
> 1. Somebody talking to Picasso - "Maestro, your brushes have most wonderful
> strokes in them".
>
> 2. Someone talking to Ferdinand Porsche - "Sir, the steering wheel of your
> cars is so round, I cannot help but drive faster".
>
> 3. Someone talking to (well choose whatever haut couture grand master you
> wish) - "Your needles make so wonderfully beautiful clothes"...
>
> I hope you catch my drift, Steve.
>
> Equipment, IMO (not so humble) does matter only if the one who uses it knows
> exactly what they are doing. I cannot draw like Picasso or drive like well
> known Stig or even cook like chief Ramsey no matter what canvas or race
> track or kitchen you would put in front of me. Now, it will take great deal
> of self-understanding and self-honesty to realize and admit that there is a
> limit to the gear one is going to use to one's benefit whereas above that
> limit it won't be for the quality of the outcome, but for other reasons -
> that of collectible factor, that of social status, that of pleasure of using
> ("buttery smooth focusing ring" epithets come to mind), etc.
>
> Boris
>
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