I’m riding shotgun down a two lane highway in Maine on my way to camp with extended family on the coast.
So this post is an experiment in iPhone technology. I plumbed the depths of my iPhone library – recently purged of photos in order to make room for this trip. Luckily, I found one appropriate for posting. It was from a visit to The Modern in Ft. Worth awhile back.
I’ve been seeing a meme going around recently where two pictures are next to each other. Each photo is of the same scene with similar cameras, one taken by a professional photographer and one not. The purpose of the comparison is to show that it’s not the equipment but the person behind the camera that makes a photo great.
Along the same lines, I once saw a post where a photographer gave her camera to a non professional and had them make some portraits and then she made some portraits of the same subject, in the same area. The resulting images again showing the difference between a professional and an amateur photographer.
I think these are interesting posts and images. Do they seem a little defensive? Perhaps, but photography is one of those professions that seems deceptively easy and is very subjective.
We all know it when we see a good photograph but we all may not recognize when we see a bad one or just a blah one. Especially if it’s a photo that we made and the subject matter contains a loved one.
And the ability to recognize a good photo is just one of many skills a photographer needs. There is the physical demands of hauling around 25-50 pounds of camera equipment while you watch the light, think about exposure, settings, and decide what lens would work best, what angle would be most interesting, whether or not you should climb up on that ledge or lay down in that ditch to get the best shot, all the while keeping an engaging conversation going with your subjects and directing them where they need to be.
It takes a lot of training, practice, physical effort, social skill, patience, passion and nerve to be a professional photographer.
And yes, good equipment.
But what I think these posts and photos are missing is the fact that a professional photographer can make great photos with any equipment.
So today’s Miscellaneous Monday’s photo is one I took with my iPhone.
And I have to say, those iPhones make pretty good photos. 😉
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I’m also using the WordPress app on my phone to write this post. I’m not sure what this post will look like. So please bear with me if there are any weird things or strange iPhone autocorrects.
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