Photographic Equipment

As some might have noticed on the photoblog, I’m back taking pictures again – abeit at a much slower rate than before. Truthfully, I’ve managed to reach a new part the cycle of photographic equipment insanity. Common wisom is that novice photographers go through several stages of gadget lust before getting to a point where they start actually trying to make good photos. These stages appear to be:

1. Cameras Everybody wants to believe that whiz-bang camera features will let them take “good” photos. “Clearly the antiquiated junk I’ve been using is worthless in the light of the latest and greatest new technology!”. Yup, Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange clearly needed 8 fps, auto-focus, and computer-contolled exposure to be successful.
2. Lenses Once it becomes clear that camera bodies aren’t the magic ingredient, many turn to buying expensive glass to improve their shots. I mean who’s photography wouldn’t improve with 10x zoom, f/1.0 and image stabilization. (Hint: see some of the names above) Latter parts of this phase probably include an infatuation with available light.
3. Tripods “Clearly good, available light photos require longer exposure times, a tripod will minimize camera shake and therefore my images will improve”, or at least that’s how the rationalization goes. I have to admit this was one of the less painful (ie. expensive) phases of photogear addiction
4. Lights Well if I want to record light (the purposes of photographic equipment), maybe I should be proactive about controlling light. I’m told that this is a pretty reasonable place to be all things considered.
5. (I’ll let you know if/when I get there.)

At the beginning of the 2006 I owned preciesly one portable electronic flash. Since then, I’ve managed to obtain three more, associated stands, reflectors, and accessories. Some of the new gear was used to create the latest self-portrait, and hopefully future images will benefit from the added equipment soon.

I also want to point out that I’ve been reading David Hobby’s Strobist blog, dedicated to promoting “more effective use of small, shoe-mount flashes“. David is a professional photographer whose work appears in the Baltimore Sun, and his advice in the blog has inspired me to step up my game, luminally speaking.