Photography Tips: Keep It Simple

I figured it would be best to get the gear situation out of the way right up front. After all, the first thing we do is “grab our gear” and “head out the door,” which is what we are about to do, or better yet, what we have already done….

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

Okay, good news first. Today, in the wild and wooly world of technology we have a multitude of choices when it comes to gear. The bad news? We have a multitude of choices when it comes to gear. When I think about the photographers that are most interesting to me, or those that are most significant in the history of photography, they are people who were painfully simple when it came to gear.

The best equipment is the equipment you don’t have to think about. Think about that…
I use the same cameras I’ve used for YEARS. For my Leica, I own exactly two lenses, a 35mm and a 50mm. They are light, small, simple and unobtrusive. For the Hasselblad, I own exactly two lenses, but use the 80mm about 99% of the time. So what does this mean? It means that when I “grab my gear” and “head out the door” I don’t have to spend any time thinking about what I’m going to use. And when I’m actually working I don’t have to waste time thinking about, or looking at, my equipment.

If you are on the technology treadmill, in some ways you will limit yourself simply by having to study your gear more than you study your subjects. Find something you love and stick with it. The new version isn’t always better. My cameras are decades old and I’m doing just fine. Think one body one lens.