As I often get questions about which gear should be used and what is really needed to become a good photographer I thought to share with you my opinion on this.

I will never deny that having great lenses and a good camera can help a lot to achieve good results but I believe it is essential to make an important consideration.

If we check the definition of Photography in wikipedia we read: ‘Photography is the art, science, and practice of creating pictures by recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or electronic image sensors.’

It sounds quite technical I know, and you start thinking to buy the best camera and lens to achieve decent results.

I suggest instead to stop at the word ‘art’.

There are photographers that know very well how to use their camera settings but they don’t let go their creative side and in this way their photos show simply the reality as it is, and sometimes reality can be very flat.

I personally prefer to rely not only on my technical skills but also and mostly on my creative side to bring some magic in my images, creating something unique. This is art photography and in this how I can highlight in my images the beauty of things, from clothes, to people, to nature, actually everything!

Don’t get me wrong I am not saying you don’t have to know the technical aspect of photography.

I think indeed that the sooner you become friend of your camera, the sooner you will be free to let go your creativity and get great shots. Without creativity instead your images would be technically speaking correct but they would look like images that anybody else could take.

So where to start?

My suggestion is to take time to study your camera in all its settings and then go in the field and try. If you would go to shoot when you don’t now anything about your camera settings, most likely you would be disappointed by the results and feel discouraged.

Try instead to shoot when you have a certain level of knowledge. You will still do mistakes but you will be able to understand and learn from them, achieving better results.

If you follow this approach you will eventually come to the point where it doesn’t matter too much which gear you have in your hands. Your creative side will be the one leading the scene allowing you to “feel” rather than to “think” how to take a photo and that is when you will start seeing the magic appearing in your photos!

Ivan Begala