We’ve all heard the pro-artist/anti-camera industry marketing’s spiel that you can’t buy your way to becoming a better photographer.
The essence of the
Put a $35 plastic camera in the hands of an real artist and you’ll probably see some amazing and compelling images.
Photography comes down to seeing. It’s the artist’s vision PLUS technical skills that brings out the best photography. It takes time, dedication, passion, more time and a lot of hard work to achieve a great body of work.
But that said, it doesn’t mean spending money can’t help you improve your photography. Here are some ways spending money can actually help you improve your photography.
- Invest in better equipment. Equipment doesn’t make the photographer see any better but it can help you achieve your goals. Better equipment means sharper lenses, more dynamic range and better low life capabilities. Better equipment helps you pull off an image in less than perfect conditions. Just about any camera can create great images on a sunny day. Better equipment helps you capture great images in less than perfect conditions.
- Spend money on travel. More interesting images are made when you are standing in front of interesting things. Travel makes one a more rounded individual and this shows through in one’s photographs. Explore your neighborhood, your state, the country
and the world. Meet new people and exchange ideas. Expand your worldview and it will be reflected in your images. - Invest in your education. Attend a workshop or art class. Get input from other photographers. You might learn a few tricks or get another idea of how to see the world. Everyone has a unique view of life, the more you experience photography through other people’s lens, the better.
- Buy magazines and books – not just on photography but on travel or art history. Look at popular magazines and try to guess how the photographs were captured. You can learn to see from other photographers and artists.
- Buy museum tickets. Break out of the idea that photography can only be about pretty landscape photos. See what past and present fine art photographers and artists are expressing at the museum level.
- Buy a prime lens. Put that zoom lens in storage and buy a 35mm or 85mm lens and live with it for a few months. Learn to see the world from a fixed focal length and see the effect it has on your photography.
- Buy prints of your work. Or buy a printer and learn the art of printing. Hang your work on the wall and live with it for a while. After a few weeks does it still have an impact on you or is it not really as good as you thought?
- Create and buy a book of your photographs. Arrange your work around a theme and create a book. This will force you to think in series or work with a specific subject.
- Invest time and money in post-processing software. Capturing the image in
camera is just the first step towards the final image. Learning to use post-processing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop is where the artist can apply their vision to the final image.