You must have a great camera!
Posted in Photography Class | 15 Comments »
15 Comments »Once upon a time a photographer was invited to have dinner at the home of a nice couple. During dinner the wife comments to the photographer “Your pictures are beautiful. You must have a great camera.” The photographer nods politely.
After finishing dinner the photographer comments to the wife “That was a fine meal. You must have some great pots!
The more I (Katie) learn about photography, the more I realize that there is a lot that goes into taking a picture. It is probably more accurate to say a good photographer “makes” a picture instead of “takes” a picture. Composition, lighting, focus, subject matter, are only a few of the subjects a photographer needs to consider. Being willing to put effort into getting the best shot is what really separates the pros from the amateurs.
I’m an amateur who is spending time and energy to improve my skills. I’ve taken classes and read many books about photography. I’ve slowly invested in new equipment such as a DSLR camera, a tripod, and even a new lens. It seems that the harder I work though, the more people compliment my camera. That is why I loved the little story about the pots!
Now I will readily admit that it is easier to cook a gourmet meal in a well equipped kitchen. With a nicer camera you can also make more adjustments that might result in a better picture. In both cooking and photography, you need to understand the recipe and have a willingness to work and be creative in order to yield the best results.
Here’s a fun little exercise – I have 3 cameras that I use:
iphone
Nikon D40
Sony Cybershot 10.1 mega-pixels
(how did I take this picture you ask? With a very old digital camera that I no longer use. It is only 4 mega-pixels)
I decided to do an experiment. I thought it would be fun to compare the same shot from each of my three cameras. I set up a still life shot on my dining room table. I took a picture of the exact same subject, using the same lighting, while I was standing in the same position. I took each shot only seconds apart so there would be no difference other than the camera I used.
See if you can figure out which picture came from which camera. I’ll call this one experiment #1
I processed all 3 pictures the same way. I can see now that my angle was just a bit different on shot #2. Essentially, all 3 pictures are about the same but all of them were taken with different cameras. Care to venture any guesses? (I will reveal all at the end of the post.)
How about another set? Experiment #2
Which one is the iphone camera? The point and shoot Cybershot? The Nikon DSLR?
Ok, let’s do one last test: which one of these is the best shot? What camera did I use to get it? Experiment #3
Are you ready for the results? I want you to think about your answers before you scroll down to see what I reveal!
Answers:
Experiment #1
- the top photo was from my Sony Cybershot point and shoot camera
- the middle photo was from my iphone camera
- the 3rd photo was from my Nikon DSLR
Experiment #2
- the top photo was from my iphone camera
- the middle photo was from my Nikon DSLR
- the 3rd photo was from my Sony Cybershot point and shoot camera
Are you surprised so far? I have to admit I was! The lighting looks a lot warmer in the iphone pictures. I think a lot of the reason is because you have to hold an iphone differently than a camera to get a shot and I think that gave it a better angle for lighting. I also think there just might be a bit of a difference with that camera when it comes to color. However, the iphone pictures are the least sharp when you inspect them closer. They still look pretty good though for a camera phone! The results from the point and shoot and the DSLR are quite similar. When you really look at them up close, you can see that the DSLR pictures are a little clearer. Generally speaking, I would say that all 3 photos in each group are all good though. They could have all been bad pictures just as easily though. I put some thought into how to set them up.
Experiment #3 – This was a bit of a trick because all 3 pictures were taken with my Nikon DSLR. I did this to illustrate that it isn’t just the camera that takes a good picture. The first picture is carelessly composed. There are chairs and the bottom of a painting in the frame and the subject really should have been shot with a tighter crop. The second photo isn’t all that spectacular either. Nothing is really done to show off the subject. The 3rd photo does a lot more to show off the fun colors and sizes of the bowls. All 3 were taken at the same time, same circumstances, by the same photographer (me) and with the same camera.
While owning a fancy camera is nice, it isn’t a necessity if you want to take good pictures. Taking some time to learn about and practice your photography skills will give you a lot more control when it comes to “making” a picture. There are some great resources to help you along the way:
- Candice Stringham Photography Courses. These are a bit pricey, but they are so worth it! She really gives you a lot for the money.
- Creative Techs Photography Class. I’ve heard good things about this one.
- Get it Scrapped! has some great photography classes taught by Katrina Kennedy. I just finished the class about kids and it was great!
- Digital Photography School has oodles of articles and tips on their site. One of my favorite sites!
- Rules of Good Portraiture is a helpful series of posts.
- Photofocus.com is another great resource to check out.
- Pioneer Woman’s photography blog is another must visit for me!
Be sure to check out the photography class posts here at The Daily Digi and remember to just have fun and try new things!
P.S. The Daily Digi is now on Facebook! We’d love to see who our fans are so come and join us! Also, be sure to check out this fun project that Steph teamed up with Cindy from Skip to My Lou on - a last minute printable advent calendar. So fun!
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Thanks for the reminder, Katie! Great post!
You’ve made it hard to justify spending money on a new lens or a new camera when you can get great results with an iPhone. LOL
AMEN! Thanks for posting this! As a self-taught photographer that just purchased my first DSLR (a Nikon D300 for those who may ask ;- ) a little over a year ago, I frequently hear “your camera takes good pictures!” and “I want to upgrade my camera, what kind is yours?” I like the chef & pots analogy. My good photographer friend always says “We don’t expect to go out & buy the BEST scissors available & automatically be a fabulous stylist.” No, Photography is like any other profession–it takes a huge investment in time & practice to hone ones skills. It is an amazing art that requires both creativity AND technical knowledge & skill. It’s been a long first year for me and I expect to be learning all the way up until I set my camera down years and years down the road!
Katrina Kennedy just released an AWESOME ebook on getting off auto at Designer Digitals. Honestly, if you’re going to buy a DSLR, you need to know how to use it in Manual mode, or at least know how aperture/ISO/shutter speed work.
I was thinking your 4MP camera took a pretty good picture, so it must be the photographer:) Thanks for a great article.
A flip side to having a “good camera” is that some will think it takes horrible photos because you can’t literally point & shoot.
I’m shooting in aperture-priority mode more and more, changing the ISO when I need to, changing the focus mode, etc… so when my husband or my mom pick it up, turn it on, and snap a pic.. it often comes out grainy or blurry. I try to sometimes flick it back to auto, but don’t always remember.
Great post
I get asked a lot what kind of camera i have to that must be a complement or maybe not because i just have a point and shoot. One day I will have a good one *sighs. The funny thing is of the 2 sets of photo’s my favs were the one taken with the iphone Yikes!
Your pretty good with your iphone camera!
The lighting was way better. I could have sworn that in Experiment #1 the #3 photo was your point and shoot because it looks like your flash fired. But I guess if you shoot in automode it doesn’t really matter if you shoot a DSLR or a Point and Shoot does it? It’s all about the person behind the camera…
There was a guy who published a book taken with all iphone photos. (ones he’d taken with his iphone) and they were fantastic….
I just re-read my comment and it looks like I busted on your skills. LOL! Not my intention at all… I just meant that even if you own the big fancy camera, you need to know how to use it. Shooting in manual mode vs. automatic would be one of those things that a photographer would need to know when using a “better” camera otherwise you are getting the same results as a “cheaper” camera. But a photographer can take decent photos with the lesser camera as well as the “better” camera. – Not busting on your skills.. So sorry it came across that way. – I love the post.
[...] the original post: You must have a great camera! var addthis_pub = ”; var addthis_language = ‘en’;var addthis_options = ‘email, favorites, digg, [...]
Wow, I was surprised. I think I like the iPhone pics because they are a little darker and show more texture. I know, though, that they can’t be printed as large and still look that great. I like your experiment! Very cool to see that!
Oh, and I love the pot story, too!
So fun to read the comments. I actually liked the iphone photos the best also, but they won’t print up as nice. I do think it had to do a lot with the angle you hold the iphone camera at. All these shots were taken right after each other so the lighting couldn’t have changed much. So interesting!
Donna – I give you permission to still buy new lenses and fancy cameras.
I know I will continue to do so if I get the chance! Once you really learn the tricks of using them, you have more powerful tools to use and that is a great thing.
Jennifer – so true about bad pics with a good camera. Because I’m still learning so much, I end up with a lot of bad pics!
Julia – don’t even worry, LOL! I didn’t take it that way.
I didn’t use a flash for any of the photos. I totally agree with you about learning how to use the features of a fancier camera, that is what really makes the difference. Chase Jarvis is the guy who published the book of iphone pics. It’s called “The Best Camera is the One That’s With You” and it’s really cool.
Super post! Thank you!
Awesome post Katie! So interesting to read and so informative! Thanks!
Thanks for this post, Katie! I have been telling myself I need a new point and shoot and a DSLR – even though I can’t really afford them. This is a good reminder that I can take great shots with the camera I have!