How many times have I heard the phrase, “You have a great camera, you must be a really good photographer”? It’s true that right now, at this exact moment, I do have a really, really good camera (thanks to Canon for the loan of a beautiful R5C, sadly, I have to give it back!). That camera in my hands has allowed me to try out things that I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.
Most of us learn the hard way that the newest expensive gear doesn’t equal being a better photographer or getting better-paid jobs. In this video, Taylor Jackson tells us about his own journey of believing this myth and of his subsequent recovery from GAS.
Taylor tells us how he placed far too much weight on the gear that he owned when he first started out in photography. He didn’t understand that it was actually his growing skills and experience as a photographer that helped him get more clients, not the gear.
If you have this mindset, you are in danger of falling into the trap of never feeling ‘enough’. Camera manufacturers are always going to bring out a newer, bigger, better, faster camera or lens, it is nearly impossible to keep up with them. They are there to sell cameras. We must resist that urge.
I personally have a rule that if I need a particular piece of gear for a job, that job needs to pay enough to justify purchasing that equipment (i.e. it must pay more than the equipment costs, like, a lot more). Otherwise, I can rent or just make it work with what I have.
Most of the time, we really don’t need all of these fancy new gadgets, we can produce just as beautiful images with a ten-year-old DSLR as we can with the latest mirrorless camera.
I am so tempted to cough up almost four grand for the loaned Canon R5C myself once the return date arrives. However, I know that actually owning that camera will not drastically change my life, nor will it make me a better photographer. Honestly, that money would be better spent on other things.*
*Please remind me of this daily so that I can resist the urge to buy it!
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!