Your equipment

[barefoot]

<i>Which is the problem</i>

<p>

Brad,

<p>

It's not a problem. We are all inspired by great images but great images aren't the sole source of inspiration. Other sources exist.

[darius_thompson]

Hello Matt,

I use a few different cameras- and functionality seems to be my first consideration when I'm dithering before going out about what to take. But for sure there are tactile, aesthetic reasons why I choose what I do. So when I want a flash I take the OM2, likewise if I want to use different focal lengths as it is the only 'system' I have really...to go wide or tele or fast or faster. If I want low profile its the xa. The way they sit in my hands is key for me, and though I love them all they are tools in the end, and if I was too admiring of them I think it would disrupt the flow from my environment, through my eyes hands and head, and into the stuff I shoot. What I think is sure is that the feel of these different cameras plays a big part in the decision. The way I hold and use a rolleiflex is totally different to the Olympus XA. And the way I hold a camera- the pressure of my hands anf fingers, affects the way I shoot. The way the Rolleiflex hangs from my neck means I shoot with my neck aswell, and the difference between a fed 2 and Leica thread is slight, but I take more pictures in the rain or snow than the Leica..so mood comes into it also, thoughtful, unhurried, or freaky and interactive. Mix and match ....its fun for me to explore these devices, but the best pictures come when I forget all about which camera I'm using.

Peace!

[Brian]

There's a certain deja vu feel about this thread. Still, I liked Roger's idea that it's the journey, not the destination, that counts. That's similar to how I feel. The practice of photography is to me a craft, so it's natural that I should know, respect, and take care of my tools. And I find it difficult to understand the approach of those who disparage and despise their tools.

[ethan_melad]

my eqipment absolutely affects how i shoot. not so much that it defines the picture i take,

but i use different cameras both to acheive different final results as well as to change the

way i feel and my method of shooting.

i might need to be in a specific mood to shoot with my sx-70's, but my mamiya super 23

might also put me in a frame of mind appropraite for the camera.

its a two-way relationship.

[Spearhead]

<i>the tool becomes much more important for them than it is for you - and the importance declines as their experience and competency improves.</i><p>

 

Good point. I hadn't thought of it that way, but I do think some people start with a vision (or a professional expectation), and other people start with a camera. The problem is that if one doesn't develop the vision but clings to the camera, the results aren't worth thinking about, whether or not they progress beyond camera-worship.

[bacsa]

I f I go to a trip, I usually try to enjoy the trip too, not only the place where I finally arrive. Sometimes the trip is even more exciting.