How to be happy with your photographs

tilba-clown

Over a period of time, I tried to make photographs, but I was always disappointed with the results.
This led me to believe that it had to be the camera that was at fault, it was simply not good enough.
I have many memories of wonderful images that I would love to make except for the camera that was not up to the task.

It’s a funny thing about photography, it’s full of contradictions. Here’s a few, I’m sure you have heard of these and a few more.

  • Photography has nothing to do with cameras.
  • It’s not the camera, it’s the person behind the camera.
  • The magic happens in your head, not the camera.
  • It’s something that is easy to do, but not easy to do well.
  • It’s about learning to see.
  • Things take on a different meaning when you put a frame around it.

What you believe can be bad for your photography

I have too many examples of my own attempts of seeing with my head and not my heart. I would look at some of the photos and re-live the disappointment of how they turned out.

My thinking was along the lines of if only I had the same camera as the photographer whose work I admired.

The realisation was slow to dawn on me – all this time I have been thinking that the key to a good photo is a fancy camera.

It did not matter how many times I heard things like it’s not the camera, it’s the person behind the camera that counts. I was still convinced that in order to make anything halfway decent I would need a really expensive camera.

This is of course quite true, and here is where the problem lies. I was caught up in a downward spiral of never having the right gear at the right time.

It was a catch 22 situation – in order to make photographs of a professional quality, I would have to buy the right kind of gear, I would have to spend a small fortune. Then to justify spending a small fortune,

I would have to become a businessman who happens to make photographs. Very different from an amateur photographer who likes to take photos for fun.

It took me years to figure it out for myself.

I was never going to make photographs of the quality that would match a professional photographer. 

What I mean by this is that I enjoyed the process of making photographs. 

I like to take photographs of things I notice, friends and family.  A reminder of people that are important to me, and events like birthdays, family gatherings, places I have been to and so on.

So now I am happy to accept the limitations of my (ancient) phone camera. 

As the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you.

So, there you have it. I have decided to make photographs that matter to me and it doesn’t matter about the camera and other equipment.