This is a bit of an inquisitive post: Who makes the Pictures? That’s my question to you, if you wish to leave me a comment, I’d like to hear what you think on the matter, that is, if you capture still images.
I’ve been taking pictures for, well, approximately, 45 years, so I’ve been a Photographist for a long time. I’ve been seriously designing images for the last 23 years, as a Freelance Publications Photographer (which I haven’t done for awhile, but I loved doing that), and as an Art Photographist.
I do love photography equipment, no doubt, but the equipment, in my opinion, does nothing on its own …. It is only a tool for the Photographer. Some Photographers think they need every piece of equipment as soon as it is newly released from the manufacturers, who MAKE YOU WANT IT SO BADLY, YOU CAN’T CONTROL YOURSELF … You MUST have it, BECAUSE, they, the manufacturers, say, “It will improve your photography.” Or, “Your Photography will be unimaginably FANTASTIC“, if you get this new camera, lens, do-dad, etc. I too, could be an ‘Equipment Junkie‘ … it wouldn’t take much to do that! However, the Mind of the Photographer, conceives, plans, imagines, and conceptualizes the images they want to create, before they ever pick up the camera. That is my general opinion, on the ‘Who Makes the Pictures’, question.
I just said all of that…
“A GOOD PHOTOGRAPH IS KNOWING WHERE TO STAND.” ~ Ansel Adams ~
MOVE YOUR FEET! Yeah, in many instances, you DON’T need some expensive zoom lens, you can have your basic prime lens, and get closer, just by moving your feet. Many Photographers don’t even think of this. That is what amazes me. The ‘Make-it or Break-it’ moment to that Great Image, may be the result of the Photographer just moving their feet into a new, and better position, to get a GREAT Picture.
Of all of the quotes in the History of Photography, that one, by Ansel Adams, stands out the MOST, when trying to answer the, “Who Makes the Pictures” conundrum. Just move your feet! Knowing where to stand! That is the precise technical challenge that all Photographers MUST FACE, and trumps all questions about ‘What piece of gear should I use?‘ You could use ALL of your gear, but be standing in the WRONG place, or situated in the WRONG angle, and end up with a disaster of a photographic image. IF ONLY, you would have taken a few steps to the left; or 6-inches to the right, or had your lens pointing at a FRACTION of a different angle, to get a GREAT Photographic Image. No gear in the world can make those decisions for you, that knowledge is grinded into the minds of experienced Photographers through a shit-ton of failures, and experiences. If you’re NOT Failing A LOT, then you will NEVER LEARN: You will NEVER IMPROVE as a Photographer.
Of course, there are some types of Photography that are EQUIPMENT-EXCESSIVE, but VERY Necessary, like probably, Bird Photography — You may need a Massive Lens to NOT freak out the birds, or to get them captured in flight. Have you ever seen the Photographers at the NFL Football Games? HOLY CRAP! They have two or three very expensive, very ‘exotic’ camera bodies with HUGE LENSES, and one with a shorter focal length for more personal shots. Nevertheless, they can’t run down, and into the field, to get that PERFECT shot of the tackle, or to capture that great shot of the tight-end catching a football and then getting SLAMMED by the opposing side. You need some serious ‘reach-out-and-touch-me’ glass, and high-speed and sturdy camera bodies, because, very often, the Sports Photographer is in the wrong place at the wrong time on the sidelines when the running-back slams into him as he is tackled, and the cameras go flying! Ouch! So, these are a couple of specialty types of photography that depend more on the HELP of Equipment, and there are other specialties too, that MUST include very technical and expensive equipment to do the job. But still, REMEMBER, it is the SKILL of the Photographer who can MAKE or BREAK the image. IF the Photographer doesn’t have the experience and know-how to calculate everything at the right time, with the right settings, etc., then the ‘PERFECT SHOT’ could be missed. (That’s an exaggeration, as there is no ‘perfect’ shot in Photography, but you can come very close if you work really hard at the skills necessary in Photography).
Anyway, these are a few thoughts on “WHO MAKES THE PICTURES” question. IN SHORT, I weigh in on the side of THE PHOTOGRAPHER is the key to Good Photography. Equipment is VERY IMPORTANT for some Specialties in Photography. Otherwise, even a $10,000 camera in the hands of a Chimp, will only get you Photographs of Bananas. However, a second-hand camera with a slightly moldy lens, in the hands of a GENIUS Photographer, can result in some amazing image-masterpieces.
I don’t know if there is a ‘perfect’ answer to the “WHO MAKES THE PICTURES”, question. Maybe there is NO answer to this difficult, and very controversal (I suppose), photography-philosophical problem. Time will tell. Or not …
Behind the Lens 
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