So how much emphasis on equipment dictates the quality of the art?

I say this because I shoot with a Canon Powershot S5 1S. Granted it is a higher end Powershot and I can do everything with it that people do with their higher end cameras with all of the bells and whistles except for shooting RAW files and interchange the lenses. I always shoot in the manual modes as well. Trust me there is nothing I would like more than to shoot with a 30D and a Sigma 10-20 but for now I am playing the hand I was dealt because honestly I just can't afford to purchase a pro model.

I believe that while equipment plays a major role in the outcome of the final image, you absolutely must have an eye and an instinct for photography to be effective. I also believe that understanding the technical aspects of photography and capturing light are essential and that there are certain aspects that can't be effectively taught or learned. Finding creative lines, angles and pleasing compositions are instinctual in my opinion. This is where ones individual style comes in.

I'm sure that there are some elitists out there that won't even look at my work because it wasn't shot with a $3000 - $5000 package. I'm still trying to figure out if that bothers me or not. I don't think it does though. This is why I do not strip my images of the valuable meta data. When I find a great photo on DA that sparks my interest, the first thing I do is try to get into the photographers head as to how he or she shot that wonderful composition. Where do I look? The metadata section. It really bothers me when it isn't present. Granted, when I shoot my HDR shots I shoot 3 different exposures and the metadata will not show the shutter speed but it will show the ISO, F number, and the focal length. It also shows the model of the camera.

When I first started photography again and joined DA 3 months ago I briefly thought about stripping the meta data just for the sheer thought of the haters that saw that it was shot with a Powershot. I say F - em. Look what I can do with my Powershot!

Someday if I feel that I am too limited by my equipment I may upgrade to a higher end package but for now it suits me just fine.

Opinions? I would like to hear them.

On a side note, check out these great galleries!


Dennis Chunga - He's a great all around photographer!



Mrcool256 - He's got a great eye!



Damien-C- He's blowing me away lately!



-Enjoy!