Wow - You must have a great camera!!

There are some quite amusing things that people say to photographers from time to time, often when you show them their image on the back of the camera, or present a few prints or a recent book, or even just see the shots on the web. Things like :-

“Wow – that camera’s awesome”

“I wish I had a camera like that so I could get great photos too”

You just politely smile, or on occasion, give them the camera and say “have a go” (with a cheeky smile). Oddly enough, the shots they take are often not pulitzer prize winners.

Its a bit like going up to Will Self and saying

“I love your work Will, what pen do you use? If I had that pen, I could create fantastic novels, just like yours!”

Or maybe meeting up with David Hockney and saying

“That painting of someone having just dived into the pool – that’s amazing, what brush did you use. If I had a that brush, I could come up with a ground breaking piece of art like that too”

Sure, a good camera and lens makes a difference, in the same way a good drill does to a tradesman. If you gave me the best drill in the world, I’d probably still end up with a door that doesn’t close properly or a sink that leaked. Owning a drill and set of tools does not make me a tradesman – even though I’m a tradesman’s son.

Maybe the reason a shot looks awesome on the back of the camera has something to do with the guy/gal who has spent years learning about camera control, exposure, composition, posing, lighting etc. etc. ?

🙂

Just a thought anyway