Photography: Rock What You Have!

This post was moved over from Photography Haven.

I know you have to have been told this before, so why am I preaching it here? Well, because it is advice that is so often ignored. Everyday I read about someone upgrading their camera or editing software because their old ones did not give them the pictures they wanted. I am here to tell you, that it probably was not the camera or the editing program, it was probably the user.

For example, take Ruthanne from Eclectic Whatnot, who made me stop short when I saw her pictures. I first found her blog, via My3Boybarian’s Sweet Shot Tuesday link party, and immediately looked at her About page to see what camera she uses. Boy was I surprised when I saw she uses a Nikon D60! I used to have a D60 and MY pictures never looked like that! I sold my D60 to my sister and upgraded to the D90 and now realize I did not use it nearly like I should have. It was the user, not the camera, who had limitations.

To prove my point, below are a couple of Ruthanne’s gorgeous pictures. I know some photographers who have higher grade Nikon and Canon bodies who do not have pictures nearly as good as these.

Eclectic Whatnot Photography 2web

Eclectic Whatnot Photography 3web

There are several others I know who really rock the cameras they have, which others have left behind for cameras in greener fields. Two of those are Cheryl from TidyMom, and Morgan from Morgan Kervin Photography, both whom use D40’s, a Nikon “entry level” camera. Morgan has a professional photography business, taking amazing pictures with that camera! She blows me away with what she can do using a D40x! Cheryl take incredible food shots with no external flash and only one prime lens!

What do these ladies have in common? They have learned enough about photography and their cameras to do some serious picture taking! They understand exposure, aperture and shutter speed and how the three work together. They understand about composition and perspective and capture shots that grab the viewers eye and hold them there.

Now, a little quip about editing programs and I’ll get off my soapbox. You do NOT need the big dog CS5 to be able to properly edit your pictures. I promise, you don’t! To prove my point, head over the I Heart Faces and find their most recent Fix It Friday post. Look at a few who edited with CS5, 4 or other PS versions, then look at a few who used PSE8, 7 or older versions. I guarantee you that most who used a full Photoshop version didn’t do any better than those who used PSE. And, I love that usually one or two of the contributors will have edited the image with PSE, and their edits will be fantastic!

Photoshop Elements is a powerful, highly useful editing program and 95% of people who get it never use it to it’s full potential. Instead, they see all the professional photogs using CS5 and think that to get pictures like the pros, they need the Big Daddy of Photoshop. Not true! What you really need in order to get shots like the pros are better pictures coming out of the camera! Sorry, but it’s true. No amount of editing is going to make a so-so picture amazing.

Alright, here is what I recommend: Before buying a bigger and better camera, or a bigger, more expensive editing program, learn to really use what you have. If you have money you are itching to spend, take a photography workshop so that you are taking better pictures. Or, maybe get a new lens that will help you capture shots you couldn’t get before (primes, macro, wide angle, zoom). Investments in lenses are always more lasting than investments in camera bodies.

Photography is an expensive hobby to start with, don’t make it worse by getting things you do not really have to have. That is it, climbing down now. 😉

Editing to add that there are times to upgrade, and Robin brought that up in a comment. Some cameras have limitations in mega pixels which can limit the size you can print. Some have limitations in ISO, which limits the lighting conditions you can shoot in. I’m not saying don’t ever upgrade, just make sure you’ve pushed your current body as far as you can first.

About Amanda

I am passionate about helping others learn how to use their DSLR cameras and editing programs. More information about me can be found at my About page, or by visiting my personal blog.

Comments

  1. Thank you! That was very encouraging.

  2. Dawn Farias says:

    Thanks for this post. I use a Nikon Coolpix L100 that my husband calls our expensive camera at $250ish from SAMS club. I have been reading the manual and even just bought a book on the Coolpix series from Amazon. I can’t say my pictures have improved a whole lot but I can say that my experience with learning PSE has shown me precisely the point you made: “I’m not saying don’t ever upgrade, just make sure you’ve pushed your current body as far as you can first.”

    I’ve done that with PSE and hope to take the same determination with me in learning to use my camera. Although I am currently very doubtful about it. 😉

  3. This is a GREAT post!!! And SO true! Thank you for the reminder!! I did the exact same thing you did, and sold my D60 to my sis so I could upgrade to the D90 and take/get better pictures! I’ll admit I’ve gotten better pictures, but the reason is NOT the camera. I forced myself to not put it into one of the preset shooting modes, but rather to keep it in manual, and really learn to use my camera to it’s potential, and THAT is why my images are better than those taken on my D60! Thanks again for such a great post!!

  4. Love this post Amanda and you are so right on the mark! I know I just need to improve my photography skills and my pictures will turn out so much better, so even though I’m jealous of my neighbor’s new camera that is one step up from mine, I know I can get great pics with mine, as I continue to learn and improve! Thanks for the reminder that I don’t need bigger and better….I just need to get better at it! LOL

  5. Good post! I have an old model rebel with kit lens (with no image stabilization). I almost felt like a sell out when I bought the cheap 50mm canon lens for variety (:

  6. seriously? Morgan uses a D40?? I hang my head in shame & bow to her amazingness . . .

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