Caring About the Wrong Stuff

I’ve had hundreds of clients in the last 38 years. They range from independent fashion designers to international capital management firms.

Many ask about my equipment, about my camera and lens preferences. Very few ask about my ideas, about how I approach photography, about my styles of image making.

From photo newbies, to seasoned pros, to consumers of photography, almost everyone seems to care only about the equipment. They think the choices of equipment and the techniques for using it exhaust all there is to photographic activity.

I find this harmful in many ways. In the case of photographers, it stunts the growth and limits the possibility for worthwhile expression. In the case of consumers of photography, it limits their understanding and appreciation of images.

This kind of misplaced focus doesn’t happen much in other areas. When people talk about a rock band, they don’t usually limit their discussion to the types of guitars they play. When they talk about painting, they don’t obsess over the artist’s choice of brushes or pigments.

But in photography, the allure of cool gadgets is irresistible to most people. I’m trying to change that.