Pixiq

How much equipment do you have?  Is it enough?  Too much?

When does an overabundance of equipment become gimmicky or showy?

While some photographers have a need for much of that equipment I’d argue that most, especially beginning, photographers would simply be better off without having too much photo gear.

It’s about keeping it simple.

If you’re a beginning photographer it would be easy to mistakenly think that a ton of lenses and expensive accessories will make you a better photographer overnight.  It would be easy to think that a new filter could turn a simple snapshot into a work of art.  Yes…sometimes these devices and accessories have their place.

I think most serious photographers would agree that simplicity in technique, equipment, and vision can be a far more effective tool in your photographic life.

Cameras continue to get more and more sophisticated and it’s easy to get lulled and wooed by those technological advancements.  I’m certainly guilty of lusting after the “latest and greatest”.  When we get our hands on those advanced technologies it’s easy to get trapped into the tendency to use more elaborate techniques.

Most photographers would do well to find one camera body and one lens.

It’s not just about keeping the equipment simple.  The vision should be simple.

Stick with one specific subject and see how many ways you can exploit that from the camera.  This allows you to concentrate on what’s really important in creating good photography; how your photograph should look.

Be selective and strive for simplicity when choosing your subject matter.

Remember that some of the most compelling photographs in the history of the medium are photographs that make a single stark statement.

Be bold in your simplicity and you’ll see your photography excel.

Lake details by Melissa Mercier