The Camera Does Not Matter, But It Does...

Collecting and obsessing over camera equipment is something many photographers do, myself included. Obsession with the equipment will often manifest itself, for example photographers taking photos of their own equipment, a bizarre kind of "camera porn" (see photo on right). Photographer set out on a quest for the best equipment they can afford. They will look at reviews of the latest cameras and equipment on the web and in magazines, these reviews are often accompanied by boring photos made with the equipment. The point being, good cameras do not automatically create interesting images and so called poor cameras are capable of making extraordinary images. The artist behind the lens makes the difference. So why does one want or need more than one camera and why does any one still shoot with film?

Personally different cameras and different films allows me to move my work forward by experimenting. Each camera, each film, each lens influences not only the final image but how I take picture. The camera influences the processes of creating the image. The camera used to create the image should not matter, the final image should speak for itself. The image below was shot with a Holga camera on 120 film. Obviously this image has been digitally re-worked after the fact, despite the obvious digital intervention this "toy" camera was the best tool to creating this image. The photo would not have been improved by a sharper lens or a digital sensor. In fact a sharper image would take away some of the surreal, dream like qualities of this image. It comes down to the old saying " the best tool for the job", not the best camera.

Lastly, a blurred image, vignetting, film grain, dust and light leeks can all be simulated using photo editing software, personally I find this approach a bit phony, there is something special about having a piece of film, the negative is a "one of a kind", an original.