Hi and welcome to Episode 99 of the Photography Explained podcast.
I’m your host Rick, and in each episode I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google.
Before I go on if you have a question you would like me to answer just go to photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start
Here is the answery bit
Photography gear is of course important, as you need it to take photos. What is more important though is how you use the gear and what you point it at. Composition and great image capture are more important than the gear that you use. You can take great photos with a rubbish camera, and you can take rubbish photos with a great camera.
OK – that is you told!
You can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading. Or do both. Entirely up to you!
This is one of my things and something that you need to understand. And trust me here, which I hope that you do, this is based on my own experiences.
What am I going on about?
For me, there is too much time spent talking about gear and not enough time spent talking about taking photos.
What is photography after all?
Photography is writing, or drawing with light.
What is photography not?
- It is not about gear.
- It is not about lusting after gear.
- It is not about reading endless gear reviews.
- It is not about shiny newness syndrome.
- It is not spending all your time looking at gear.
- Photography is about writing, or drawing with light.
I say writing or drawing as it depends on how correct you want me to be. Use either, it doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is this.
Photography, for me, is not about gear. Photography is about taking photos. It is about creating new things. And once we have created them sharing them with the world in whatever way we choose.
OK – a quick word on gear
Sure gear is important. I am not saying that it is not. Get the gear that you need, and learn how to use it.
This is important.
We photographers need gear, the tools of our trade, of course we do.
So what am I going on about?
Llet me tell you the story of what I did.
I bought a camera, learned how to use it and got pretty good with it if I do say so myself. I used it a lot and got some great photos. And then I started to take my photography more seriously.
This was a few years ago by the way.
So I upgraded my camera and bought a couple more lenses. I didn’t really learn how to use this camera, I just went out and used it.
And then I bought some more gear.
And I ended up looking at gear, trying to find the next best thing, the latest shiny new must-have whatever.
And then I bought a bigger bag. A much bigger bag.
And then I went on a climbing holiday with two mates. I took all my camera gear. And I mean all my camera gear. It was packed into a large plastic crate which filled half the boot of my car, a Ford Mondeo by the way. I loved that car.
And then we packed all our climbing gear around the large plastic crate. I did not have enough room for all my climbing gear. That should have been my first warning.
The trip was great, and I took some decent photos and used some of the gear.
And when I got home I found more stuff to buy.
My large backpack
I bought a large backpack so I could carry everything. Yes, I really did.
And I had cupboards full of lovely, shiny, expensive gear.
But what was not happening?
My photography was going nowhere. The gear was actually a hindrance, a distraction, a diversion.
And it was heavy too.
My photography was not improving. And I stayed that way for some years I can tell you.
OK – that was then, what about now?
On a commercial shoot, this is what I do.
I pack my Canon 6D, Canon 17-40mm lens and a small number of accessories into my Peak Design Everyday Backpack. And this is the small 20-litre one.
I have a larger bag with all the spares I would ever need which stays in my car. But it is not that large.
And that is it. There is no more.
And on 95% of my shoots, I use the gear in the backpack only.
And for a holiday?
I swap the Canon gear for the Olympus gear.
1 camera body, 2 lenses and essential accessories only. These fit in the bottom half of my camera bag (the same one). Oh ok, my tripod goes in a suitcase but don’t tell Mrs M that, please!
And that is what I do.
This is not a thing
This is very much not a thing. I am not the “I hardly use any gear photographer”. I am not trying to make a name for myself.
No.
This is my reality. This is what works for me. And it took me a long time to figure this out.
It is not about having all the gear, it is about getting out more and taking photos.
So don’t think that you have to have all the gear under the sun to be a real photographer. You need the gear that you need for sure but stop there.
What do I do?
I used to be obsessed with gear, and spend more time looking at gear than I did taking photos. Now I have what I have and I am happy. The only time that I think about gear these days is when I am writing stuff like this!
The talky bit
This is my lesson in photography that I am sharing with you. This is what I did. I have bought gear that I have never actually used.
- I bought gear because I thought that I needed it.
- I bought gear because I thought I would take better photos with it.
- I bought lenses that I really did not need. I was very fortunate at the time that I could afford all this stuff, but I must have wasted a lot of money.
And I must have wasted a lot of time looking at stuff that I really did not need.
These days I will only buy new gear if it will
- help me take better photos
- help me to get photos that I cannot get with the gear that I have
- or to replace something that has gone to the great camera gear place in the sky
Other than these things I genuinely do not think about gear.
And it has been liberating for me.
And another thing – the 1-year rule
I put some gear in a plastic box and stored it in the garage. And one year later I sold it all. I had not thought about or needed it for 12 months, so it all went. And I have not missed anything.
I cannot think of a time when I wished I had kept something, I am happily fine as I am with what I have now.
OK – that is me and gear done.
Related episodes
Episode 1 – What Is Photography To Me? Yes, this is where it all started. I would say let’s go back and listen to that episode but to be honest I’m scared to do that!
No, let’s look forwards instead.
Next episode
Photography Explained Podcast Episode 100. Yes, episode 100. I have nearly made it. Blimey. 100 episodes of my podcast.
So is it going to be a celebratory episode? Will there be fanfares? Canons? Special guests? 100 photography things explained in less than 10 minutes? The highlights of the first 99 episodes of my podcast, and boy have there been some?
No. it will be episode 100, where in a typically British way I will modestly brush over this achievement and talk about the next subject which is, erm “Why Are There So Many Camera Settings? I Am Confused – Help Me?”
Shout out
Shout out to me and my new course – find out more at rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses. Well if I can’t promote myself here where can I?
OK – I’m done
Thanks for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast. To find out more about my podcast and do stuff to help me check out Photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start.
Brought to you by
This episode was brought to you by tea.
I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to me and for giving me just over 15 (ish) minutes of your valuable time, and I will see you on the next episode.
Cheers from me Rick
OK – that was the podcast episode.
Want to know more?
Head over to the Start page on the Photography Explained Podcast website to find out more.
And here is the list of episodes published to date – you can listen to any episode straight from this page which is nice.
Let me know if there is a photography thing that you want me to explain and I will add it to my list. Just head over to the This is my list of things to explain page of this website to see what is on there already.
Let me send you stuff
I send out a weekly email to my subscribers. It is my take on one photography thing, plus what I have been writing and talking about. Just fill in the box and you can get my weekly photographic musings straight to your inbox. Which is nice.
And finally a little bit about me
Finally, yes this paragraph is all about me – check out my Rick McEvoy Photography website to find out more about me and my architectural, construction, real estate and travel photography work. I also write about general photography stuff, all in plain English without the irrelevant detail.
Thank you
Thanks for listening to my podcast (if you did) and reading this blog post (which I assume you have done as you are reading this).
Cheers from me Rick
