Equipment

Photography equipment is not what makes great images. The equipment is the tool you use to make great images. And while having high-quality tools can certainly help you along the way, and ultimately allow for higher quality, you can do quite a bit with the basics.

I've been contacted by a few photographers who tell me that they only have a point and shoot camera, but that they're doing as much as they can with it. Their concern is that I won't be willing to shoot with them based on the gear they're using. My thoughts? Heck yes, I'll shoot with them! The art of photography isn't based in throwing money at lots of shiny gear.

During these shoots, I've also learned that those tiny little point and shoots can offer far more control than I'd previously known. Just as DSLRs offer a whole exciting world past "auto," point and shoot cameras can give photographers a surprising amount of leeway and control.

It's easy to have a big, fancy camera that can do anything and everything. But if you don't know how to use it beyond on-auto-autofocus-click, the high-quality tool really isn't going to make much of a difference in the final product. If you have a modest camera but use it to the fullest possible extent, you can put out some solid, respectable work. It's not the equipment you have- it's what you do with what you've got.