SLRism – A Photographer is more than his Camera

[quote]You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
— Ansel Adams[/quote]

Not long back, the DSLRs were reserved for professionals who had a keen interest in photography, who actually saw their future in this line. A serious call that was but these people took the risk and they were well-known as ‘photographers’! The cost was high enough that it kept many casual shooters from even considering a DSLR.

The price gap isn’t what it used to be, however, and it is now possible to get a good DSLR with a decent lens for a little more than double what you’d pay for a compact point-and-shoot camera.

People have a big misconception that the megapixel of a camera is directly proportional to the quality of pictures they produce!! Sad, but true story. Today people don’t even think twice before going for a DSLR; yes, they don’t know what DSLR stands for but hey… who cares??… It’s posh and it’s available for an affordable price.

Just because your dad can afford it, and u can carry it all around, taking it to parties and clicking silly pictures of your buddies doesn’t really makes you a photographer. It makes you a trend follower. Auto modes are for amateurs, period. Light conditions have to be pretty much perfect for the camera to get it right on its own. That’s why you need to know what you’re doing, what exactly each and every setting in the display means.

Some people have no clue of aperture and ISO, all they know is shutter speed and focus, and they think they know it all!! Photography is not all about carrying expensive gears and flaunting it around. It’s a complete Art by itself, not a fashion statement. An art which can’t be mastered in the “auto” mode. Never ever! Having a Facebook page with 500+ doesn’t make one a photographer.

A good photographer can make a powerful image with a camera phone. Photography, at its very core is connecting with people, your photo should depict a story, and otherwise it is useless. As long as the subject, composition and idea is all up to scratch then I think it’s possible to ignore deficiencies in quality of the technical details.

 If you are a true photographer at heart, you’ll be unashamed to carry a point and shoot. Photography is all about learning and enjoying. Don’t get swayed by all the technological jargon.

It’s indeed true that DSLR makes photography easier but it doesn’t make you a good photographer. It only makes you the owner of a very good camera. Period.