I’m a gear geek. I love looking at gear. I love reading about gear. I love talking about gear. Most photographers I know are gear geeks. You can’t lie, it’s fun! These little gadgets… don’t get me started!
Art
While being consumed with the tools of the trade is a fun part of deal, the meaning of the photograph will always trump the technical end of things, every time. This really applies to all forms of art.
The Difference
I love photography and I love making photographs that simply look cool. It’s fun and can be impressive on a certain level.
But, I do know the difference between the shots that I take that just look cool, and the ones that capture the moment; a photo that reveals an honest connection between me and the person or subject of the photograph. Or images that are great at telling a story in one single slice, capture. Those are the images you find yourself wanting to look at over and over again, and keep coming back to. Something draws you in. Something becomes more meaningful about the capture.
Different Strokes…
All art is subjective. I think this is important to remember at all times. What connects with me might not connect with you. That’s what is awesome! But for the photographers that have stood out and have provided images that we keep coming back to, I think it’s obvious that while they very well may have been (or be) gear geeks, that was not what was important to them and their art.
Okay, Breath man….
It’s funny that when people write about art it can start to sound a little to serious or heavy. Stuff like, “It’s ART man… ART!” maybe sounding a little overly passionate. Hope I didn’t go too far in that direction here. I tried to keep it a little lighter than that, but was just inspired by reading through information on photographer, Yousuf Karsh this morning. Worth taking a look if you’ve got some time…. www.karsh.org
