Why “Gear Doesn’t Matter” Is Bullshit
We have all heard the term “Gear Doesn’t Matter”. It’s usually a term thrown around by online photography personalities as they clutch their Leicas. To many beginners this can be rather frustrating because it’s easy to say “gear doesn’t matter” when you have access to any camera you could possibly want. In this blog I will share my thoughts and unpack this topic.
When we start photography we usually start shooting on a phone or a cheap point and shoot from 2013 that we found in the garage. The image quality is garbage however we enjoy the process and our interest starts peaking. Soon enough we start following some photographers and get inspired to buy our first camera. We pick up something bottom to mid range and notice an immense difference in image quality. Our photos are now sharp, have depth and seem high quality. We are happy.
We carry on shooting more and more however no matter how hard we try, our photos don’t seem to be anywhere near as good as the photographers we follow online. We convince ourselves that if only we had a full frame Sony and a G Master lens, all our issues would be solved. So we take out finance or raid the savings account and drop £5000 on this top of the range pro setup. The image quality has increased again. The photos are pin sharp with plenty of detail and the bokeh is even smoother. However our photos still look the same. They still lack any life or feeling and they still look nothing like what we see on Instagram. We get frustrated, annoyed, experience buyers remorse and even take a pause with photography.
Soon enough we start reading about light, composition, framing, storytelling and adding depth. We start learning how different light impacts the photo. We learn about how to take a minimal photo with a strong focal point. We learn about how to use colour and how to spot interesting subjects. We start experimenting with all these topics and soon enough our photos start to improve. A year goes by and your current photos are nothing compared to what you used to take before. One day you leave your £5000 camera at home and go out with just your phone. You see a great scene, but this time you know how to position yourself for the best light, composition and moment. You take the shot, look at it and say “wow a phone can do that”. That’s when you start to think, maybe gear doesn’t matter all that much.
What I just mentioned is the typical cycle for everyone getting into photography. However this cycle mostly applies to people who like to document their life, street, travel and some landscape photography. There are many scenarios where gear really does matter from an objective standpoint. If you’re a freelancer, you need to have reliable gear that can deliver high quality results. You also need to have a backup for everything. Turning up with your iPhone is just not gonna work regardless of how talented you are. If you’re a sports or wildlife photographer, you’d need a fast camera and a long lens. If you’re an architecture photographer, you’d need a wide angle. If you want to shoot portraits, you would need certain equipment. If you plan to make a business out of photography, you would need good high quality gear. However if for you this is just a hobby then of course gear still matters… just not as much as knowing how to use it.