Most Important Gear.

I am often asked, "Tim, what is your favorite piece of gear?"

Well - yesterday I got asked a new one! "Tim, what is your most important piece of gear?"

So, I thought about it for a minute. I realized that there is no camera, lens, flash, or light modifier that is more important than one thing. That thing is me. NOT that I'm implying that I am a tool ;) (Though I do have a ridicules shirt that says "Tim's tools, if you need a tool, grab Tim's!")

I could use a polaroid camera, disposable film camera from the local pharmacy, or even my iPhone, and I know that I could make great meaningful images. There is just no piece of equipment more important than the artist's vision, and skill for creating it - which comes from lots of hard work, experience, and dedication. I may pack a bunch of gear, and have many tools at my disposal, but ultimately the image is made by me, not a camera.

With all that being said - there are some other things that far out trump a good camera. For instance - Lighting. A camera can only record what you put in front of it - and therefore it is essential that the subject is lit in a beautiful way. Thats why I pack flash equipment, study the use of light every day, and am always looking for the best way to pose a person or object in light that reveals their beauty.

What else is more important than a camera? - The Lens. Like I said above, the camera can only record what is in front of it. So, slap on a nice piece of glass! If you have a 10k camera body and a $50 lens, what do you think will happen? I'd take quality glass on a crappy body over the reverse any day!

One more thing that is more important than the camera... Your subject/pose (which I guess comes back around to you being the most important part of making an image). If you pose your subject terribly, guess what! No camera/lens/lighting combo will make them look good. If you pose your subject beautifully, then you could use a disposable camera and make a better image over the previous sentence!

So - there we have it! Shoot me questions & comments, let me know what you think!

:)

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