i saw a picture yesterday that made me question everything. it was such a simple thing. a photo of a girl sitting in central park taken on an iphone xs. the lighting was beautiful, and the portrait mode background blur was, well, it was actually really good. in fact, i’m pretty sure it looks better than the bokeh my canon 50mm f/1.8 stm lens would’ve produced in the same scenario. smoother, less messy, and just generally more pleasing on first glance, which if we’re being honest is all that matters. the photo could be printed at decent size and look fantastic.
it got me to thinking. what am i doing trying to get back into photography nowadays? people don’t need photographers anymore, because they’ve got smartphones with algorithms that are smarter than i’ll ever be. the camera in their pocket is nearly as capable as my first dslr, and it’s only a matter of time before large format cameras are completely obsolete.
it got me thinking about what truly sets a photographer apart. we spend so much time thinking about gear and spec sheets these days, and that’s just the opiate that assuages us. we revel in our f stops and our megapixels, but without the right application, none of that means anything.
after seeing that photo yesterday, i found myself lusting after another lens yesterday - the sigma 135mm f/1.8 art lens. i started going down the path of “my current portrait lens isn’t even as good as a smartphone in portrait mode, so i should get a lens that will produce an effect that a smartphone can’t.” but after stepping back, taking a deep breath, and meditating on it for a few hours i realized that i was looking at the problem all wrong. just because a smartphone can’t produce a result equal to that of a 135mm f/1.8 lens today doesn’t mean it can’t be trained to do it tomorrow. getting a new lens won’t solve anything.
getting my mind back onto the track it was riding while i wrote up yesterday’s post, i am remembering that the camera and the lens are only a part of the equation, and as much as it hurts me to say it, they’re probably not even the most important part. instead of ramping myself up to justifying a $1,000 new lens, i need to be thinking about the creative ways that i can take photos that can’t be taken with a smartphone, or at least not casually.
it’s time for me to branch out and work around the camera. controlling my setting, placement, lighting, atmosphere. all of these things are what will make my photography interesting and relevant. tonight i’m going to push my own boundaries. rather than documenting what i see as an observer, i’m asserting myself and taking control. i will encourage my model tonight to do the same. this is about more than simple photographs—it’s about empowering myself and my subject to be more present, more individual and less basic.
i’m not going to be doing anything that hasn’t been done before, at least i am not planning to. but i am going to be doing things i’ve never done before. who knows that that will lead to.