Originally posted by Jodokast96 I just want to touch on the cooking analogy being used, as I feel it's a bit off the mark. A good cook with the best ingredients will make a good meal with both good and bad cookware. A good cook with average ingredients will still probably make a good meal with either set of cookware. In both cases, the meal may not be the best it can be with the bad cookware, but will still be better than what a bad cook will conjure up with the best of everything. Applying that to photogs, you've got the cook (photog), ingredients (subject), and cookware (gear).
This has been my experience in the 25 or so years I have been doing this for a living:
I have been out to outside private catering in people's homes where I am forced to use their cookware and their ovens and work in their kitchen.. it is not professional quality as we have where we work. And the food must turn out to be just as great as if I used the professional equipment we have at the restaurant. Frustrating as it is and it has been there is no other choice or option. And you get good at it through experience and development of the craft.
Believe me some of these catering situations were not the best of conditions to work in and I have many, many stories but ultimately we still have to make it work and make it just as good (if not better) as if we did it at the restaurant....which we do.
Not to make this about cooking or anything but I believe all of this is relative and can to food, photography etc. Perhaps maybe not brain surgery but there are a few situations and stories that we have heard about the person who was trapped that had to take off a limb with a pocket knife (or whatever was handy) to survive and save his life?
Ultimately, after reading all of these posts, I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle of it being a bit of both and smack dab the middle of the grey area...it is not just a black and white answer.
At least to me anyhow.