I bet the guys using view cameras and plates thought photography was ruined when Kodak introduced roll film. All you had to do was press the button. Any child could do it.

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Last edited by Brooke Meyer; 12-03-2014 at 09:09 PM.

[BrianR]

When someone compliments my camera based on seeing one of my photos I usually just reply with "It does what I need it to do" and take it as a compliment, no offence was probably meant. If someone specifically asks what kind of camera I use, they get "A dslr, a macro lens, and patience" which usually gets a laugh and a more interesting discussion of the content of the photo instead of a less exciting equipment discussion.

Cameras have limitations, so do photographers. Thoughtful photographers will know which limit they're running into when they fail, but it wouldn't be fair to expect the majority of the non-photo-enthusiast public to be able to tell what's causing the difference between their failures and your successes.

[Rondec]

I do take it as a compliment when someone tells me that I must have a nice camera. I do think it emphasizes the struggle that photographers have to sell a product in an age where people believe that all it takes is a nice camera to be able to take awesome photos.

Whether it is landscapes, or portraiture, or weddings, there is always someone out there with a Rebel who believes that they can now tear up the world of photography because now they too, have a nice camera. When someone will shoot a wedding for 250 dollars, even if their skills are crappy, they undermine the value of shooting a wedding in general.

[cali92rs]

Whether it is landscapes, or portraiture, or weddings, there is always someone out there with a Rebel who believes that they can now tear up the world of photography because now they too, have a nice camera.

I think we have to be careful...
What if that guy with a cheap plastic Rebel with the kit zoom has amazing talent and an eye for composition? He may just not have enough money to buy anything better, but he can still produce superb images.

I am not saying you implied that he can't take great pictures with a Rebel. But I think there is also a perception that anyone that buys a cheapo DSLR is a soccer mom that leaves her camera on green mode. I think that reasoning is as damaging as the "you take nice pictures because you have a nice camera" line of thinking.
If a kid read that, he may think that he needs something higher than a Rebel to take good landscapes, portraites or wedding shots.

[Rondec]

I think we have to be careful...
What if that guy with a cheap plastic Rebel with the kit zoom has amazing talent and an eye for composition? He may just not have enough money to buy anything better, but he can still produce superb images.

I am not saying you implied that he can't take great pictures with a Rebel. But I think there is also a perception that anyone that buys a cheapo DSLR is a soccer mom that leaves her camera on green mode. I think that reasoning is as damaging as the "you take nice pictures because you have a nice camera" line of thinking.
If a kid read that, he may think that he needs something higher than a Rebel to take good landscapes, portraites or wedding shots.

My issue actually has little to do with gear. He could have a 5D or a Rebel. He could have a great eye or a lousy eye. The issue I have is with relatively new photographers pricing themselves way below cost and thereby making photography an unappealing area of employment.

[Des]

I was called "a really good photographer" by a clairvoyant woman, based on the simple fact I had a camera and camera bag around my neck when I approached her group...

Maybe she was a really good clairvoyant. You just didn't rate her because she didn't have a crystal ball or a cat.

[aleonx3]

Actually the comment people about "you have a nice camera" is not so bad...as sometimes, it implies that you know how to operate a nice complicated camera with advanced features and functions.

It could be worse...
"you have a nice camera! what is it, a Canon or Nikon D something?" "No, I have a Pentax k-5IIs"
"Oh... must be simpler to work with that camera..." then silence... and soon turn away looking for people with Canikon shoulder strap and shooting with lens hood in reverse position.

Honestly, I don't pay attention to those comments or people any more; those people who know me know what camera/lens I use to shoot (mainly events).

[Susinok]

I attended a lecture at my camera club, and the woman speaking had done a book of 100 Oklahomans over 100 years old. She did it for the state's 100th anniversary of statehood. Anyway, they were the most amazing portraits and when asked about gear, she replied "An old beat up piece of junk and two lenses, a long one and a short one."

I loved her attitude about it!

[daacon]

I would agree that current technology is very smart and allows for a much wider range of 'photographers'. I think personally I have taken some 'great' shots, yet would never really consider it as a living as mentioned before , just too much competition. I believe the 'skill' most of us have is passion (hey you are on Photography forum!) and creativity. Since I have been involved in the (D)SLR world (not that long at all 2007 K100D) I have evolved in the way I look and see. I certainly have a passion for it that has grown. Where I have improved (don't get me wrong there is some technical skills about exposure that are needed but those can be learned relatively quickly and with the instant feedback of digital, mistakes can be quickly corrected), is my eye. I now 'look' a lot more. There are things that interest me now that 10 years ago I would not have given a second look. That's my take.

The OP reminds of going to a friends for dinner. Once finished you compliment the host on a delicious meal and then mention you must have some really nice pots and pans.

[NicoleC]

It could be worse...
"you have a nice camera! what is it, a Canon or Nikon D something?" "No, I have a Pentax k-5IIs"

I usually reply:
"No, it's a Pentax"
... like I was saying Prada or Ferrari.

[mikeSF]

i too hear that "must have a nice camera" comment often and though it is annoying, i am sure the DSLR market enjoys a continuous flow of sales from masses who think upgrading from their $50 P&S to the latest Canikon body will yield them pro-looking results. As I have seen the results enough times, posting blurry or flash-bleached indoor images with their "expert equipment", there must then be some realization of the skills required to achieve a good image...or perhaps not and they look at the DSLR pics and think they are "way better", lol.

[Wired]

"your camera takes nice pictures"

"your mouth makes nice compliments"

[TER-OR]

If people want to learn, I will always help. Most often I'll tell them to get out of green mode and start learning the camera, they're all good tools.

Anyone have a DSLR they want to sell cheap to a guy with a better artistic eye than most of us will ever have, but very little cash?

[cali92rs]

Anyone have a DSLR they want to sell cheap to a guy with a better artistic eye than most of us will ever have, but very little cash?

Is that kind of a rhetorical question, or an actual question?
If it is a real question, PM me please

[Imageman]

Come on guys lets get real. Digital cameras make good pictures with no effort. Lets not pretend that someone presses the shutter button and they get out of focus shots that are badly exposed.


I used a Minolta digital point and shoot, I pointed it at my kids and got a good photo, every time. no effort.


I used a sony digital point and shoot, I pointed it at my kids and got a good photo, every time. no effort.


I used a Panasonic digital bridge camera, I pointed it at my kids and got a good photo, every time. no effort.


I used a Canon dSLR, I pointed it at my kids and got a good photo, every time. no effort.


I used a Nikon dSLR, I pointed it at my kids and got a good photo, every time. no effort.


I use a sigma dSLR, I point it at my kids and I don't always get a good photo, I use manual settings and the shots get messed up. That's me messing up not the camera.


It doesn't take much effort to get a good image out of a dSLR, they focus for you and its usually pretty good, they set the exposure and its usually pretty good, they use anti shake and that's usually pretty good.


Problems happen when you try to be clever and use spot metering or take control away from the camera. If the camera is left on auto everything and metering the whole scene, you don't get rubbish out. You get good pictures.


With film slr's the inexperienced cameraman wouldnt know if anything would "come out" at all. "It would have been great but it didn't come out" was a common phrase, That meant you got nothing. sometimes photographers shot a whole film and got nothing identifiable. The labs would explain about exposure and focus, it was so common that films were entirely messed up that labs commented on every frame they saw as bad.


That's why there was a steep learning curve for a film photographer. They got rubbish out until they learned to do it right.


You can pick up a digital camera today put in a charged battery and a card, and take 100 shots, and 100 "come out" without touching anything. Theres no steep learning curve, so people think its easy and the camera does it all. Theyr not that far from the truth really are they.


The reality is that to get the stunning shots I see on this forum, auto settings are not enough skill is required, but the damage is already done, nobody sees the skill.