Does creativity go down as format size goes up?

**beachgardener** · 12-23-2019, 02:13 AM

I was thinking of buying a 4x5 camera to increase my creativity

And it has an inter-changeable sensor.

**microlight** · 12-23-2019, 02:14 AM

I don’t think it’s just a property of larger format size. I’ve been struggling with creativity using APS-c (or any camera actually), and have already made a new year’s resolution to work on regaining my photographic mojo.

**Madaboutpix** · 12-23-2019, 02:19 AM

Deliberately imposing limitations of various kinds is certainly a technique that is used by many artists to boost their creativity from time to time.

And the new-toy temptation of shooting super-fast lenses exclusively wide-open to henceforth mostly produce bokeh porn is not unheard of either, I reckon.

But we're talking about pitfalls here which of course can be resisted and overcome by photographers who are willing to grow artistically.

D1N0 · 12-23-2019, 03:06 AM - **1 Like**

Just don't use AF. That is the real creativity killer

**Rondec** · 12-23-2019, 03:29 AM - **1 Like**

I don't think I've ever been particularly creative. I do think that I've learned some rules of composition and can see light better now than I used to.

When I added a K-1 to my K3, I don't think my photos changed very much. I still shot the same landscapes and my kids looked very much the same. The big difference that I found was that I was able to stop using HDR and could process single images instead. I really liked that, but otherwise, I didn't find my creativity to increase or decrease with the move. Although I'll freely admit that I'm not sure I can use the word "Creative" as one of my attributes.

**ffking** · 12-23-2019, 03:37 AM

Thing is, there's differnet sorts of creativity -some are the result of inferior equipment, (and in some ways smaller sensors are inferior) which sometimes forces different and possibly more creative approaches to picture taking but can also (particularly with cheaper equipment) put the photographer in a more relaxed and less serious mindset.

On the other hand, better, or more expensive, equipment can increase the sense of creative possibility and the expectation that the effort will be orth it in terms of image quality.

For myself, I tend to treat the K-1 exactly as I used to teat the K-3 and the K-10D before it - the only difference (which might just be down to being that much older) is that I'm a little less reckless with the K-1 and expensive lenses than I was with the K-10D and kit lenses, so it might just be nothing to do with format, all to do with expense?

**pepperberry farm** · 12-23-2019, 04:14 AM - **1 Like**

... I knew there was another reason to NOT buy a K-1....

Wasp · 12-23-2019, 04:19 AM - **1 Like**

As far as creativity goes, slow is good. But only for things that do not move around. For action, sports, photo journalism, street etc. faster is better. Then again, it all depends. For example, the K1 may not the best sports camera on the market, but I think I could make it work. It is certainly faster than the manual focus Super A I used back in the film era. And play doesn't stop every 36 exposures.

**ffking** · 12-23-2019, 04:43 AM

Originally posted by pepperberry farm

... I knew there was another reason to NOT buy a K-1....

Another?? I can't think of one at all- oh yes, waiting for it's successor...

**EssJayEff** · 12-23-2019, 05:05 AM - **1 Like**

No

Paul Strand: 8x10 view camera
Monet:Water Lillies
Claes Oldenburg: monumental sculptures

**StiffLegged** · 12-23-2019, 05:08 AM

Strange! I was always under the impression that moving up to a new FF brought a shedload of benefits - not only did creativity increase with cost squared; light, weather and composition would immediately conspire to deliver awesomeness on Insta the moment of unboxing the shiny shiny. Isn’t it so??

biz-engineer · 12-23-2019, 05:27 AM

Originally posted by barondla

Does creativity go down as format size goes up?

Creativity goes down to zero when the unit cost of taking pictures goes down to zero. No one would have fired sprayed and prayed 36 images bursts when it meant throwing an entire film roll down the drain. It is now so easy to take one more digital picture, that the value of digital pictures went down to zero, with online digital photo sharing sites storing more than 80% of rubbish images that no one would want to spend even $1 to print on paper. The value of the larger format is that burst rate is very slow, and large files cost storage space and computing time, so you better take care of good composition and exposure before taking shots. Printing at $10 or more is a good test to know if the digital image is worth it or not.

hypermodern · 12-23-2019, 05:28 AM

Originally posted by bertwert

Huh? How are you relating that using a different sensor size diminishes your creativity?

I've seen many good photographs from folks with APS-C cameras and many good photographs from folks with FF cameras. Maybe in your case you are implying that correlation means causation...

This was my immediate reaction, but I have recently started using a 6x6 TLR on the side. It’s hard, and at the moment I’m spending so much thought just trying to achieve an exposure that I’m not being super “creative”. Hopefully it will come.

wstruth · 12-23-2019, 05:48 AM

No but it's still a new tool and you have to get used to it. i took me a bit of time to get used to the new field of views that my lenses had on the K-1 o for me what I saw was different with the K-1 than my KS-2. To get the same image as the KS-2 I had to get closer, so to a certain extent I had to re-think how I composed a shot.

**ramseybuckeye** · 12-23-2019, 05:52 AM - **1 Like**

I think that maybe since prices have come down on FF (overall) more beginners start at FF so there may be a watered down lot overall. But I don't think the format size has anything to do with creativity, at least directly. But it certainly does mess with some people's heads and make them think they are better because of a larger format.

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12-23-2019, 02:13 AM	#16
beachgardener Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,842	I was thinking of buying a 4x5 camera to increase my creativity And it has an inter-changeable sensor.

12-23-2019, 02:14 AM	#17
microlight Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,129	I don’t think it’s just a property of larger format size. I’ve been struggling with creativity using APS-c (or any camera actually), and have already made a new year’s resolution to work on regaining my photographic mojo.

12-23-2019, 02:19 AM	#18
Madaboutpix Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: North Rhine-Westphalia Posts: 1,440	Deliberately imposing limitations of various kinds is certainly a technique that is used by many artists to boost their creativity from time to time. And the new-toy temptation of shooting super-fast lenses exclusively wide-open to henceforth mostly produce bokeh porn is not unheard of either, I reckon. But we're talking about pitfalls here which of course can be resisted and overcome by photographers who are willing to grow artistically.

12-23-2019, 03:06 AM - 1 Like	#19
D1N0 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Location: --- Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,802	Just don't use AF. That is the real creativity killer

12-23-2019, 03:29 AM - 1 Like	#20
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,652	I don't think I've ever been particularly creative. I do think that I've learned some rules of composition and can see light better now than I used to. When I added a K-1 to my K3, I don't think my photos changed very much. I still shot the same landscapes and my kids looked very much the same. The big difference that I found was that I was able to stop using HDR and could process single images instead. I really liked that, but otherwise, I didn't find my creativity to increase or decrease with the move. Although I'll freely admit that I'm not sure I can use the word "Creative" as one of my attributes.

12-23-2019, 03:37 AM	#21
ffking Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,038	Thing is, there's differnet sorts of creativity -some are the result of inferior equipment, (and in some ways smaller sensors are inferior) which sometimes forces different and possibly more creative approaches to picture taking but can also (particularly with cheaper equipment) put the photographer in a more relaxed and less serious mindset. On the other hand, better, or more expensive, equipment can increase the sense of creative possibility and the expectation that the effort will be orth it in terms of image quality. For myself, I tend to treat the K-1 exactly as I used to teat the K-3 and the K-10D before it - the only difference (which might just be down to being that much older) is that I'm a little less reckless with the K-1 and expensive lenses than I was with the K-10D and kit lenses, so it might just be nothing to do with format, all to do with expense?

12-23-2019, 04:14 AM - 1 Like	#22
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,660	... I knew there was another reason to NOT buy a K-1....

12-23-2019, 04:19 AM - 1 Like	#23
Wasp Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Pretoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,660	As far as creativity goes, slow is good. But only for things that do not move around. For action, sports, photo journalism, street etc. faster is better. Then again, it all depends. For example, the K1 may not the best sports camera on the market, but I think I could make it work. It is certainly faster than the manual focus Super A I used back in the film era. And play doesn't stop every 36 exposures.

12-23-2019, 04:43 AM	#24
ffking Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,038	Originally posted by pepperberry farm ... I knew there was another reason to NOT buy a K-1.... Another?? I can't think of one at all- oh yes, waiting for it's successor...

12-23-2019, 05:05 AM - 1 Like	#25
EssJayEff Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: near Saxapahaw, NC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 969	No Paul Strand: 8x10 view camera Monet:Water Lillies Claes Oldenburg: monumental sculptures

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12-23-2019, 05:08 AM	#26
StiffLegged Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2018 Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,616	Strange! I was always under the impression that moving up to a new FF brought a shedload of benefits - not only did creativity increase with cost squared; light, weather and composition would immediately conspire to deliver awesomeness on Insta the moment of unboxing the shiny shiny. Isn’t it so??

12-23-2019, 05:27 AM	#27
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,231	Originally posted by barondla Does creativity go down as format size goes up? Creativity goes down to zero when the unit cost of taking pictures goes down to zero. No one would have fired sprayed and prayed 36 images bursts when it meant throwing an entire film roll down the drain. It is now so easy to take one more digital picture, that the value of digital pictures went down to zero, with online digital photo sharing sites storing more than 80% of rubbish images that no one would want to spend even $1 to print on paper. The value of the larger format is that burst rate is very slow, and large files cost storage space and computing time, so you better take care of good composition and exposure before taking shots. Printing at $10 or more is a good test to know if the digital image is worth it or not.

12-23-2019, 05:28 AM	#28
hypermodern Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 131	Originally posted by bertwert Huh? How are you relating that using a different sensor size diminishes your creativity? I've seen many good photographs from folks with APS-C cameras and many good photographs from folks with FF cameras. Maybe in your case you are implying that correlation means causation... This was my immediate reaction, but I have recently started using a 6x6 TLR on the side. It’s hard, and at the moment I’m spending so much thought just trying to achieve an exposure that I’m not being super “creative”. Hopefully it will come.

12-23-2019, 05:48 AM	#29
wstruth Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: at my kitchen table Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,294	No but it's still a new tool and you have to get used to it. i took me a bit of time to get used to the new field of views that my lenses had on the K-1 o for me what I saw was different with the K-1 than my KS-2. To get the same image as the KS-2 I had to get closer, so to a certain extent I had to re-think how I composed a shot.

12-23-2019, 05:52 AM - 1 Like	#30
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,291	I think that maybe since prices have come down on FF (overall) more beginners start at FF so there may be a watered down lot overall. But I don't think the format size has anything to do with creativity, at least directly. But it certainly does mess with some people's heads and make them think they are better because of a larger format.