In 2015 I finally did it.
I bought a "real" camera.
Now, I had owned a few cameras over the years. And they weren't bad.
But they also weren't great.
I could never quite get what I pictured in my head. Crappy kit lenses, a camera body that couldn't handle low light, and not to mention my lack of technical knowledge made for futile efforts to get good photos.
Whoever says "equipment doesn't make the photographer" is partially full of BS. Next time a photographer says that to you, ask them why they have $20k in equipment instead of a $500 camera sold at Walmart. Now, it's true, a professional could take a cheap camera and figure out enough workarounds to come back with some quality images. But that's not the point; you want good images, you have to start with good equipment. And it's expensive.
In 2015 I took the leap. I sold all my "cheap" equipment and bought what would be considered "semi-professional" gear, which is laughable because I was such a novice. I put everything of value on eBay and Craigslist to accumulate enough cash to buy gear. I scoured the same sources for good used gear, and I got lucky on more than one occasion. Soon I had enough to get started and challenge myself to get some decent photos. There were no more excuses about having crappy photos because of crappy gear. If the photos sucked, there was no one to blame but myself. And that is the hardest pill to swallow.
Luckily, unlike the days of expensive film, pixels are free. If you come home with 100 garbage photos, you delete them like you would spam emails. Then you try again. And again. And again.
Who finally taught me to get good results? Well, everybody. And Nobody.
We live in an amazing time, where there are endless resources online to teach you everything from how to clean that damn grout in the bathroom (been there) to how to fix your hot water heater (again, been there).
I started inhaling photography knowledge like a drowning man coming up for air. YouTube videos, online courses from Creative Live, any photographer's website that had tips and tricks. I studied and absorbed every tidbit I could possibly remember.
There was nothing more satisfying than the first time I pulled images off a memory card to my computer and they looked like SOMETHING. Not just snapshots, but honest-to-God photos. That's were obsession and addiction intersected. I shot everything. My camera went with me everywhere. Results still varied, but the triumphs began to outweigh the defeats.
I had been putting stuff on Facebook, which is a terrible gauge of talent or success. A lousy photo of a sunset can get a truckload of "likes", because who doesn't like a sunset? (I like to call sunsets the Nickelback of photography. Sorry, Nickelback). Even if the compliments were empty, it still meant something and inspired me to do more, and do it better.
Early in the learning curve I went to birthday dinner with several former colleagues, several of whom were REAL photographers/photojournalists. One turned to me from the end of the table of a dozen people and asked loud enough for everyone to hear, "Nick, what's up with the PHOTGRAPHY?!"
I felt myself physically sink into my chair, hoping no one heard the pointed question. Instead, I looked up to find all eyes firmly fixated on me. I had NO idea what to say. I don't even remember my specific reply, but it was something along the lines of "Um...yeah...I dunno...I guess it's a...THING".
Somehow I deflected and moved the conversation in a differently direction. I had no idea it was possible to feel so self-conscious, and yet accomplished at the same time.
Luckily, I've improved on two things: Photography in general, and how to accept a compliment.
Be patient with me while I learn to get better at both!
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