Photography: What do you "really" need?

I've always been fascinated with minimalism. I strive, but don't always achieve it.  I love to ride my scooter or skateboard which fits in the trunk of my Miata. I play a sopranino recorder, ukulele and Martin backpacker guitar. When leaving the house and going "light", I'll only carry my belt pouch, watch, keys, phone (and now a face mask).



I have been, and still am, a professional photographer. I've been paid countless times, earning thousands of dollars, to take pictures. I own 2 photography businesses in San Diego and have shot: weddings, family portraits, headshots, architecture, real estate, museum galleries, theater productions, cars, events, etc. I have taught photography workshops, developed an online photography course, produced a photography podcast and ran a photography website. 

When I first started shooting professionally, I used big heavy DSLR gear, it's what was expected. At one point, I sold all of my DSLR gear and switched to a lightweight, mirrorless camera system. With this gear, I can, and HAVE, shot all of the paid gigs I've mentioned. With 2 bodies and 3 lenses I can cover all the focal lengths from wide angle (15mm) to telephoto (210mm). The image above, of my photo-pack may, to the untrained eye, may look like a lot of heavy gear: by professional photography standards, it isn't. 

Still, how much is not enough, just right and too much gear?


The tiny kit above is my most minimalistic interchangeable lens camera setup. It's an Olympus Micro Four Thirds body with a 20mm (40mm equivalent) lens. Minimalistic, small and light.

Having all the gear that you can possibly need has its advantages. There a saying "It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." But there's the flip side to that as well: you end up carrying a whole lot of stuff when you didn't really need to. 

Having minimal gear allows you to be nimble. You're not bogged down by cumbersome gear and weight. Lugging around heavy gear is tiring, drains you and saps your energy. Nimble gear leaves you energy to apply to inspiration, imagination and creativity.

If I go even lighter, I leave behind even this camera and just use my phone. I have to admit, for spontaneous photo ops where you are not expecting to have the capabilities of a "real" camera, it's not bad. Still there are limitations that might prevent me from "getting" the shot. No off camera strobe, no interchangeable lens, a microscopic sensor, shallow dynamic range ... 

What gear do you need? I think it depends on your needs at the time. I'd never shoot a paid gig with my cell phone and I'd never bring my full kit on a nature hike where the primary focus is my surroundings and the people I'm with. 




This image was actually shot with an inexpensive "compact" camera





Photographers understand the importance of focus and sticking your tongue out to get the perfect shot


This image also shot with a compact camera



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review - Scooters I Own

Image
Summary review of scooters I own: Pros and Cons I love scootering and own several kick, push, manual (not electric) scooters. They’re nimble, excellent for low impact exercise and are a great way to get around to find Geocaches. As I've mentioned in a previous article , I think scooters are a great solution to quickly get around (a location you might otherwise walk). They're almost as fast as bikes, but don't require a cumbersome bike rack to transport them. You can fold and fit several in your trunk. Get to your destination, unfold them and you're off! Skateboards are just as nimble but require a bit more training. Because of the brakes and added stability that handlebars offer, most people have the confidence to give scooters a go and quickly learn how to scoot.  I am, by no means, an expert regarding kick-scooters, but I have spent a lot of time riding scooters and have logged many miles doing so . Over time, I've come to own a handful of scooters. Each one was ...
Read more

How to Scooter Using BOTH Feet

Image
This essential "trick" will allow you to go further and faster on any scooter. You NEED to push with both  feet (not at the same time though ... heh heh). Here's why: When you only push with one foot (i.e. push with your left, while your right is planted on the deck), your planted thigh muscles will quickly tire. Your pushing leg will also get tired, but it's using different muscles. If you can alternate your pushing and plant legs every few strokes, you can give both of your legs a " rest " when you change the muscles being used.  Here's how it's done (see the video at the bottom) Push with your left foot while your right is planted. Push about 5 - 10 strokes. Pivot on your right heel and at the same time plant, and put weight on the deck with the toe area of your left foot. Pivot your left foot, on your toes, to straighten it and at the same time take your right foot off. Push 5 - 10 strokes. Now, left heel pivot, right toe plant Right toe pivot,...
Read more

My Boardy Scooter

Image
My impression and review of my Boardy scooter. I also own a Razor A5 Lux and Xootr Mg. I enjoy long distance "exploring" over varied terrain. In one day, I have scootered over 30 miles on my Xootr and on another day over 32 miles on my Boardy . I also enjoy scooting for fitness, pushing the scooter at sustained speeds.  I don’t want to use a bike rack on my car to carry it to my scooting locations. My scooters  must  fit in the trunk of my small car (Mazda Miata). Pros: It's smooth over rough pavement, dirt roads. One of the reasons: it uses 12” high pressure, pneumatic tires. I keep the air pressure high to make the tires as firm as possible. It offers less rolling resistance, but still absorbs shock. Another reason it rides smooth is that it has a "flexy" wooden / fiberglass deck. Absorbs even more shock. Feels kinda like a skateboard. It can get a bit bouncy, but I think it's groovy. The deck is made of layers of wood and fiberglass. It's seems flexi...
Read more

Cleaning and Sticker Bombing a "Used" Bass Guitar

Image
At a band jam, I ran into a guy who offered to sell me a "used" bass. He explained that he'd bought it for his son right before he joined the military and left. Since then it had just been sitting unused. He even threw in a really nice 25-watt Fender amp, all for only $100! The bass was practically untouched, showing very little sign of use. It even had most of the protective plastic coverings still on it—the kind you usually only get to peel off a brand new instrument. Even the tuning pegs still had their protective plastic on them! (I later discovered the little round string retainer was broken, but more on that later.) This is a shot before I started working on it. I set up a folding table and began a careful inspection. While the bass was clearly barely used, it had definitely been in storage for quite a while. Based on the serial number, I'd guess it was manufactured around 2018 (6 years old?). It was probably tucked away in a garage or closet all this time, bec...
Read more

Going Caching 2024 - Geocaching Event

Image
  Going Caching XIV 2024 - A Geocaching Event: Each year, for the last 14 years, there was a Mega-GeoCaching event that happened in Rome, Georgia. The event is called “Going Caching” and this year was the final year. From its humble beginning it has grown to be a world-class, globally-known event drawing thousands of geocachers from numerous countries and all walks of life.  We first heard of Going Caching in 2014 when Jim and Andi, the founders, approached us at another geocaching event and invited us to come out to experience what they have created. They wanted us to experience and promote the event on our podcast (https://www.podcacher.com/) After also hearing about Going Caching from other geocachers who raved about what they had seen and done, we had to go. Our first time out to Rome, Georgia was 2015 and what an experience it was! The theme that year (every year the theme changes) was a Renaissance faire style “kingdoms”. There were 5 kingdoms that both competed and coop...
Read more