Does it matter what equipment you use?

Unless I'm shooting for a client, I find that I'm not getting out the big camera very much. I always have my phone on me, so that's what I use. So, does it matter? Well, yes and no. When it really comes down to it, the only thing that better equipment gets you is options:

1. More control over the minimum amount of light you need to get an exposure - a camera with a better sensor will be more light-sensitive. Or, in the case of film, a higher ISO.

2. Depth of field and shutter speed - my phone does actually have options for “aperture” and “shutter speed”, though they’re digitally controlled and not an actual mechanical mechanism.

3. How wide or narrow you want your image to be - there are lens kits for phone cameras, so that’s not entirely a limiting factor, but a “good” camera will have many more lens options and much more variation in quality.

4. The availability of quality and adjustability in the digital file itself (and how big you can print it). Phones have a surprising amount of digital file quality, but they’re just not quite as good as a “good” camera. Video stills, even less so.

Really, that's it. A camera of any sort is just a box with a hole, a tube, and some sort of light-sensitive surface. A "good" camera is a glorified version of the same.

So then, the question becomes: what do you want from an image? What's important to you? And, are those things always important, or do they change depending on circumstances? The answers to these questions are so entirely personal that they can only be answered on an individual basis. Of course, for client work, I need much finer control, precision, and quality than if I’m just out enjoying my own horses. But the trade-off is that, with the big camera, the object in my hand is so much more to handle than a phone, and I can’t easily set it down if I need or want to. It becomes a barrier to the experience, which I don't necessarily want in a non-client situation.

I’ve got LOTS of images on my phone (who doesn’t?), and some of them are even kinda good. And some are video stills, which I’ve always considered to be cheating, since you can just pick the frame you like and there’s no skill or timing involved. I’ve been afraid to share them “professionally,” because they’re not high quality files and quite honestly I don’t want to be judged for that. But is that what’s important 100% of the time? Or is it okay to be in love with the moment, the image, even if it will never be a 20x30 gallery wrap on someone’s wall?

For about four and a half years now, I’ve felt like I’ve lost my creative skill. Utterly disconnected from the work. Like a part of me was drowned in an ocean of stress and overwhelm, and I could only watch it sink away. I’m not sure if it will rise up again, but I want it to. I think, for now at least, I need to love the moments in whatever form they show up. Hopefully you will, too.

In other words, I’m probably going to be sharing stuff that you might think is inane, inexpert, sophomoric, stupid, or unbecoming of a professional. You might be right. I’m okay with that.

This is a video still from this morning, when my pony had some seriously pent up frustration. I don’t love the frustration, but I do love the moment, and her ability to express herself.