Doing a lot with not a lot

28 June 2024

Hey there beginners. You don’t need to spend a lot to do a lot.

I’m definately a digital person. Have been since I got a Nikon D70 god-knows-when. I knew nothing about how to make the thing work. But just because I had it, it make me want to go out and take pictures. It was probably too much camera for me back then when a digital point and shoot would have been a better choice.

I’ve had numerous camera systems since. I seem to be of the magically thinking opinion that gear sometimes matters and that choosing the right gear for where you’re currently at is an ok thing to do. Will that stop? Yes, it’s unlikely that, at the moment, I’ll move onto something else. I have everything I need to make pretty much any kind of work imaginable. To move to something else again is just delaying getting out there to make work. I digress.

I’m going to direct you the wonderful Irish landscape photographer Giles Norman.

I don’t know exactly what kit he’s using but it looks to be a Nikon D810 with maybe the 28-200 or 24-120mm. Let’s say it’s a basic zoom lens on a decent camera body. That’s it pretty much. One camera, one lens (and by today’s standards, a quiet affordable setup). No futzing about with five lenses in his camera bag… that stays in the car by the looks of things. His work speaks for itself. It’s simple and stunning and when he’s out with it, it’s not encumbering him one bit. And I’m sure there’s a joy in that for him too.

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Last year I agonized (quite wrongly) about what gear to take to Japan. I took one body and three lenses, two of which I hardly used. I’m not even going to bother telling you what they were because it doesn’t matter. What mattered to me, and what should matter to you, is if you shoot in a particular way that works, stick with the combination. Don’t listen to anyone that says, “Oh, you have to have a 35mm/50mm/85mm on you at all times for all eventualities”, or “this focal length is true to what we see and therefore…”, “don’t leave home without all your f/1.2 glass because of the bokeh…” blah, blah, blah.

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Given that I’ve had work in the Australian Life competition from a Micro Four Thirds camera as well as commissioned work with Olympus, Fuji and Nikon equipment, I’d say it doesn’t really matter what you get from a gear perspective. Most cameras from the last ten years are sufficient. As a beginner, if you find yourself in this situation I’d say, try our all the machines you can get your hands on and pick one that feels good to hold and that you can carry comfortably all day long. If you go with a zoom, great. If you go with a prime, that’s great too. There is a tonne of good, used DSLRs out there (more than likely with warranty from a reputable retailer) that would fit the bill. It might take you a while to whittle down to what really works for you, and also, that might change over time. So be it.