Reply To: Equipment and education… yes they matter!

[fstopper89]

Archy- did you not read the part where I was explaining that this IS an illustration of what a clueless person may produce vs. what a beginner who’s not entirely clueless vs. someone who knows what they’re doing? Not an experiment representing the ability of a certain camera/lens combo to produce a good image. That experiment would be carried out much differently. My point was that people who have sub-par equipment and no knowledge in the subject of photography/use of their equipment aren’t going to be able to produce high-quality end products. Thus, if one wants to have high quality images, it would be advisable to hire a photographer who possesses the right equipment and the right knowledge.

I’m well aware I’m “better” than those who take blurry photos, use a point-and-shoot and call it fine portraiture, or set their camera on auto. Not saying those people can’t improve… but some just have no desire to, are content producing shoddy work for a little bit of money, yet still rave that they’re professionals.

If someone wants just a basic bare-bones record of an event in the form of a photo, anyone can do that with a camera phone. But isn’t the point of hiring a photographer to document an event or a time period in life so that one may have an artistic representation of such event?

Side note- I’d like to share this image I took with the same point-and-shoot I used for the far left image in this illustration. However, for this image I did not have the camera set on Auto. It was on the setting that offered the most control of this camera, the Program setting. I had control over the aperture only. It was shot in Jpg. As for quality, especially when zoomed in, it’s not nearly as sharp or nice as what my DSLRs offer me. I enhanced it a bit in Lightroom and Photoshop, as the SOOC was pretty bland. I don’t feel that this image was horrible. I paid attention to my composition and to what the subject was doing/the action. It was the camera I had available to me at the time, and it was raining. This is what an experienced photog can do with a simple point-and-shoot. http://www.flickr.com/photos/roxanne_elise_photography/6625823021/in/set-72157628691483073/