Photography: Talent, Equipment and Dedication for Perfection

The reason I got into photography was a video game – “Life is Strange”. It’s a pretty great game based on a ton of photography elements. The game portrayed the entire process of taking a picture. So about half a year ago, I bought my first digital camera and started taking some shots on my own.

Now let’s get this straight – my photos weren’t really the best in the world. Some were decent, some were pretty meh, others were out of focus, blurry or uninteresting. But I was still happy with them, since after all – they’re my work – they’re unique and a product of my imagination, my eye and effort. Plus, they’re filled with memories and each and every one of them has a special meaning for me.

The thing is, I keep doing photography not because I want to be a pro at it, or be acknowledged by other people, but simply because photography really makes me feel good. I’ll probably buy a new DSLR camera some time soon, and I might look into investing in a few camera lenses as well.

What I have learned during the past few months while doing photography, is that the equipment can be very expensive, but it matters more than I’d like to admit. You can learn all the mechanics of a camera in a few months or maybe in a shorter period if you put the time and work in it. However, you’ll ultimately reach a point at which your photographs won’t be able to become better than they are, and this is where camera equipment kicks in.

The camera lenses play such a huge role in the way photographs turn out it’s actually both disappointing and fascinating at the same time. I don’t want to admit it, but I have to – the right lens can either make or break a photo. The difference that they make is monumental, so I found myself buying a few of them.

At first, all the numbers and letters written all over the lens made it hard to get a grasp of what is what and what is actually important. But some reading on the internet made it clear as day after spending a few hours researching. It all depends on how deep you want to get into it really.

My point is, photography is something that you get better at by trial and error. As long as you enjoy doing it and it makes you happy, keep experimenting and see what works best for you. Rent a pair of lens and see whether you like them or not before actually buying that kind. The equipment can be quite expensive but it’s really important and makes a huge difference in the quality of your photos.