Daily Archives: February 15, 2012

 

In the last few weeks I’ve constantly been talking with my customers and friends about the new incredible cameras being released by Nikon.  The Nikon D4 a 16.1 mp pro monster and the exciting new Nikon D800/800e that has 36.3 mp promise to deliver unbelievable results.  I have been shooting the D4 for over a month and can tell you it is everything I would have hoped for.  The  production D800 is not on shore yet, but I look forward to shooting it as well.  These cameras will open up the doors to some of the most spectacular “technical” images yet, but they will be unable to do something, very important,  that no current camera can do either, find a great subject, in great light, and then decide how to compose it!  The impact of a photograph goes well beyond technical quality.

 

To make a wonderful image you must find something that is an interesting or compelling subject.  You then have to have the right light to make that subject look spectacular, and finally you must decide where to place the subject in the frame and how to use the surroundings to focus the eye onto the subject.  As advanced at the D4 and D800 are, they can’t do that.  Because that is the job of the photographer!   There is a wonderful story I’ve heard from several different people, I assume it is true, it sure could be.   The story goes that Ansel Adams was speaking at a college in California, and the students kept asking technical questions, what film, what developer, what lens, what tripod he used,  etc, etc.  So Mr Adams went out to a drug store and bought a Kodak Instamatic camera and some black and white instamatic film.  He proceeded to go to the beach and shot some images, he then processed the film, and made enlargement, and displayed them at the college.  When they got rave reviews he slipped his instamatic out of his pocket and revealed the tool he used!  His point was simple, it’s the photographer not the camera.

 

If you have the best camera and best lenses,  and use great technique and vision,  you will likely make great images.  Just buying great equipment alone will not make you a great photographer….

 

By-the-way, the shot above is  a 60% crop, out of an image from a 10 megapixel point and shoot camera!  If you do buy one of the great new cameras, (and I know many of you will), don’t forget to use great technique too!

 

the pilgrim