Fight the “Gear Gremlins!”

Recently David DuChemin created a fury of comments about NOT getting into debt for buying gear. I agree with him 100% not just for your photography business but for your personal finances as well. Sure, use your credit card to make a purchase as long as you can pay the balance off immediately. The benefits are purchase protection and travel miles/bonus dollars.

As photographers, part of the draw we have toward the craft is “fancy-dancy-newest-technology”.  At least it is for me. I admit liking the gadgets and new technology. However, I refrain myself from have the newest gadget for the sake of financial responsibility. I know going into debt for gadgets that make me little or no money is not financially responsible.

Will the new pro-body camera make us better photographers? No, I don’t think so. If I drove a Ferrari, it wouldn’t make me a better driver? In fact, it would probably make me a worse driver. Anyways, there are tons of arguments on David’s blog on “why” to stay debt free. Most of his readers understand them. Including myself.

What I suggest is have a look at people who DON’T use pro-body cameras! I have stumbled upon a “pro photographer” who still uses Polaroid. He created great images with his cheap old camera. I just wish that I book marked his site to share with you. My bad. Anyways, I took a look at Flickr to see who else out there is using old gear, including a Kodak Brownie, which I personally own thanks to Grandma. She left it for me years before she died. The camera is the image above.

A photographer who still uses his Brownie is here. There are others who use older gear, some for the sake of using old technology and some who are satisfied with what their current gear does. I believe many night photographers still use slide film.  Troy Paiva finally moved to digital in 2005. He is now using a Canon 20D.

I challenge myself to stay with the gear I have. I am resisting the “Gear Gremlin”. Maybe I  will use LESS gear or OLDER gear than I already have. Maybe I should get some film for my Olympus OM-10. Confining yourself will force you to “think outside the box”. It’s a challenge… but without challenge there can not be growth as an artist. That goes for anything really.

Finally, FYI the above image was created on my kitchen counter. I guess I do have a studio after all, my kitchen studio. A science fair white display board thing that I had found at Staples for $15 that is used as a back drop. The Brownie sits on two pieces of white printer paper. A SB800 flash on a portable light stand worth about $60. The flash was bounced off a 32″ collapsible reflector that cost about $30. A cheaper piece of white board could of had the same effect. My Nikon D200 is two years old with no plans for an upgrade to a D700… well, unless I win the lottery.