Musings about photography

Photography isn't always about taking pictures and it's certainly not about the equipment. Too often photographers are getting hung up on equipment, having the biggest, fastest and best whatever came out yesterday. Those focused on their equipment are rarely great photographers.

Recently, a participant named Frank wrote about his experience on a photo safari with me. His article reminded me that photography isn't always about the resulting photographs, but rather the participation in the act of taking a photo. We can get too hung up on getting that perfect image so much so that we sometimes forget about the people who we are photographing, or the experience we are missing.

The greatest thing about photography is that it has allowed me to experience things that I would not have had access to otherwise. It gives me an excuse to have a conversation with a stranger and to get into their lives. It allows me to experience a culture beyond the front of my lens. It challenges me to stand in a beautiful location and to look beyond the surface.

A photographer who fails to be a part of the scene, will never be able to capture the essence of whatever he or she is photographing. And, perhaps more regrettably, has not truly experienced that which they are trying to photograph.