I go through several seasons with my gear. Sometimes it’s Nikon season; Other times, it’s Panasonic or Fuji season. But no matter how many times I try to downsize, I always end up back where I started: with too many cameras.
Apparently UK based street photographer and YouTuber george holden Goes through the same thing. In his latest video, he talks about how, in downsizing some of his camera gear, he ended up with more smaller cameras than before, resulting in a selection dilemma.
This made him think about how his personal favorite photos are not his personal favorites because of the camera with which he took the photos; Rather, they are their favorites because of the moments they capture. While their thinking during the purchase was that the new camera would make them a better photographer, that often wasn’t the case.
I have often struggled with those same thoughts. Yes, there are some things that have been game-changers: eye-detection autofocus, for example, or the huge leaps modern cameras have made in ISO performance.
But these days, I’m finding I’m equally comfortable taking out the low-end Canon EOS R50 For a day of shooting because I’m with myself eos r5They all work and perform in much the same way. Sometimes, I’ll even pull out some weird old but cool cameras Panasonic FZ50 Or the Canon PowerShot G1 just for nostalgia’s sake.
I went out with a kit lens the other day Canon RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM LensAnd did this photo shoot, which was more about technique than gear:
i used one B+W MRC Nano Master #810 ND Filter So that running water can be made glassy with long exposures even during the day.
There was something liberating about being able to travel on foot without a huge amount of gear and a set of filters just for one lens. I’ve only had the most fleeting thoughts about my high-end gear (mainly a desire for a slightly wider lens).
When I look at my Instagram page, I often don’t remember which camera or lens each photo was taken with, unless I remember to tag such things in the post.
In any case, Holden’s video is a reminder that it’s about the actual act of getting out and shooting rather than sitting behind a computer looking for the next sale on photography gear. Take a look at the video above for some photos from his mini-camera excursion, and if you have your own favorite gear for street photography, share it in the comments below.
