Jun26
It’s not in the Camera
I shoot with a Canon 30D. I have two sophisticated lenses I find myself using more than any others: the 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS and a 17-40mm L f/4.0. I have the beautiful Canon 508 EX II flash. I have a full set of Westcott Spiderlite TD5 studio lights, as well as reflectors and a tripod. I have Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, not to mention the computer the programs run on.
And I am no doubt less well-equipped than some of you.
Have you ever stopped to wonder about the enormous amount of equipment (and money) we pour into this thing we call photography? Don’t get me wrong. Each piece of equipment I own helps me do what I want to do creatively in certain situations. I don’t regret owning any of it. But fundamentally, when it gets down to it, photography is not in the camera.
I’m reminded of this recently when reading American Photo’s description of the top camera cellphones of the year. At the top of the editor’s list? 
The Nokia N95 with a 2.6-inch screen, 5-megapixels and the ability to record video at 30 frames per second (the same as a real video camera). All of it for the bargain price of $750.
Would anyone ever attempt to use a cell phone to do serious photography? Well, ask yourself this: would anyone ever use a Holga toy camera to do serious photography? Ok, it’s not a perfect analogy. But the answer is yes, just the same. 
Consider Patrice Elmi’s series “Views from a Cell.” Select “View more photos from the show” in the top right corner and you will see what I mean.
Elmi is no slouch: she trained at both NYC’s School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute before picking up her LG phone. When she turned to LG to see if they would sponsor a gallery of her work, even they couldn’t believe she’d made the images on a phone. But she did.
Her work is really impressive for its compositional values. And I think any photographer hauling around all the equipment we tend to haul around can truly appreciate the work of a good eye… no matter what tool we use.
That, in the final analysis, is what photography is all about.
Popularity: 28% [?]
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed!
Composition, Portfolios, Cameras, Lenses
It’s not in the Camera at Imaging Insider Jun 26th 2007 at 02:19 pm 1
[…] Read More… […]
cottage Jul 4th 2007 at 11:14 pm 2
thanks for the info.. I always wanted to get into photography, i do it on the side.. but only for fun..
I’m not very good at it
Christopher Scholl Jul 5th 2007 at 08:26 am 3
Doing it “for fun” is what it’s all about. And the great thing is, the more you do it and the more you learn about it, the better you get! Thanks for stopping by.
patrice emi Aug 24th 2007 at 02:30 am 4
Christopher,
thank you for the super comments on my photos. I was googling my way through tons of press releases and stumbled on yours. I like that you Said “She’s no slouch”! and you liked my composition.
I have a new webiste and new photos with a 2.0 meg LG gave me.
I am currently looking for a gallery and new sponsor. Nice to have a fan out there. Website: VisualURbanAbstracts.com…just up two days and front page needs fixing, will be 9 grid photos switching fast kinda like “Brandy Bunch Meets Patrice’s Views from a cell!” Let me know what you think about the rest of the site and the new work “Cell COnfusion” and Cell-f Portraits”. You have to email me as i will never find this site again. I am computer challenged but cell phone savy!
I have a magic camera now for the Cell COnfusion stuff!! NO RETOUCHING WHATSOEVER. Straight from chip in camera to printer!!
hence the name because i have had arguements with people about this!
thanks for the comments again, you wound up in my scrapbook
regards
patrice
Christopher Scholl Aug 24th 2007 at 10:14 am 5
Hah! Great to hear from you, Patrice. And believe me, the “no slouch” remark was an incredible understatement.
Thanks for reading!
Chris
cup beans Feb 6th 2008 at 04:32 am 6
I sometimes find photos that express the abilities of the photographer more than the thing that they took pictures of. well sometimes it is needed and sometime it is masking exactly what they are trying to show.
Steve Feb 26th 2008 at 04:44 am 7
You’re right of course. The person behind the camera is way more important than the camera itself. Not to mention the myriad post-processing tools available in the digital age. But what about the question of whether the N95 is the best camera phone? I’ve reviewed the Nokia N95’s capabilities (follow the link) and personally I don’t think it’s the best. The Nokia N93, Sony Ericsson K850i and Samsung G800 all beat it IMHO. What’s interesting, however, is that as camera phones become ever more sophisticated, people have ever more difficulty in using them to their full potential - as you can see if you read the user comments on my site. Of course, a genius like Elmi shows us all what these machines are truly capable of.
Sheila Cunningham Feb 29th 2008 at 02:15 am 8
I just came across your entry about Patrice Elmi’s photography using a cell phone camera. Very cool photos. It definitely is the photographer and not the camera!