Nice photo, you must have an awesome camera.

We’ve all heard that one, either in person or on the Internet somewhere, right? Well it got me thinking about the limitations and the possibilities of different cameras. So I decided to try something a bit silly – a fashion style shoot using my Canon Powershot SD1300 (see photo below).

Canon Powershot SD1300.

I know it sounds crazy right? But I wanted to illustrate that it’s not the camera that is the major component in creating a photo. It depends more on the photographer. Now I’m not saying my $149 Canon Powershot is just as good as a $30,000 Hasselblad. My point is that a piece of equipment is only as good as the person operating it.

You can give an unskilled person an awesome camera, but their results proabably won’t be much different than if they used the Powershot. In fact, the results may be worse. For an experienced photographer, the limitations of a camera like the Powershot can be a source of frustration. The problem is that the camera doesn’t give you the amount of control that you are used to. There’s no good way to control focus, shutter speed or aperture.

The photo below is one that I shot with the Powershot. It was shot at ISO 800, 1/13, at f/4.5. It’s not one of my strongest images, but considering the circumstances, it’s not awful. In all fairness, I did do some minor adjustments and noise reduction in Photoshop. The shot was lit using the modeling lights on my studio strobes, hence the slow shutter speed needed.

Rachael - copyright Ken Rieves Photography

So at the end of the day, it’s not important if you shoot Canon or Nikon or Leica or whatever. What matters is how you use your knowledge and skills to create your photos.

Oh, one more thing. Try silly experiments like this. Step outside your comfort level and try new things. Maybe spend a day shooting with nothing but a wide angle lens or shooting at your widest aperture or shooting everything with an on-camera flash. Challenge yourself. It’s fun and you might just learn something. 🙂

Thanks again for reading and a special thanks to my friend Rachael, who was able to help me out on short notice. To see more of my portraits check them out here.

-Ken.