Humble Camera beginnings
My first camera, not including dozens of disposables, was a little digital point and shoot Nikon Coolpix; it was red, I was thirteen and this camera was a major upgrade from borrowing my mom's samsung flip phone camera. It fit into most of my pockets and became a quick companion, painting my tumblr account and first instagram page with many mirror selfies and noir photos of chainlink fences. I kept a secret facebook album of all of these shots to look back at and it feels like a real treat whenever I need a good reminder of where my skills in photography began.
My second camera was another digital point and shoot, it was some kind of Canon model and it accompanied me to Europe and captured 4 of the 17 countries I had visit. I was 18 and foolish and it got stolen in Paris while I was paying for a bicycle rental. I lost most of my travel photos and resorted to shooting off of my little android phone for the rest of the trip.
My third camera, and the camera I've been building my career with, is a Nikon D5300. It’s an entry level DSLR and I bought it when I was 21 in preparation for a trip to India. A wonderful man at the camera store sold me the perfect prime lens to accompany it and I have been shooting through this system ever since. I love the organic feel of my 35mm, the limitations of not having zoom capabilities has made me hone my understanding of powerful composition and brought a lot of movement into my shooting practice; I like to make the joke that I AM the zoom during shoots. This camera has served me so well over the last 8 years but it is growing tired and my glass is slowly shifting out of focus. As an artist that has explored many different faucets of expression while also embracing the 'broke' self starter mentality in my twenties, I have learned the lesson of placing value in creating art with whatever tools you have available to you. I’ve learned every single in and out of my D5300 and while lots of pros will say it’s a basic body, unprofessional even, I’ve found it to be exactly as complex as I’ve needed while working on my eye.
Here are some of my favourite portraits taken with my D5300 --
This month I took the leap and invested in a new set up that includes a mirrorless Nikon z6ii body and stunning 50mm f1.8 lens. This decision was created in growth as I realized my craft, creativity and business were out-growing my first love of a camera! Technology has changed drastically over the years in general, especially in the camera world. Glass has gotten more precise and bodies have incredible autofocus and lowlight capabilities -- upgrading from my old DLSR to this new set up is like trading in a 1992 Honda Accord for a 2020 Tesla. I am so excited to push the limits of my creativity and learn what this badboy is capable of but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous. There's comfort in what we know and most of my education surrounding photography has been built out in the field making things happen through trial and error. I never really noticed until someone pointed out to me a few years ago; my portfolio has a vintage, almost film-like feel and I love that it's become a big anchor point in the way I shoot, I definitely owe a lot of that style to the limits I've worked within while exploring my old camera. The flaws that we work with in our chosen tools help us build personal style and charisma by default of the tool, now that I've eliminated many of my tools flaws, it's time to really start honing in on my style and I am really excited to discover if the way I begin shooting and processing my images emulates and enhances my current aesthetic.
Let this be your reminder that you don't need the best camera to begin exploring the world of photography! Tools can only get us so far, the real investment we can make is the time we spend seeking out what we want to share and express.
Thanks for reading -- now get out there and shoot!
xoxo A
