Evolution of a photographer, pt. 1

(Based on a case study of subject #99212.)

Stage 1:
It all starts with subject's deep, secret desire to freeze the moment and capture the light. Subject is jealously eyeing equipment of randomly encountered specimen who reached stage four or further, and thinking that maybe, one day, he could make it and get a decent camera. More and more frequently the subject visits photography related websites, learns basic stuff, for example how shutter speed and aperture affects the overall feel and style of the resulting image. Every time subject feels like purchasing a camera, it is usually enough to take a look at the price tag and decide that it would be a crime not to spend such a huge heap of gold on beer. Also, he hardly doubts that what you photograph is more important than how you photograph it.

Here is where most people stop. Some will buy a $300 point-and-shoot camera and decide that their needs are satisfied. Why bother with buttons and settings, when the smart device can do it all for me? And why would I lug around 10 kg worth of SLR and lens, anyway, if I can take the picture with my Phanasoonik Nano Tiny Pro™ 12 mpix, with 320x digital zoom? Most digital SLRs don't give me more megapixels anyway.

(Here is where most people end.)

Stage 2:
The subject has realised that there is more to a nice camera than megapixels, and more to a nice photo than shoot-everything-without-thinking. He struggles against confusion by terms such as bokeh, sensitivity, tonal range, white balance, chromatic aberration, vignetting, barrel distortion, noise, exposure metering, histogram, and many more. The difference between a compact point-and-shoot EVF camera and a SLR is no longer so blurred to him, and he knows that first is hardly an option for serious photography. Sites like photo.net or dpreview.com slowly make their way into subject's "often visited" list. He reads photography forums and tutorials silently, and as his knowledge grows, so does his urge to utilise his new findings by taking real pictures.

Still, he thinks that body of the camera is what matters. Lens are just a waste of money to him, and he would only trade his kit lens for ones with bigger zoom. The more 'X' of zoom, the more ganXta. He doesn't have a clue how someone can suffer using prime lenses with no zoom whatsoever. That must be, like, the most ridiculous thing ever.

Stage 3:
The many terms of photography finally start to make sense. When our subject sees a photo posted on the Internet, he tries to guess what settings and what equipment were used to take it. In time, his guesses get more and more educated, and he realises that too much ganXta and good pictures just don't go hand in hand. 18x zoom lens is no longer his wet dream, and he realises that "x of zoom" is just a meaningless value. It's focal length that matters. He now knows that choice of lenses matters even more than choice of the body, and can understand why someone would spend several times more for lenses, than for the camera itself. The subject no longer insists on using the same lens for all purposes, and knows how primes can be much better than zooms sometimes.

Most importantly, he realises that equipment is not what's making the pictures awesome. The photographer is. Lousy pictures can be taken with the most expensive equipment, and breathtaking pictures can come out of a simple camera. Still, good gear makes it all much easier, and bring some previously impossible challenges close enough to reach.

On daily basis, subject is imagining capturing what he sees. He thinks about what settings would he use, which perspective would he choose, and what point would be the best for capturing the scene. Often, he regrets how awesome shots he misses. People who accompany him frequently shake their heads in disbelief of his exclamations, such as "This would make for such a wonderful photo, look at the light! Fantastic!" or "Oh my. Such a pity I don't have a camera on me."

Subject has difficulties communicating with other people about this matter. No one understands his blabbering, and no one seems to care. Subject realises the necessity to communicate with similarly afflicted individuals of third or higher stage. Whenever possible, subjects approaches other specimens, in order to indulge in obsessive conversation that bores the hell out of any directly uninvolved observers.

It is necessary to use a handkerchief when browsing photography equipment, unless keyboard and display in use are droolproof. Subject. Wants. DSLR. Now.

(To be continued...)