I’ve used many types of cameras for reference photos for my drawings, and of course to produce the stand alone photographic images. Again, there are many reasons for why certain artists choose certain tools. DJ’s prefer one brand of turntables, guitarists seem to prefer one brand, and photographers have their own personal favorite makes and models.
By now hopefully everyone has been following the list, noticing that some of my art gear costs $.99, while some of the rest costs much more. I’d like to think that it’s still more about the person than the tool. In this day and age we’re too caught up in thinking that a more expensive tool will automatically make you a better artist or image maker. I’ve been astounded by kindergartener’s drawings with crayons, so I think everyone should learn from our little friends.
However, like most of us out there, I still want the nice things, and wonder how the more expensive tools could help my art.
One of my earliest digital cameras was a Kodak. I still have this camera, and the 8MB(!) memory card that it came with. It was the slowest camera before and after the shot, but at the time it was miles above what we had in the art school.
Until the technology matured, I still relied on my Minolta SLR from the 80′s for some shots. It was usually loaded up with Kodak black and white film, and for a camera with only 1 autofocus point, and centre weighted metering, it just had an uncanny way of producing images that were sculpture-esque. Its viewfinder coupled with a simple 50mm lens just made for easy compositions.
The Nikon Coolpix was such a small camera and it was fun finally using a camera that didn’t rely on AA batteries. :( Image wise and functionality wise it probably wasn’t as good as the Sony’s or Canon’s I’ve used, but that’s not what this art game is all about.
Moving to a D-SLR was a watershed moment. It was nice to be able to change lenses again, and shoot for days without even draining the battery. Editing in the computer was just something that I really liked, and considered it a necessary step before an image was “finished.” For those that still complain about noise in cameras, and this camera not having this and that…it’s DIGITAL people, come on. By virtue of just being able to see the photo on the back of the camera, we have it quite good. The imaging power that the companies let us have is quite obscene these days. Some people buy cameras and learn to use them because they want to capture memories of people and things they care about, not to simply have an expensive toy collecting dust.
So I hope everyone out there sees the progression of digital photography, the spin I take with my artwork, and the golden age of imaging that we seem to be living in. I also hope that the people who like to list their equipment like parts of a tuner car realize that there is no such thing as “the best, sharpest, fastest, etc.” There are legendary artists, long gone, that could do things with a paintbrush, that we can’t even touch.
For posts featuring my thoughts on the random toys, ahem, gear that I use, please click on the Photography category.
Boon Vong
www.b-vong.com
