Kolor-Pikker Offline Upload & Sell: Off
|
I didn't really read most of this thread, but I'll chip in anyway.
If anything, money doesn't equal talent so much as being able to take photos that physically wouldn't be possible with cheap resources. If you have only an f/1.8 lens, then no amount of talent can make it an f/1.2 lens, and that's a stop of light that could be the difference between a useable photo and something destined for the trash bin; if your camera is clean as a whistle at ISO6400, then you take shots in situations that no one else can; and if your subject is far away and you can't get any closer, then you need a long lens.
And these benefits of "being able to do", do actually help you become a better photographer... to draw up an analogy, let's say you're an artist who wants to make engravings. To make a good engraving, you need a set of extremely sharp and quality tools, high quality material that you'll be etching, chemicals, a press, and so on. If you are a starting art student that no one wants to entrust with using high quality tools and materials because you'll "probably ruin them anyway", then your very idea of what this art could be is ruined by having to use a dull knife on some plexiglass and so on. Your first impression has been ruined before you even really started.
So technical quality does contribute a lot to the art aspect of photography, because better gear means less fighting limited features, poor ergonomics, and imaging characteristics that don't capture the scene the way you wanted to, this in turn leads to less frustration, which then leads to making better photos. And this concerns everything - you may not be as tempted to use poor lighting equipment; if you have an old and slow computer, you may not be as tempted to process many photos or with as complex edits because of how long it will take; and if you don't spend for a high quality printer or printing service, then ultimately your photos are no more than 1's and 0's on a hard drive. And as another person here wrote "Money doesn't just buy gear; it buys education, travel opportunities, assistants, models, MUAs, and all manner of other things that can improve one's images..." which is also true when applicable.
Taking inflation into account, photography is cheaper today than it has ever been in history, the least people can do is stop complaining about our miraculously low prices and spend money on what they need, to photograph what they need.
|