Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
p.1 #1Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
When taking photos for yourself, do you find yourself prioritizing getting the photo or the experience of getting the photo?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
Mar 04, 2026 at 06:45 PM
RoamingScott
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p.1 #2Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
The experience is completely secondary to the output for me.
I always have a hard time understanding what folks mean when they wax about the “shooting experience”. I’ll use whatever gear I need to capture the canvas for the final image I’m envisioning.
I always have a hard time understanding what folks mean when they wax about the “shooting experience”. I’ll use whatever gear I need to capture the canvas for the final image I’m envisioning.
Mar 04, 2026 at 06:57 PM
p.1 #3Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
Experience for me. If I don’t enjoy the experience, my images reflect this. Many times when I arrive at a new location / place, I’ll go out without a camera to get a feel of the place, be it landscape or street, before I decide to take some images. I never get the fear of missing an image as there is a world full of images I’m not taking. I get the vision of the image I want, then go out with my gear to get that image.
Mar 04, 2026 at 07:26 PM
p.1 #4Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
DWOfPaul wrote:
When taking photos for yourself, do you find yourself prioritizing getting the photo or the experience of getting the photo?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
I think I usually start out in target acquisition mode, and if its a fleeting moment, I enjoy it after the fact reviewing it in my EVF... if it is a lasting moment, I get my keepers and then sure, will take a step back and enjoy drinking in the moment.
As far as picking hardware that forces me to slow down goes, yeah, been there done that back in my younger film days... I bought a 4x5 plate film camera, a 1deg spot meter and learned the zone system and tortured myself lugging loaded plates around. yes, it can make things more contemplative, and there is no spray and pray. I moved on to a Pentax 6x7, and it allowed a little more spontaneity, but I was also using a Pentax 645 for wedding work at the time and got spoiled by the automation with very little sacrifice in IQ for even the most demanding print sizes.
Today, with 61mp, modern zooms, IBIS and OSS, I haven't given prime vs zoom speed of handling much thought in respect to your question exactly, but... I do tend to use zooms for long Tele work and primes for wide to tele-portrait range work, just because I think those fit my IQ goals, budget and working speed needs best.
Eric
When taking photos for yourself, do you find yourself prioritizing getting the photo or the experience of getting the photo?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
I think I usually start out in target acquisition mode, and if its a fleeting moment, I enjoy it after the fact reviewing it in my EVF... if it is a lasting moment, I get my keepers and then sure, will take a step back and enjoy drinking in the moment.
As far as picking hardware that forces me to slow down goes, yeah, been there done that back in my younger film days... I bought a 4x5 plate film camera, a 1deg spot meter and learned the zone system and tortured myself lugging loaded plates around. yes, it can make things more contemplative, and there is no spray and pray. I moved on to a Pentax 6x7, and it allowed a little more spontaneity, but I was also using a Pentax 645 for wedding work at the time and got spoiled by the automation with very little sacrifice in IQ for even the most demanding print sizes.
Today, with 61mp, modern zooms, IBIS and OSS, I haven't given prime vs zoom speed of handling much thought in respect to your question exactly, but... I do tend to use zooms for long Tele work and primes for wide to tele-portrait range work, just because I think those fit my IQ goals, budget and working speed needs best.
Eric
Mar 04, 2026 at 08:11 PM
p.1 #5Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
I'm a biologist and a naturalist...I'm out there because I love being out there, and take pictures because it's fun for me. The images just happen, and if not...I still love being out there.
Everyone does it their own way.
Everyone does it their own way.
Mar 04, 2026 at 08:13 PM
p.1 #6Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
A bit of both. If I’m not getting the results, the experience doesn’t matter, but if the experience didn’t matter at all, I’d just shoot with my phone.
Mar 04, 2026 at 08:36 PM
p.1 #7Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
DWOfPaul wrote:
When taking photos for yourself, do you find yourself prioritizing getting the photo or the experience of getting the photo?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
My goal is to obtain the images. The experience is often 90+% pain and suffering, such as muscle and joint pain almost everywhere, slips, falls, cuts, bruises, abrasions, sunburn, windburn, too hot, too cold, not enough oxygen, particles in eyes, mosquitos, biting flies, rain, snow, ice, mud, sand, horrible stenches, loud noises, bird and animal attacks. And diarrhea can never find a bathroom.
Yet 5% of the time you see amazing things that few people have ever seen. Sometimes you have to stop shooting and appreciate, but then it's back to getting the images.
I'm over the big pro bodies like Z9 size at my age. Z8 or similar bodies are a comfortable size. I might bring 3-8 lenses and 2-4 bodies on a single trip. What I bring to the field is day to day and morning vs. afternoon may be different. It all depends on what makes sense. I cannot carry so much for miles as I used to and be effective, so sometimes it will be a xxx-600 vs. a 600/4 prime, but it won't be an 8x or 10x zoom either. It's not so much about the FOMO, but every day in the field is so expensive that I don't want to waste a reasonable opportunity.
EBH
When taking photos for yourself, do you find yourself prioritizing getting the photo or the experience of getting the photo?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
My goal is to obtain the images. The experience is often 90+% pain and suffering, such as muscle and joint pain almost everywhere, slips, falls, cuts, bruises, abrasions, sunburn, windburn, too hot, too cold, not enough oxygen, particles in eyes, mosquitos, biting flies, rain, snow, ice, mud, sand, horrible stenches, loud noises, bird and animal attacks. And diarrhea can never find a bathroom.
Yet 5% of the time you see amazing things that few people have ever seen. Sometimes you have to stop shooting and appreciate, but then it's back to getting the images.
I'm over the big pro bodies like Z9 size at my age. Z8 or similar bodies are a comfortable size. I might bring 3-8 lenses and 2-4 bodies on a single trip. What I bring to the field is day to day and morning vs. afternoon may be different. It all depends on what makes sense. I cannot carry so much for miles as I used to and be effective, so sometimes it will be a xxx-600 vs. a 600/4 prime, but it won't be an 8x or 10x zoom either. It's not so much about the FOMO, but every day in the field is so expensive that I don't want to waste a reasonable opportunity.
EBH
Mar 04, 2026 at 09:16 PM
p.1 #8Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
Both. And I wouldn't use either superzooms nor manual primes(as manual isn't fun for me). Q3M on a clpudy day in the city. 50-150 f2 and wide angle on a sunny fay. Different lenses for flower photography, etc. I wander as I feel. I am not looking for a particular shot. I am out to have fun and wander.
Mar 04, 2026 at 09:29 PM
p.1 #9Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
For me, the experience and the photo usually click together. On days when something feels off, I just enjoy the walk instead.
The worst experiences and usually the worst photos happen when I keep changing gear. I don’t mean swapping lenses occasionally. I mean constantly trying new camera bodies, lenses, and setups. That completely breaks my mental flow.
It’s amazing when a camera body starts to feel like an extension of your arm. You can move the dials and press buttons purely through muscle memory. And when you’ve spent enough time with a lens, you begin to understand its strengths and weaknesses without thinking.
The best advice I can give anyone on Z is to stick with the 24–120mm f/4 S as much as you can.
The worst experiences and usually the worst photos happen when I keep changing gear. I don’t mean swapping lenses occasionally. I mean constantly trying new camera bodies, lenses, and setups. That completely breaks my mental flow.
It’s amazing when a camera body starts to feel like an extension of your arm. You can move the dials and press buttons purely through muscle memory. And when you’ve spent enough time with a lens, you begin to understand its strengths and weaknesses without thinking.
The best advice I can give anyone on Z is to stick with the 24–120mm f/4 S as much as you can.
Mar 04, 2026 at 11:08 PM
p.1 #10Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
DWOfPaul wrote:
When taking photos for yourself, do you find yourself prioritizing getting the photo or the experience of getting the photo?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
It is all about the photograph, though I do often photograph in places that I like to visit.
I'm notorious for taking so much time that most others cannot put up with me when I'm in photographer mode.
Honestly, sometimes the experience related to making the photographs isn't talways exactly "fun" in the sense that most people use the term. More like “rewarding” perhaps? There's a lot of getting up at ungodly hours, driving long distances, waiting for the right light, sometimes uncomfortable weather (which is often the most interesting photographically), occasional disappointment with conditions, etc.
Edited on Mar 05, 2026 at 09:26 AM · View previous versions
When taking photos for yourself, do you find yourself prioritizing getting the photo or the experience of getting the photo?
For example, do you find yourself gravitating towards superzooms that let you capture a larger variety of photos quicker, or do you prefer sticking with a few MF primes because you enjoy the experience better, even if you miss some photo opportunities along the way? Similarly, on the camera side, do you prefer a larger camera with better AF, higher FPS, and more features, or a smaller, lighter, and more portable camera?
It is all about the photograph, though I do often photograph in places that I like to visit.
I'm notorious for taking so much time that most others cannot put up with me when I'm in photographer mode.
Honestly, sometimes the experience related to making the photographs isn't talways exactly "fun" in the sense that most people use the term. More like “rewarding” perhaps? There's a lot of getting up at ungodly hours, driving long distances, waiting for the right light, sometimes uncomfortable weather (which is often the most interesting photographically), occasional disappointment with conditions, etc.
Edited on Mar 05, 2026 at 09:26 AM · View previous versions
Mar 04, 2026 at 11:36 PM
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p.1 #11Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
It is a combination. I find that the process of framing and making small exposure adjustments locks the experience into my memory. That is invaluable, and then the photograph is a keepsake of that moment in time. I personally enjoy shooting more with primes, but I am truly a hypocrite because I take most of my shots with the 28-200.
Mar 05, 2026 at 12:16 AM
p.1 #12Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
Mostly the experience for me, but more in the sense that photography is what motivates me to wake up at 4am to be somewhere interesting at sunrise, or spend a ton of money traveling to the other side of the globe (going back to NZ soon 🥳 )
I have no issues shooting with superzooms - part of enjoying the experience can be not having to change lenses in certain situations.
But I also highly value haptic experience and nice manual focus lenses. It’s a big part of why I still shoot film, own a couple of Voigtländer lenses for the Z and bought a Leica last year.. 😅
The results play a role in that if I never got any images I was happy with, I don’t think the experience would still work for me after 15ish years of doing this. So they’re not unimportant either and it’s all a balance.
I have no issues shooting with superzooms - part of enjoying the experience can be not having to change lenses in certain situations.
But I also highly value haptic experience and nice manual focus lenses. It’s a big part of why I still shoot film, own a couple of Voigtländer lenses for the Z and bought a Leica last year.. 😅
The results play a role in that if I never got any images I was happy with, I don’t think the experience would still work for me after 15ish years of doing this. So they’re not unimportant either and it’s all a balance.
Mar 05, 2026 at 12:30 AM
p.1 #13Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
Ultimately, it's both, because I wouldn't shoot if I didn't think the result was worth it.
With that said, though, I much more focus on the experience than the result. That's why I have several hundred thousand images on my hard drive and hardly any edited or printed. I have no real portfolio to show for all my efforts. I intend to correct that.
I am also discovering, not to my satisfaction, that I prefer more to shoot at high intensity than a bit here and there. My days in Lightroom look all lackluster from a photography perspective but with spikes of hundreds or thousands of pictures during events in the cities I'm in or - in previous years - outings for bird photography. In my model photography, that consists of a few shoots a year.
My gear doubts are related to this. Key is that I don't like carrying more than necessary. I do like the idea of carrying one camera and one prime lens, but find that I shoot more with one or two cameras with two primes or at least one zoom. And when shooting on those busy days, it's always with a photojournalist type of kit, with two cameras and zooms covering wide to telephoto.
I said "not to my satisfaction earlier." That's because the events I focus on are far and between and I feel that I'm losing my skills at observing usual surroundings and finding opportunities there. And I struggle with the idea of shooting completely for myself. So, with an upcoming event here in Valencia, I'm submitting to Alamy news and stock and it feels somehow more 'real' than if I shot for my own fun and for images on my wall.
With that said, though, I much more focus on the experience than the result. That's why I have several hundred thousand images on my hard drive and hardly any edited or printed. I have no real portfolio to show for all my efforts. I intend to correct that.
I am also discovering, not to my satisfaction, that I prefer more to shoot at high intensity than a bit here and there. My days in Lightroom look all lackluster from a photography perspective but with spikes of hundreds or thousands of pictures during events in the cities I'm in or - in previous years - outings for bird photography. In my model photography, that consists of a few shoots a year.
My gear doubts are related to this. Key is that I don't like carrying more than necessary. I do like the idea of carrying one camera and one prime lens, but find that I shoot more with one or two cameras with two primes or at least one zoom. And when shooting on those busy days, it's always with a photojournalist type of kit, with two cameras and zooms covering wide to telephoto.
I said "not to my satisfaction earlier." That's because the events I focus on are far and between and I feel that I'm losing my skills at observing usual surroundings and finding opportunities there. And I struggle with the idea of shooting completely for myself. So, with an upcoming event here in Valencia, I'm submitting to Alamy news and stock and it feels somehow more 'real' than if I shot for my own fun and for images on my wall.
Mar 05, 2026 at 02:52 AM
p.1 #14Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
For me it is a balance. Lots of satisfaction in capturing the images of the quality I want. But I never take photographs in places I don't find joyous and deeply inspiring.
Mar 05, 2026 at 06:12 AM
p.1 #15Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
When I shot sports for the local college it was about the end result. Much of the time I stressed about getting the final output and the experience reflected that. Now that I'm retired and just shoot for the fun of it, I enjoy being outside hiking and the final output may or may not get me the best images, but the experience I enjoy and put a priority on that.
Mar 05, 2026 at 06:29 AM
p.1 #16Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
dugaut wrote:
When I shot sports for the local college it was about the end result. Much of the time I stressed about getting the final output and the experience reflected that. Now that I'm retired and just shoot for the fun of it, I enjoy being outside hiking and the final output may or may not get me the best images, but the experience I enjoy and put a priority on that.
Agreed.
I just finished a solid week of Alpine Ski Racing. It’s something I get hired to do yearly and although I enjoy it I don’t do it for the experience.
In contrast, just about everything I do for personal photography involves enjoying the photo taking experience or just the quiet time while doing it.
Proof of that is my ZF with a Voigtlander lens. The only reason I have them is for the experience of using them. I have other z cameras that can get the same shot I want with ease.
Mar 05, 2026 at 06:58 AM
p.1 #17Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
Both - Off late I am not so mobile and sitting and waiting behind the camera in my backyard give me a lot of pleasure - But when downloading the images and editing and seeing the final output is another experience!
Mar 05, 2026 at 07:10 AM
p.1 #18Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
I often find that taking photos intensifies the reception of the environment I’m in. This goes so far that I remember trips on which I took a lot of images better, than trips on which I hardly photographed or on which I did not shoot at all.
Mar 05, 2026 at 07:19 AM
p.1 #19Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
RoamingScott wrote:
The experience is completely secondary to the output for me.
I always have a hard time understanding what folks mean when they wax about the “shooting experience”. I’ll use whatever gear I need to capture the canvas for the final image I’m envisioning.
I mean, I think the experience of getting the shot is what does it for me. Yes, I shoot the things that interest me, and I enjoy being out in nature, which is why I do a fair bit of landscape work, and why I love shooting during travel, but what gets me going is when I get the shot and realize I captured something special. That gives me a high. If it was ONLY about the final output, then I'd enjoy putting other people's photos on my walls as much as I like putting mine on the walls, and that's definitely not the case. It's not that I can't appreciate others work (I most definitely can and do), but I shoot because I love the feeling of creating something. So in that case, it's the experience of nailing the output.
Being in an awesome location and also nailing the shot combines to make things really special.
The experience is completely secondary to the output for me.
I always have a hard time understanding what folks mean when they wax about the “shooting experience”. I’ll use whatever gear I need to capture the canvas for the final image I’m envisioning.
I mean, I think the experience of getting the shot is what does it for me. Yes, I shoot the things that interest me, and I enjoy being out in nature, which is why I do a fair bit of landscape work, and why I love shooting during travel, but what gets me going is when I get the shot and realize I captured something special. That gives me a high. If it was ONLY about the final output, then I'd enjoy putting other people's photos on my walls as much as I like putting mine on the walls, and that's definitely not the case. It's not that I can't appreciate others work (I most definitely can and do), but I shoot because I love the feeling of creating something. So in that case, it's the experience of nailing the output.
Being in an awesome location and also nailing the shot combines to make things really special.
Mar 05, 2026 at 07:43 AM
p.1 #20Getting the photo vs the experience of getting the photo
Jman13 wrote:
I always have a hard time understanding what folks mean when they wax about the “shooting experience”. I’ll use whatever gear I need to capture the canvas for the final image I’m envisioning.I mean, I think the experience of getting the shot is what does it for me. Yes, I shoot the things that interest me, and I enjoy being out in nature, which is why I do a fair bit of landscape work, and why I love shooting during travel, but what gets me going is when I get the shot and realize I captured something special. That gives me a high. If it was ONLY about the final output, then I'd enjoy putting other people's photos on my walls as much as I like putting mine on the walls, and...Show more →
I guess in my case, I find the mechanical bits of photography rather dull, and my excitement comes from a combination of seeing good light on an interesting subject with my eyes and internalizing what kind of photo it could turn out to be in the end. My creative process involves two steps...one in my mind before the shutter button, and one behind my desk when I get back home.
The actual use of the camera is rather rote and simply a necessity after that. It's pretty rare that I fiddle or experiment with multiple settings on the same subject because I know which are required to get the output I want and I've usually settled on one particular look before ever taking the photo. There are rare times I don't know exactly how I'll process it so I take a few varied exposures.
Being in a nice place is always fun, but a camera isn't required to enjoy THAT, for me at least.
RoamingScott wrote
The experience is completely secondary to the output for me.I always have a hard time understanding what folks mean when they wax about the “shooting experience”. I’ll use whatever gear I need to capture the canvas for the final image I’m envisioning.
I guess in my case, I find the mechanical bits of photography rather dull, and my excitement comes from a combination of seeing good light on an interesting subject with my eyes and internalizing what kind of photo it could turn out to be in the end. My creative process involves two steps...one in my mind before the shutter button, and one behind my desk when I get back home.
The actual use of the camera is rather rote and simply a necessity after that. It's pretty rare that I fiddle or experiment with multiple settings on the same subject because I know which are required to get the output I want and I've usually settled on one particular look before ever taking the photo. There are rare times I don't know exactly how I'll process it so I take a few varied exposures.
Being in a nice place is always fun, but a camera isn't required to enjoy THAT, for me at least.
Mar 05, 2026 at 08:58 AM