My camera just makes some awesome images just by him self...(?)

  Very often when I meet someone who does photography and tell them that I'm a photographer too, the first question is, "what brand or camera do you shoot with?" What I really would like to say is "who cares(!), but usually I end up telling that I use Nikon cameras. Then I ask what camera do they use, and they tell me it's Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus... It would be so much nicer to talk about images. It's not that the camera you use wouldn't be important, you'll definitely need one for your art, but when you show your images, who cares about the brand of your equipment?! For me photography is not so much about the gear, it's about searching, seeing, finding and experiencing! Light, different shapes, patterns and forms, curiosities, things I've never seen before, beauty... These are things I'll try to see and find to shoot and they won't change no matter what camera brand I would use. The skill ain't in the gear but within the artist, so stop worrying too much about the gear and start seeing and shooting! It's not your camera that makes the images, it's not your hammer that builds your house, it's not your piano that plays those beautiful melodies. Instead of worrying about your gear, train your eye. Here's some stuff I saw with my eyes and recorded with my camera, architectural stuff or actually mainly details from buildings, shapes, light, patterns, details, trees growing through houses, shadows. Try to guess what camera I used for each image? (OK, I told you the brand is Nikon, but which model? [Not that I wouldn't love to have the new Nikon D850])

I left my friend at home!

  I try to carry my tripod with me as often as possible, but it's not possible always. And so often it happens that just when you need it you don't have it. However I would not like to loose a nice opportunity just because my three legged friend is not with me. Pump up the ISOs, stabilize the camera against a tree or ground, take a series of shots and hope that at least one frame is decently sharp, there's lots of good options. Here's a few images shot in situations I'd really needed a tripod, but it was at home.

   

Winter

    Winter means cold and snow, but it's still quite a fun period during the year. Snow is just so beautiful element, and a great backdrop for portraits. Winter landscapes have something in them too. When shooting outdoors in the winter, there's two basic things which might be a good thing to remember. The first one has to do with the exposure. Snow is white and bright and tricks very easily your cameras exposure meter to give you under exposed values. If you don't compensate, your snow will end up gray. So, if you are shooting in manual mode, just over expose your image with one or even two full stops and your snow will stay beautifully white. The second thing has to do with the gear. Shooting outside below freezing point makes your camera cold. When you bring your gear inside, it might be a good thing to let your camera and lenses to stay inside a closed camera bag for a couple of hours, so that they'll warm up a bit. This procedure will prevent water condensate in your gear. Humidity inside your lenses may cause some fungus, a big no no which you can very easily avoid.So let's not be afraid of the winter, but instead enjoy of it. And the summer is on its way anyway.

  From time to time probably all photographers who shoot with a DSLR will hear comments like, "cool camera. It have to make good images". Cameras don't make any images, people do. No mater which brand or what type of a camera you own, you can make great pictures. Does it mean that it don't matter what camera you use? Yes and no.

  I started photography with a point and shoot camera. It was a 5 mp Canon Powershot A95. This canon was not big or fast, just a regular P/S camera. When I got it, the idea was to try out if this hobby would last (usually I'll start and quit as fast.) so the camera had to have at least the possibility for full manual controls, just to make it possible to improve and then eventually to get a "better" camera. Even if just a P/S, did it make any decent images? Nope, but I managed to do with it. Here's a couple I like...

Eventually there came a time when I "grew out" from my Canon. I had a hunger for a DSLR, so my wife mercifully got me a Nikon D50 with two lenses, a 18-55 and 55-200. This camera was good. I just loved how it felt in my hand. Even if not perfect in low light, I still had the possibility to pump up the ISOs and still get some usable images even at ISO 400, something impossible with my Canon. And if the D50 made some nice images? Still not. I had to do the work. Here's a few samples...

My third camera was a Nikon D80, a step up from the D50. I would say; from a beginner to an enthusiast. Instead of having just one command wheel, this miracle had two, one front and one rear. Better ISOs, a bit faster when shooting series, better AF, even bigger in size (really felt good in hand) etc. What kind of images did it make? You guessed it right, I had to press the shutter. Here's a few results...

  Some were on the road I had started to understand that it is not enough just to have a subject, point a camera towards it and shoot and rely on luck. It is good to understand something about composition, shutter speeds and f-stops. Gradually I got a hang of these things too, so more and more my images started to be a result of thinking, not merely pure luck. At this point of my photography life, my wife got me a Nikon D300S. Big, heavy and fast "pro" camera (I know there is bigger and "proer" cameras). Did my images improve? Yes they did, but not necessarily because of the new camera. Here's a few images...

Then, just to have a new backup camera I got my self a Nikon D5100. Not as pro but when you press the shutter it'll make an image. Here's a couple...

Moving from a tiny little sensor camera to aps-c sensor cameras and of course the next step would be a full frame DSLR. A used D700 was my next move. What a great camera. The low light capabilities are just so good compared tho the crop sensor cameras. But, you know... Here's a few...

Even if I used to lug around at least one system camera no matter were I went, lately I've started to get a bit lazy. DSLRs are heavy and bulky. The good thing is that there are good phones around these days. Even if they are called "smart" phones, they still don't make images, you have to do them. More and more I find my self using a smartphone to make images. It's just so convenient. Here's a few images...

Does this mean that it don't matter what camera you are using? Yes and no. For the most part, great images are not dependent on the gear used. It all starts in the head of the photographer. If you know the possibilities and the limitations of your gear you can make great imagery with all kinds of cameras. Know your subject, think about the composition, use your imagination, have a story in your mind... These are things your camera can't never do, no matter how much they are advertised as "pro" gear. It is YOU who make good images not the camera.