Upgrade What Matters More by Jay Alonzo

people look at your photo and admire it (or hate it) based on what they see per se and what they can gleam and feel about it
In the last few years digital photography has seen a big boom. Cellphone cameras have improved drastically and have more or less replaced the point-and-shoots as the go-to everyday camera. SLRs have become a viable option to a casual consumer because of their drop in price.

I love photography. I admit to not being good at it but I do still casually check on some of the photos from my favorite photographers. The quote above comes from one of them.  Besides being a commercial photographer, Jay Alonzo also hosts photography workshops. For me what differentiates his style and teaching is the focus on the "art". What does someone who views your photo feel? How do they react? Do they even react at all?

From my few years of understanding photography,what I've learned the most is that your camera is just a tool. Everywhere I see  a photography group, a lot of people are more concerned about the "specs" of the shot and the camera rather than the actual image itself. a lot of people want to upgrade their cameras or lenses because they feel getting that new equipment will make them better. Most of the time though it won't. Sure you now have a lens that can zoom in closer but is your photo well framed? Does your shot convey a story? Just as a paintbrush does not make great art by itself, why do people think cameras can? Great tools are great but they are still just tools.

Anyway, Upgrade What Matters More is a great article by Jay Alonzo explaining that sometimes you don't really need an upgrade in equipment. Check it out.