Do You Need a Great Camera to Take Great Photographs?

A lot of people look at photography as a hobby and think that it’s too expensive; the cost of a high-end DSLR, the price of new lenses and all the fancy equipment you need – it all adds up. And there’s no way around it, because taking great pictures requires an expensive camera, right?

Well, no. In fact, you could probably sell your digital camera right now and still be able to take great photographs without it.

Taking a great picture requires a camera, certainly – but more than that it requires a good eye, and more than often a lot of luck and good timing.

Earlier this year, UK arts initiative Café Art demonstrated this in style. They gave 100 instant cameras to homeless people in London; each had 27 shots and they were told to use them to capture “My London”. More than 2,500 photographs were developed; the best were put together in an exhibition and a calendar.

These days, you could argue that you don’t need to have a separate camera at all – millions of people are walking around with a surprisingly powerful camera in their pocket, in the form of their smartphone.

Earlier this year, the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards included a category especially for mobile phone photography, in recognition of the increased accessibility that camera phones have given to photographers. The winners and shortlisted entries include the kind of striking, dramatic images that many photographers would dream of creating with their expensive kit. And they’re all taken on something you’ve probably got on you right now.

This is, of course, the beauty of the mobile phone when it comes to photography – you’re unlikely to carry a bulky DSLR around with you everywhere you go, but you are likely to have your phone in your pocket. Many of the best images come up unexpectedly; they’re spur-of-the-moment, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of things, so the best kit for those pictures is whatever you have with you at the time.

As technology advances, the cameras in mobile phones are getting ever more powerful; it’s not even a surprise any more to find an HD camera in your phone. With quick-access shortcuts on lock screens, they’re easy to whip out for a quick snap, and offer a surprising range of functionality for more thought-out shots.

At the Camera Exchange Store, we’re happy to buy your unwanted cameras – so if yours is gathering dust while you snap away happily on your phone, why not get in touch with us on 0208 371 4179 to see what we can do for you?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2015 at 8:47 am and is filed under Creative Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.