Amazing Photos with Cheap Gear?

Is it possible to get out outstanding photographs with cheap gear only? Let's find out!

#1 Professional Photographers use Expensive Gear

It is not a secret that professional photographers use expensive gear. Is this the reason why they get out better photos? Is there a way we could compete with them when using cheap gear only?

#2 Our Way of Thinking

I'm a bad handcrafter. Whenever I order a craftsman for any work, I think by myself: If I had such an expensive tool like he has - I'm quite sure, I were able to do the job in the same way. I'm a bad handcrafter, as already mentioned - but I talked to others who are much better handcrafters than me and the interesting thing is: Most people seem to think exactly in this way. Quite interesting is, that it seems even to work for them in most cases. So this is the way we are used to think.

#3 Breaking Down to Photography

So if I would use a better camera, would we get out a significant better photograph? On my experience not!

The reason therefor is simply, that photography is not a handcraft only - it is art. Yes, it could be easier to work with more expensive gear, because there are more buttons and wheels to be configured especially for your purposes, so that you are faster with building up your setup. The sensor might be a bit better, a higher dynamic range, a higher resolution maybe. Through better lenses details could get sharper, what we see when we zoom in to 100%. But in the end of the day this all will not lead into significant better images.

#4 What is really important in Photography

"The most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!", said Ansel Adams back then and he was so right. So what really is important in photography are all the elements which are able to define the photo, to tell the story. This is composition, weather, light and timing. So what would happen if we worked with cheap gear - were it possible to get out really strong photos?

I worked with cheap gear over the last 3 years, because I wanted to reduce the weight for my mountain hikes, and I'm really happy with my photos- at least with some of them :) And this timespan of these 3 years is even exactly that time, where I brought my photography to improve most, I feel.

Cheap gear like aps-c gear has lots of advantages like weight, depth of field and of course the price. Use this to your advantage!

So never think, that it were not possible to get out fantastic photographs with cheap gear. Learn how to use your gear, how to build up a compelling composition, how to predict weather and how to use light to your advantage.

Check out my gear, which I use for my landscape photography:

My Landscape Photography Gear

Nice greetings,

Christian