The Gear Trap

[Mosca]

I have to write this out and share it, or else it will continually not sink in, and I'll cruise eBay instead of taking pictures. Buying stuff is not a substitute for taking pictures and working on improving my skill.

The allure of the stuff is just so strong; precision photo gear is beautiful, intricate, and dear. It feels good. Acquiring it makes me feel like I've done something.

But all I've done is spend money; I haven't created anything interesting by spending money, I haven't found anything that no one else has. Unless I actually use the stuff, I've done nothing.

All you other new guys and gals; avoid the gear trap. Go take pictures, and lots of them. Just like having a Gibson V won't make me Jimi Hendrix, having the best gear in the world won't make me anything more than a tourist, unless I use it.

There, I said it.

[440roadrunner]

We already feel this. It's that overweight, tired, bloated feeling from G.A.S. Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

[bishop13]

I was in this rut the first 5-6 months before finding the balance between "gadget freak" and "photography freak".

[CTM]

You can pick up one of those things called "wives or girlfriends". They null the symptoms of G.A.S. I still feel symptoms of G.A.S when I prowl ebay but the 'wife' has a strange way of healing those symptoms very quickly.

:) :lol::lol::lol:

[Mosca]

You can pick up one of those things called "wives or girlfriends". They null the symptoms of G.A.S. I still feel symptoms of G.A.S when I prowl ebay but the 'wife' has a strange way of healing those symptoms very quickly.

:) :lol::lol::lol:

LOL, I have the wife one. I live by the guide that it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. If I didn't, she'd spend it all on girl stuff, and we'd have a house full of frou-frou!

[_aravena]

^Ditto...

Although since her I haven't gotten a thing except as a gift. :(

And then there are those special gifts ;)

[tonylong]

Heh! Mosca, I'm assuming that you have actually gotten out and taken pictures, right? I mean, I can't imagin buying photo equipment and never using it at all...unless you spend all your time on POTN talking about your gear, which is another habit...

So, I imagine that what you're trying to express is that your creative impulse is not keeping up with your gear acquisition, which I think is a common problem. It's not that getting great gear is a bad thing (although some would argue otherwise) but we get frustrated when the "spark" doesn't fully ignite us when we are surrounded by all these gadgets.

I happen to be someone who is not "artistically minded" in the left-brain/right-brain sense, so I can relate. I see some really creative stuff on this forum and other places, and think "oooohhhh!" but tend to not "see" such images as I'm out and about.

What I do is, when I can, get out with some purpose, as in maybe take a camera and one special lens and find ways of shooting that aren't just documenting but showing a different view of things. I'll lay on my belly to get a different perspective, I'll push shallow depths of field to extremes, I'll try to get close to something "ordinary" to make it not-so-ordinary...I set out to shoot things in a way that goes beyond just pointing and shooting.

[SOK]

Wasn't Hendrix a Strat player? :D:p

Seriously though Mosca; at least you have identified you are susceptable to G.A.S - which is the first step to dealing with it!

I think everyone would like to have the biggest and best kit, so don't feel like you're the only one.

I've only been a POTN regular for a little while, but one thing I truely love about it is the perspective it gives you. Every so often, a thread will come along full of beautifully stunning pics taken with an XTi and kit lens. And soon enough, it's followed by a thread from a 5D owner asking why their 1/10sec shots taken with a 200mm lens at ISO100 aren't sharp.

We get poignant reminders every day that gear is only part of the puzzle.

Tony's advice is good. If you're stuck for inspiration like I regularly am, grab a camera and a single lens (a prime makes the exercise more challenging). Take a walk, and limit yourself to 24 shots (or some arbitary, pre-determined number). Don't delete. Think every shot through before you take it. See how you go!

[nicksan]

As you can see from my title, I have a problem with Gas too.
Oh wait, we are talking about G.A.S., not Gas...

A lot us tend to go overboard, especially when feeling uninspired. Gear acquisition may inject some excitement, but it is usually temporary.

I found that I need to force the issue sometimes. Come up with a plan. Come up with some kind of regular shooting routine. Recently I've been bringing my gear to work on a weekly basis and just take a stroll to some part of NYC. First it was Central Park, then it was Ground Zero. I usually go straight home, and typically need an "occasion" to shoot, whether it be a vacation, a trip to the Botanic Gardens, zoo, beach, etc. So introducing this routine really changed my ways. It's really fun. I'll make it a point to bring different gear with me (street shooting in the city affords me to do that I suppose) and just shoot. At Central park it was the 85L, at gound zero it was the 50L and 24L. It was great.

Walk around. Observe your surroundings. Try to "see" things differently.

And yeah...Hendrix played the Strat...and terribly out of tune.;):cool:

I have to write this out and share it, or else it will continually not sink in, and I'll cruise eBay instead of taking pictures. Buying stuff is not a substitute for taking pictures and working on improving my skill.

The allure of the stuff is just so strong; precision photo gear is beautiful, intricate, and dear. It feels good. Acquiring it makes me feel like I've done something.

But all I've done is spend money; I haven't created anything interesting by spending money, I haven't found anything that no one else has. Unless I actually use the stuff, I've done nothing.

All you other new guys and gals; avoid the gear trap. Go take pictures, and lots of them. Just like having a Gibson V won't make me Jimi Hendrix, having the best gear in the world won't make me anything more than a tourist, unless I use it.

There, I said it.

[DStanic]

I suffer from G.A.S. as well. I always check the marketplace section on this forum! Part of the problem is buying cheaper stuff and then always want to upgrade.

Wish I had the money to just buy a damn 5D, 50D, 10-22, 17-40, 17-55, 24-70, 24-105, 70-200 f/2.8 IS, 70-200 f4 IS (less weight) then I could go out and take pictures!

[Jamie Holladay]

I suffer from G.A.S. as well.
You know they make stuff for that, it is usually called a wife. ;)

[PhotosGuy]

Walk around. Observe your surroundings. Try to "see" things differently. A walk by the river (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=2167717)

[Robert16]

Today the new 5D is released. Suddenly my beloved camera isn't good enough and I need to spend another 2.5k to get the pictures I need right? - BS.
I agree with the wife thing. Mine has stopped me many a time from making unwise expensive purchases with wise words "Make it work with what you've got".

[yogestee]

Today the new 5D is released. Suddenly my beloved camera isn't good enough and I need to spend another 2.5k to get the pictures I need right? - BS.
I agree with the wife thing. Mine has stopped me many a time from making unwise expensive purchases with wise words "Make it work with what you've got".

Wise words Robert..

[DStanic]

You know they make stuff for that, it is usually called a wife. ;)

I do have a wife. That's why there are no L lenses in my sig!!!! haha!

[Mosca]

Wasn't Hendrix a Strat player? :D:p

Shoot, I dunno! I got this from rocknrollvintage.com: "The Gibson Flying V was a solid body electric that first appeared in the 1958 however it was not a popular design. In the 1960's the hardware was changed, control knobs locations were changed and and the guitar was re launched in the mid 60's. Jimi Hendrix often favored the Gibson V." I figured I'd google guitars so as not to make that mistake, and I made it anyhow, LOL.

Heh! Mosca, I'm assuming that you have actually gotten out and taken pictures, right? I mean, I can't imagine buying photo equipment and never using it at all...unless you spend all your time on POTN talking about your gear, which is another habit...

So, I imagine that what you're trying to express is that your creative impulse is not keeping up with your gear acquisition, which I think is a common problem. It's not that getting great gear is a bad thing (although some would argue otherwise) but we get frustrated when the "spark" doesn't fully ignite us when we are surrounded by all these gadgets.

I happen to be someone who is not "artistically minded" in the left-brain/right-brain sense, so I can relate. I see some really creative stuff on this forum and other places, and think "oooohhhh!" but tend to not "see" such images as I'm out and about.

That goes right to the crux of the issue, the realization that it isn't easy. It's easy to sit down at the piano, or pick up a guitar, and strum a C chord; that is the equivalent of picking up the camera, pushing the shutter halfway and then all the way. It is not that hard to learn how to pick out a tune; first "Chopsticks", then maybe something a little harder, and then maybe you can follow the chords to "Smoke on the Water" (or "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes")... so now you have something better, but it still isn't as satisfying as you thought it would be. Just like picking up the camera, setting it to "M", framing the picture, and pressing the shutter... and it's nice, but it still isn't right. Because IT'S HARD. It takes practice.

The nut of photography, to me, is that the visual world is already a perfect 1:1 representation of itself. It's hard to break something off of that and make it meaningful.

[MattMoore]

I think it is more of a testament to your photographic skill/ability if you can take great(er) photos with older/less sophisticated equipment.

Don't get into the "magic bullet" mentaility.

[S.Horton]

There is no substitute for hard work.

If you work on the skills, that pays dividends.