Chasing The Light: Why I Take Pictures - Part 3
Photos taken in 2013 with the Nikon Coolpix P510.
Moments come and go. But some moments hold more weight than others, shaping important parts of who we are. For me, taking pictures is a practice that allows me to better observe myself, others, and the world around me. Recently, I sat down to think about the moments that lead me to photography and how I became obsessed with chasing the light.
Every serious habit has a beginning, and for photographers that is usually an inexpensive camera. This is often the choice for those who want to shoot photos beyond a smart phone’s capability, but still aren’t ready, or can’t afford to invest in more expensive equipment. For me, it was a point and shoot Nikon Coolpix P510.
I really loved my Nikon P510. It wasn’t a “real” camera, but it was a great way to get more serious about photography. I took this camera with me everywhere, including trips across the country and on several visits to Japan. The camera had decent macro and zoom capabilities, and boasted several presets that allowed me to shoot in various color profiles, including a high contrast monochrome setting which produced phenomenal, moody photos.
But I learned very little about the fundamentals every serious photographer should learn, like using manual settings, shooting RAW files, and mastering the exposure triangle. I didn’t have a tripod, flash, or any other fancy equipment photographers enjoy. All I had was my camera, a small bag, and extra batteries, and for my level, that was all I really needed.
Today, I would encourage a beginner to start with an inexpensive camera with interchangeable lenses and to focus on many of the basics I missed out on, but if I’m being perfectly honest, my experience with my Nikon P510 had its advantages. While I wasn’t focused on the technical aspects of photography, I immersed myself in the parts of the art that were accessible. I focused on capturing strong compositions that evoked emotion and told a story.
When I look back on some photos I captured with that camera, I’m still amazed at the quality it produced. I remember thinking that Nikon must have made some mistake and used a higher quality lens than intended. Some images that stand out in my mind were of a monk bowing on the streets of Kyoto, a photo of a young woman used for an anti-human trafficking campaign, and a black-and-white photo of my brother grieving at his son’s funeral. Of course, it would have been nice to have a “real” camera to capture those moments, but I used what I had to get the job done.
A photograph captured is always better than a photograph missed.
When I look back at my boldness of taking pictures with my Nikon P510, I have to laugh. Most of my confidence was simply a case of not knowing that a “real” photographer wouldn’t be caught dead with my camera. But I find it interesting that sometimes a lack of knowledge can give us the courage to try something we would otherwise feel ill-equipped to attempt. In this sense, I’m grateful for that camera and that I was more concerned with taking photos than what I was using to accomplish the task. I think all photographers could use a bit more of this mindset.
My little point and shoot camera taught me how to see the world, and that is as good of a skill as any beginning photographer could hope for. My advice for aspiring photographers is to pay more attention to what you’re photographing than what you’re using to do it. You can capture amazing images with whatever camera you have right now. Don’t let a lack of equipment hold you back from starting.