Which camera should you buy?

Me on the top of a seaside cliff testing out my new camera for a sunrise near my hometown in the picturesque island of Lesvos. Located on the north east Aegean. I was so fascinated by the whole experience of camping and getting up early to witness the magical colours of the rising sun that no matter what camera I had in my hands the experience would’ve been the same. Credits to https://www.instagram.com/vasiliki_souvatzi_photography/ for this shot.

Being a freelance Photographer for the past 4 years and having published my work on all kinds of social media and websites, many friends, family and even people who follow me, come to seek my advice when they’re considering to buy a new camera.

My first reaction to such a question is, of course, Why?

Why would you want to spend so much money for a piece of hardware, especially in a day and age where phones can pretty much deliver the same remarkable results…

So the reasons they give me, most often are that they:

1) Want a dedicated, high resolution camera to capture their moments from holidays or travels

2) Want “professional” looking photos for social media with the ambition to also make money from it at some point

3) Just want to pick up a new hobby and experiment

All the above are totally okay and I can empathise with every single one of them since I was in that very same position a couple years ago.

But from my personal experience whomever I asked a couple years ago which camera should I buy, they started talking about specifications, frame-rates, megapixels, durability etc… you know, all the numbers, the comparison charts, the YouTube reviews that consume your mind don’t allow you to think about anything else…

Unfortunately the answer to that question that I never get and in retrospect had to hear when I was searching was, something rather really specific…

“How will you use it and how will it serve your needs?”

You see a camera is a tool, just like a pen. Have you ever heard of writers mumbling about what pen they’re using? Imagine this:

Did you know that J.R.R Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings on a bic !

Sounds silly right? Well it is! Writers and the people reading their work focus on the ideas and the story, what the creator wanted to share and that’s where all your focus should be, so your thought process is completely reversed.

My close friend George (https://www.instagram.com/kelixek/) caught on the act while capturing yet, another “signature street style” shot to add to his portfolio. Since he first laid hands on a phone with a descent camera, i remember him shooting street photography. To him it never mattered what camera he used as long as he told a story through his images.

Thought process before buying anything

1. Think about your end goal. Why do you feel the need to take pictures? Do you want to share the beauty of our world? Do you want to inspire others to get outside of their comfort zone and explore? Is there something that bothers you from today’s society and you feel the need to express it in a more narrative way?
2. Find out How you can do this in the best way possible. Learn the necessary techniques to convey a narrative or a photo story. Some basic photojournalism skills may prove useful. Learn how to see and use light effectively, it will help your images become more compelling and “story worthy”
3. Check if your current hardware (aka smartphone) isn’t sufficient enough and find something that suits your needs according to point no. 1
   For example if you want to travel, a lightweight mirrorless system may be ideal.

In any case the internet is your friend, you can find pretty much everything online and for free. And even if you’re stuck you can also seek counselling from people and photographers you admire just by a single DM on Instagram.

There are literally no excuses.

For a real life scenario:

Since my industry is travel, lifestyle adventure stuff most people that approach me are interested in the above. Let’s say they have a budget of $1000. I would firstly ask if their phone can take proper images and if the answer is yes then I’d suggest to spend the whole budget on an airplane ticket and go someplace interesting. If the answer is no, then you can find an incredible entry level DSLR or mirrorless camera with a kit lens at ~$300 which can still produce top quality work and spend the rest 700$ on an airplane ticket.

A sunrise shot with an endless horizon during my flight from Brussels to Athens. Whenever I had to choice between spending money in favour of a trip or a new adventure agains some piece of kit I always chose the former. And i’ve never regretted it.

After all Nat. Geo Photographer Jim Richardson said:

If you want to be a better Photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.

Jim Richardson on Standing in Front of Interesting Stuff

A portrait shot of a Leopard I shot during a visit in the Attica Zoo. Animal pictures especially wild animals always draw our attention because they are something exotic, something we’re not used to and above all they’re interesting.

What good is a $5K camera if you never leave your house and you can only Photograph the interior architecture and your plants?

If there is a single take away from this, it will be to buy something you are going to feel comfortable taking with you at all times. Something you won’t be afraid to use, to mess around with it wear it off. As I mentioned above, it’s a tool. Utilise it to the maximum of its capabilities so it can serve your needs and help you tell more powerful stories.