Tools or Skills?
Friday, September 19th, 2008
Blue sky shot with Sony Ericsson W880i
This picture is shot using Sony Ericsson W880i by my friend. In the picture there was me holding Nikon D200 with Sigma 200mm f2.8. I was taking pictures at Labuan Botanical Garden to provide sample pictures for my students as their assignment for photo shoot.
Many of the student says that they cannot take beautiful pictures because they don’t have DSLR cameras like mine (mine is only Nikon D40, the D200 is ‘Government Property’). Some say that they need a long lens for them to be able to take good pictures. So, I think I need to challenge them about skills and forget about the tools first. For me, skills is the most important thing in any field. For example, let’s look at tennis players. They all have the best racket, the best shoes and the best string, but not all of them is the best. What is best for them is just the tools, not the skills. But the best of them have the best tools and the best skills.
Now, let see if I were to give my students the Nikon D200, do you think they can shoot good pictures? I think not. What is important is the skills. If not, can you imagine how the people in 1940s (the era of World War II) can take good pictures? They have very limited tools and very limited technology at that time, but they still can get far better pictures that what we can get with all the D200, 1Ds, E410, K20D etc. I think what is limited to them is only the tools but not their skills and their creativity.
I’m not saying that tools is not important here. What I’m saying is that when we need to improve our skills, then our tools. Pros don’t use kit lens to shoot football game because they already know that even with their expertise, they cannot capture the far and fast moving object with it. That is skill. Skill of knowing what tools to use at the right time at the right place.
I like to see myself as someone who always need to improve my skills before putting the blame to the tools. I trust my Nikon D40 for now as I still developing my skills. When the time comes, I must upgrade to better tools suit my skills and my needs for better ability of the camera to capture images. Some people might say, Nikon D40 is child play, but you need to know that the first DLSR Nikon made have only 1.3 megapixel and there are no LCD monitor at the back for the user to preview their image! Nowadays, even the lowly hand phone got 5 megapixel.
To conclude this argument, I think we need to improve our skill first, then the tools.
More pictures shot with SE W880i for your viewing pleasure. (more…)
