How Being Happy With The Gear You Have Makes You A Better Photographer

This will be a short article. Why? Because deep down, I think everyone knows these truths. I am merely reminding people about them.

Stuff won’t make you happy — even the greatest new camera. What WILL make you happy is EXPERIENCES — especially if they involve the people you care about. What will KEEP you happy is MEMORIES of those great experiences. And luckily, as a photographer, you have a vehicle for memorializing those experiences. The camera you already own will do that just fine.

If you focus on what you DO have instead of what you DO NOT have you’ll figure out how to get the most out of what you already paid for. Your existing camera and lenses are good enough for almost any task. Instead of researching what to buy next, go make some photos.

When you do spend your money on experiences, you will end up with more happiness than if you spend that same money on stuff. STUFF all turns to dust someday. Experiences live on in your mind — long past the stuff.

I do advise one small additional investment. Make a few prints that remind you of your favorite experiences and hang those around your bedroom or office or wherever you spend the most time. Take a few seconds to study those prints and then, be grateful for those moments. Don’t take them for granted.

As photographers, we are high-priests and priestesses of memory protection. That is our real calling. We can protect memories with any camera. We can do it well if we use our heart to see and learn how to feel our way to a photograph.

Give it a try. Go protect a memory today. And share it with someone you care about. String enough of those days together and all the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) that you have regarding XYZ brand camera will go away.

I’m rooting for you…