So here's a simple question - does buying the best brushes and paint money can buy, make a person a great artist?

NO - RIGHT?

I can't tell you how many times I've heard - ooooh (so and so) has a really good camera - they must be able to take really good pictures!

Sorry to say - just like the "best brushes = a great artist" - it also doesn't work that way.  

Good quality photography is a skill that takes a great deal of education, experience and artistic skill - not to mention decent equipment.  Top tier photography is an even higher level of talent, knowledge and skill that rises above the generic local photographers that always show up in web searches.  We're proud to be considered one of the very few among that upper echelon!

To the average consumer there's a huge misconception of what a "really good camera" or photographer is.    Once digital photography became popular and affordable - the DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera started becoming marketed to the masses at places like WalMart, Target and Best Buy (among others) - while playing off of the mystique of professional cameras - they look the part - but at a fraction of the cost and performance.  In addition to this - a huge wave of photo "presets" with different styles became popular - to make poor photos look "artistic".  So the world ended up with a huge wave of "Fauxtographers" - people with no skill, creativity or talent, with cheap/mediocre equipment - posing as professionals.  Big Box store cameras do not a professional make.  In fact most of the real professional photography equipment never sees the light of day in any generic retail store.

That's not to say it's not a good place for someone to start out finding a beginner kit to test their interest and learn some things - but the real professional cameras and lenses are thousands and thousands - even tens of thousands of dollars.   More importantly though is the experience level and education - it doesn't happen overnight and a person has to be really dedicated to improving.  Photographic artistic creativity is something that can be natural for some - while others never seem to be able to capture the magic no matter how much they try.

In the end - No matter what the tools or how expensive or fancy they are - it always comes down to experience, skill, talent and creativity.  If you really study the work - there's a huge difference.

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