Photographing your family with the BEST photo equipment you can afford by Peter | Prosophos

April 2, 2012 Daily Inspiration, Guest Post, Inspiration, Just for fun, Leica, User Reports 119

If you’re “just” photographing your family, get the BEST photo equipment you can afford (that you are able to use, or can learn to use).

— Peter | Prosophos.

___________

I was prompted to write the above after reading yet another, “if you’re just photographing your family, get a cheap point-and-shoot” comment on one of the internet forums.  It always leaves me shaking my head when I come across that sort of statement, not because I have anything against inexpensive cameras (which I’ve used and continue to use, and which can be used to take wonderful photos), but because of the implication behind the words, that – for whatever reason – your family is not worthy of the best* equipment.

Nonsense.

Documenting your family’s timeline – the various trials and tribulations, the tears, the joy, the exciting, the mundane, the…  the anything – is one of the most important things you can do with a camera.  The snobbery around exclusively using “pro” equipment (whatever that is) to photograph athletes, celebrities, or otherwise “important” individuals is laughable.  As if most of us are able to remember more than a handful of “pro” magazine cover images we’ve ever seen…

Instead, it’s all those images reminding us of the births, marriages, and deaths of our loved ones, that burn themselves into our brains.

—Peter.

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118 Comments

  1. These photos are no good. They are example that shallow depth of field or expensive camera don´t make a good photo, with cheaper equipment you will get a lot better photographs and enjoy photography more!

  3. You are absolutely right! – Taking photos of your beloved ones with a cheap camera really implies that your family isn’t worth it.
    Since I have the same opinion as you, I invested quite an amount of money in my current equipment and I often take it with me… – And of course, every time I’m together with them, so that I have at least the possibility to make great pictures of them. 🙂

    And your pictures are really absolutely great and underline your statement! – Great job!

  4. These images sing a song of joy. The joy of children, of special moments, of life itself.
    Someone recently asked why i posted no images from my pro work in South Africa, in the time of change. i shot history. Mostly i experienced “mindless violence” by all concerned.Soon after, i exited “The Beloved Country”.
    My happiness is visiting family, relatives and friends and seeing my “simple” handmade cards with my photos..All signed with a small drawing and the words “cheapskate card by ……” copyright date.
    My cards on a wall, a shelf, in a bookcase, a place of remembrance. It makes me very proud.
    Your photos are again a joy. we may win great honors, have great applause, but none match the smile and laughter, of those we record and who we love and love us in return.

    • Thank you Jason.

      “…we may win great honors, have great applause, but none match the smile and laughter, of those we record and who we love and love us in return.”

      Amen.

      —Peter.

  6. I agree with him. The ANYTHING. I use an iPhone 4s, a Leica D-Lux 5, and Canon EOS 5 & 7 with full f2.8 L series lenses. to photograph my family. Whatever I am holding when IT happens. And ALL of it is “Family portraits”

  8. I try not to get caught in GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). Believe me, your existing camera is just fine. Actually, stop reading blogs and go take some pictures instead. 😉

  9. Would it not be stupid to ask Leonardo da Vinci what brand of brush and paint he used in painting the Mona Lisa or Michaelangelo in painting the Sistine Chapel? Would you consider yourself a good photographer if you can only take good pictures with a Leica? Reminds me of a friend who came to play tennis with the most expensive Nike attire and Head racquet but he can’t hit the ball

    • He, he. Exactly. There is nothing like a tennis player with the same outfit as Djokovic or Roger Federer that can’t hit the ball 🙂 But owning a Leica M9 and shooting bad photograps is sort of pathetic. Luckily the photographs in this article are really very nice.

  10. Wonder what the tone of this thread would be if the author swayed the other direction? That all of these photos were in fact taken with an iPhone and that expensive gear was worthless. Would most of the replies be in agreeance with that? Im guessing they would be. Im guessing that the majority of the replies here that are in accord with the author telling them to run out and buy the most expensive gear they can afford would be rushing out to buy the latest and greatest iPhone had he told them to. Half of them were asking which camera/lens combo was used anyway…as if buying it would allow them to replicate the pics the author posted. Seriously…wake up. Why hasnt anyone asked the author to see the original files? Before post process? Why hasnt anyone asked what actions he used for post processing?
    Good pics. …stunning?…meh.

  12. Completely agree, Peter. It makes no sense to not try to make the best photos we can all the time if we care about photography. And particularly of family and friends.

    “Making the best photos we can all the time” is not synonymous with “always buying the most expensive equipment.” That’s a mistake, a fallacy. However, it’s also a sad waste to think in terms like “oh it’s just snapshots of my sister’s kids, I’ll just use the PnS or iPhone” as if it was not worth the bother to think creatively and pick what you brought to make great photos. Sometimes I pick the iPhone too … or the old SX-70!! … ALWAYS with the intent of making great photos!

    Your photos are delightful and are an inspiration. Keep going!

    • Well written Godfrey. Sadly, there are a number of comments that totally miss the point as if Peter is advocating that good photos can only come from expensive gear. And then there are ones that just post negative comments for the sake of being negative.

  13. Hello,
    1 – to me the most important photos is family/friends … the people you love next to you, so I am with Peter.
    2 – the best gear allows you to control speed, diaph, focus, and SHOOT at the exact time you release the trigger. this is to have the best photos you are able to make.

    The point 2 implies high end gear !!!
    DS

  14. Having read all the comments posted I have a feeling that there is a clear misunderstanding, for me what Peter wrote doesn’t really tie-in with his accompanying photographs, the photographs say family portraits (and very good ones too) but the words say “the various trials and tribulations, the tears, the joy, the exciting, the mundane, the… the anything” which isn’t family portraits.

    also some people said that this wasn’t about the gear we use but wasn’t that the whole point of the article?

    and what about the comment from the unknow person “if you’re just photographing your family, get a cheap point-and-shoot” we know nothing about them or in what context their statement was given, get a cheap point and shoot could equally mean that a compact can fit in your pocket and be taken everywhere so that no matter where you are with your family you’ll have a camera ready, no carrying round a camera bag + lenses, no chance of your camera getting damaged or wet when at the funfair or riding wet & wild at some theme park and if it did well then replace it because it was only a cheap point and shoot.

    I don’t know how you remember your childhood but I don’t remember mine through portraits, mine is remembered through those candid photographs showing me and my sisters on holiday, in the garden and doing what kids do.

  15. Wow! I can tell this subject touched a lot of people. This has to be one of the longest threads I’ve seen. It’s true that family pictures are one of the most treasured. That’s how I got into photography, because of my beautiful 1 and a half month old son and my wife. I took pictures almost everyday. Times are hard and having lost my job, my family and these pictures are one of the few treasures I have left to be proud of….. “My Beautiful Family”.

  16. Peter, wonderful images and great writing, as usual. Bonus is some of the colour commentary :))

    Hope you’re keeping well.

    Cheers,

    Jag

  17. Not only are my family photos the most important pictures I have ever taken, they are the most important bits of data that have ever existed on any of my drives.
    I have a couple of Leica lenses on loan from a photographer friend who is thinking of replacing them and had offered me first dibs. I have never really considered spending 500 euro on a lens before, but when I look at the pictures of my boy taken in these last few days, well…
    My only regret is I didn’t have those lenses and the Nex 5n 9 years ago, when he was born. Or further back, when I first met my wife.
    I agree totally with you, Peter. Best equipment you can afford. And then some.

  19. I usually dilike familly photos, they are mostly bouring sweet photos with lack of imagination.
    Worst thing is ,everyone loves them.
    So when i first looked at your pics i was ready to leave and do something else.
    But instead, you manged to keep me looking and truely enjoy what i saw
    You have some fantastic shots here
    Thanks for sharing them with us
    Danny

  21. Your point is extremely well taken and perfectly illustrated. I’m amazed at the various tangents that have emerged in the comments. I guess some people just can’t get the basic thrust of your idea–even if you distilled it to it’s essence, put it in a suppository and administered it with some force.

  22. Come on guys…
    The comments are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hilarious !

    Do you really know what “amazing” “speechless” “fantastic” mean ???
    I think you never saw some of Brassai’s or Nachtwey’s photos to use such strong worlds…

    Ok, some of Peter’s photos are nice but, with all the respect I can have for his work, they’re FAR from being ” the best photography related article I have ever read!”

    This is symptomatic : some of you think that because he used a Noctilux or a M9, the photos are better than the ones taken with a G10… So pathetic !!!

    Gear means N-O-T-H-I-N-G if you’re not a GOOD photographer.

    If you believe so, then you can sell your Leicas beacause they’ll N-E-V-E-R make you better photographers or improve your skills.

    This is part of the Leica snobbery…

    I’m sure 99% of you can’t tell the difference between 2 prints, one with a M9/Noct and the other one with a GF1/14-42 kit…

    I own a M9-P with a Planar 50 and a Biogon 28 but they’ll never come close to the IQ I get when I print my FM2n’s photos.

    There are no bad tools, only bad workers. You should blame yourselves instead of blaming your cameras and lenses.

    • The funny thing is, the comment that seemed most like snobbery here is from…..you!

      • I didn’t read anything close to snobbery in Kaïs comment.

        although I can relate to his comment regarding IQ from the M9 versus film, I sold off my M9 and bought an M6, while not as convenient as digital I prefer its results and I still get to use a Leica M which I enjoy, that said my favorite camera is the Nikon f80 which might I add cost less than half the price of an M9 battery but takes better images (IMO).

        • Oh…I just read your comment above as well. I didn’t mean to leave you out WIll in the snob category. You fit right in too! “children’s clothing catalogue”–NICE comment! You guys should go hang out together!

          • Where does all that bitterness come from ? You can’t have children or/and can’t afford a Leica ?
            Maybe you feel out of the “great family”…

            You should re-read my comment… Or re-check the definition of snobbery…

          • Kais you are calling me bitter? You’re the one calling people pathetic and such. Your post speaks for itself…I was merely calling you and Will out for your insulting posts.

            Here’s some snips of your post:

            “Do you really know what “amazing” “speechless” “fantastic” mean ???
            I think you never saw some of Brassai’s or Nachtwey’s photos to use such strong worlds…”

            “some of you think that because he used a Noctilux or a M9, the photos are better than the ones taken with a G10… So pathetic !!!”

            “You should blame yourselves instead of blaming your cameras and lenses”

            Sorry that the positive comments of this great post and super photographer upset you so much. But yes…I am the bitter one.

    • The author never said which specific camera/lens was used, nor did he campaign for any one brand. The point simply was to say you shouldn’t NOT buy expensive pro gears even if you’re just shooting family portraits. Please don’t make this into a Leica vs. Nikon vs. Canon vs. m4/3 vs. Sony… etc. Buy whatever works for you and use it.

    • Photography is a subjective thing. These photos are really quite “lifeless” indeed, but they are beautiful: composition, perfect lens rendering, great PP. But since you doesn’t see the difference between lux 35 and quite mediocre (at the leica stanards) “planar” 35 (I guess it was Biogon 35), you won’t see the difference here too. Peter definitely has his photographic style and it really needs expensive equipment: the iphone or P&S won’t work in his case for sure, as he stated in the title. I really doubt you can do this (family photo chronic) any better. It’s the best family album I have ever seen. I would appreciate if you’ll show me any better (not necessarily your, of course).

      PS Love the Brassai’s work, his photos are really special. But Nachtwey — he’s overrated, as most famous american photgs. European are usually much better IMO.

      • Denis, you’re so right : photography, and art in general, is a subjective thing.
        But I can’t believe what I read : the Planar is a mediocre lens…
        I bet my M9 that you never tried this fabulous lens to write such things.
        Back to the Lux, yes, this lens does not worth 3750€.
        It’s not a matter of money for me (I bought 2 M9 this year and some fine lenses) but because it’s a Leica doesn’t mean that it HAS TO BE better than any other 35 around.
        Now, “creamy bokeh” and CA is your thing, go for it, I prefer by far a sharp and contrasty lens that will pop the foreground at my face when I look at the photo.
        This week end, I’ll try to upload the same photo taken with the Lux and the C-Biogon, so you can see it for yourself.
        Shallow depth of field doesn’t make a good photo and is way too overdone and overseen.

        We have a Leica forum here in France and a lot of the members, should I say snobs, are mortgaging their houses and buying Nocts just to take photos of their cats and say : “wow, the bokeh is really creamy at F0.95, look at my cat’s ears… Magnifique !”

        I never said that I was a better photographer than Peter, too humble for this.
        I doubt you’ll ever see my family photos because I don’t like children therefore, I don’t have any.

        PS : that’s funny because, we, europeans, think that american photographers have this something we don’t have. Gregory Crewdson is one of the best example, his work is really interesting and inspired.

  24. Couldn’t agree more. There is nothing, nothing, more important photographically than producing quality family photos. Like fine wine they get better and more valuable with time. In a few years those fine art photos we take we will be bored of, but the family photos will be treasured. Fine art photos is merely to refine our technique to produce great family photos like the one in this article.

  26. These are excellent photographs but they look more like a children’s clothing catalogue then the snaps of everyday life, in x years when say you’ve died or lost your marbles how are the people in the photographs going to know where these were taken when the background is so blurry.

    as I say these are great photos but they don’t (to me) tell a family story or offer a timeline because they isolate the subject from the world around them, life doesn’t give you a dress rehearsal so why act, shoot life as it is rather than how you think it should act.

    cheap compact, iPhone, M9 it doesn’t matter, all that matters is the moment and each of the devices can capture it, as long as you’re there.

  28. Hi there Peter – wonderful moments that keep in memory – thanks so much for sharing them and for the inspiration it gives!

  29. Love this post. I’m often amazed at how many people out there have very little photographs of their childhood. I was lucky enough to have family that understood how important photographs were to recording family history. My mother spent several years putting many of our family photos together into scrap books and presented all four of us siblings with duplicate albums. Since then, my father founds hundreds of old 35mm slides or our family from the 60s and 70s that he took with his Nikon F. I can remember growing up and my father having slide shows anytime we had large family get-togethers. Really miss those times. I still cannot get over the quality of some of the Kodachromes and how well they preserved.

    My photos are nowhere near as good as the ones above, but I’m working on it constantly and believe my equipment must grow with my experience just as much any professional does. I have no desire to do photography for pay, but enjoy seeing my photos get better an better over time as I gain experience.

  31. I totally agree 100%!! and I will go out and buy the best equipment I can afford every other year if possible! Great examples too, you are a brilliant photographer!!

  32. Most of the snobbery come from the Enthusiasts segment. Many Pro Cameras are owned by Dentists, Doctors, Lawyers, etc, not Pro shooters. There are still Pros shooting magazine covers with a four year old Nikon D300.

  33. Totally agree, !!!. I must say these pictures are beautiful , espically with the children , the family that it even more special. Makes me want to shoot more with my family .!!!

  34. These are the little slices of life we all want to remember. Any camera will do, but if you know how to use fine equipment you’ll always get fine results. Wonderful candid images here. Something to be proud of and to remember these moments for the rest of you life. All worthy of hanging on your wall. 🙂
    warmly, Marc-

  35. Bravo Peter! Opening your post this afternoon I think has just cost me $10k and the rest as my crumbling resolve to resist the lure of the M9 & 35 1.4 might finally have reached a breaking point… A combination of hauntingly stunning images with words that very much hit home. Beautiful work!

  36. Hello,
    Would you mind sharing which focal length and aperture you used for the photo of the three kids jumping off the bench?
    Many thanks.

  37. Thank you for the wonderful emotions. I certainly feel the warmth, joy and laughter you and your family have for each other.
    Emotionally inspiring!

  39. It’s all how you look at it I guess. Great shots, but for me, memories of my family have nothing to do with sharpness, color, IQ or whatever.

    On the other side of the equation, imagine the memories you could make by taking the money you spent on photography equipment and taking your family on vacation somewhere, doing something special for your family, etc, etc.

    A lost opportunity and an excuse for owning expensive camera equipment is how I look at it. IS the memory of your childs birth any different because of the camera you are using? Sorry, not mine.

  40. Love your thoughts on the matter. Love your images. Fantastic. Cheers for sharing.

  42. People in a survey were asked that in the case of your house on fire, which item would you save if you were only allowed one object to take out, and the majority chose the family photo album. Children and pets were excluded from the survey of course!

    For us photographers we would certainly think our family deserved to be photographed by the best equipment we could afford, and if this camera review was aimed at this target market it must have fallen on deaf ears, as we all know it is not the camera, but the person with vision behind it which counts.

    Beautiful photographs, Peter, of your children – and glad to see that you have not let your Labrador puppy out of the picture.

    Best wishes.

    Andrew

  43. Peter, these are precious shots – you have beautiful children. Cherish them.

    joan

  45. Peter,
    These beautiful images are just inspiring. Thanks for sharing them.

  46. If you truly care and want to have them around (pics) in years to come. Then you will run off a few rolls of film for the archival advantage and surety of use/access and identification years later.

  47. Greetings!

    Lovely family and great, skilled use of M9 & Noctilux…and carefully developed – they really do “shine” and will be precious in upcoming decades when looking at them again.

    Congrats.

  48. I’m very familiar with these images, I’ve looked at them many, many times…..they have qualities that are so distinct yet at the same time they are subtle and refined, they hold an almost magical allure, one that draws you back to them time after time.

    Fine images and wise words.

    Jason

  50. Probably the best post i have ever read here, short, sweet and very sensible… Well done Peter! Not to mention the wonderful photos to support your article. Simply incredible!

    Kelvin

  51. Wonderful point for an short article and excellent shots that makes me wish I’m a better photographer. I’ve shared this on my own blog, if you don’t mind.

  54. If I were the father of these kids, I would be so proud to have captured these memories! Masterfully done, I love them all. Excellent work!

  56. God bless the current mirrorless resurgence. It gives us dslr-like controls on something you can easily take literally everywhere and my son doesn’t roll his eyes every time I change a lens!

  57. Peter,
    I’ve been visiting Steve’s site now for about one month pretty regularly, and this is the first time I’ve felt the urge to post a comment. You are truly gifted and your photos stir that indescribable “mommy” core that I’m certain exists in every parent. It’s a shame that you don’t live in the San Francisco area, or else you’d be my next hire for our family portraits!

    All the best to you and yours,
    Christine

  58. I couldn’t agree with you more. You examples are just stunning. i have been documenting my entire family on Medium Format film and I am just loving it. It seems like the tradition of recording families is a past time that is no longer valued. It’s not going to end on my watch!

  59. Excellent…I always enjoy your pictures Peter! I love your way of PostProcessing.
    I can’t agree more with your comment on family pictures!

  61. I agree with the author of this post. Use the best camera you can afford, beause family and friends are the most important thing in life (at least to me) so why not capture it with the best equipment you can afford? Besides, when you live in a fairly small city or town like I do, where not much goes on to photograph, I’m always looking to find any excuse to use my Leica.

  62. Very true! If you’re a photography enthusiast, your family make the best and cheapest models to photograph. I would say you don’t necessarily need “the best” outfit, with M4/3’s family growing into its own and coming down in price, that would be a great starting point to learn the in’s and out’s of creative photography. I’ve seen so many people get intimidated and break the bank running down the Nikon and Canon road, the beauty of something like an Oly or Panny M4/3 is that you can mount pretty much any lens to those bodies and have enough “artistic” filters to keep the amateur photog engaged for a long time.

  64. Peter, beautiful photography. I totally agree, too. When I am asked why I spend all that money on my gear (M9-50 Summilux. The list goes on…) I just say, ‘to photograph my kid’. Why would I compromise? How many lifetimes/chances do we get? People understand when you show them portraits, wedding shots and landscapes, but often fail to understand that your private, personal captures deserve the best gear you can afford. I also agree with Mark about archiving (I am a film archivist, so that point is not lost on me), files make me nervous, to say the least. Another thread……:)

    Equipment is personal and we justify it in many ways. Using our best equipment for our family photography, to me, is the most obvious and easiest justification to spend the cash. Peter’s work demonstrates this, and whatever the gear he uses, the talent is there.

  66. Equipment has absolutely nothing to do with great family photos. Some of my most treasured family moments have been captured using an iPhone. Knowing how to use the equipment you have is what matters.

  69. Such wise words Peter and so well put. Needless to say superb shots as always that connect.

  70. Wow, these are stunning photos! I have seen a couple of these great pics already at the dpr, but others are even better IMO.

  72. Family (if you’re lucky and blessed) is the most important part of one’s life. If you spend your money on a Leica or high-end DSLR and just photograph them and/or pets, then how dare anyone else make a judgement (there are plenty who do).

    These photographs will survive generations to come and what stunning moments in time they are for members of your family (most of whom will marvel at these images long after you’ve passed).

    Sublime.

    P.S. I’m assuming these are shot with a Leica M? I’ve yet to find a different make of camera that creates such magical images.

  73. 100% totally agree!
    By the way, your kids and their mom look great as well as your dog. But you should somehow put yourself in there sometime.

  74. Great photos Peter! I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding gear, even though I’m not hitched and have no kids (that I know of) yet! My favorite photos are the first and third. Well done and thank you so much for sharing the photos and thoughts.

  75. I agree, its the special moments that count not the ” seamless documentation of family life” as d!rk mentioned . ( Thats a great quote btw D!)

    Sometimes I feel like a d-bag because Im using a M8 to ” just” take family shots, but the most important things to me ARE my wife and kids , so great care on my part and looking for the right timing makes a big difference.

    The plus side is that now im the defacto foto guy when it comes to kids parties , lol

    PS : Peter these are great, I like the flying 3 kids, and the girl on the swing especially

  76. Great article! I also take great pride in shooting quality pictures of my family and the best compliment I can get from others is when they ask if they are “professionally” done. Technically, I am semi-pro 🙂 There is nothing more precious than your family and I enjoy reliving the memories I have captured thus far…the best ones taken with quality equipment (Canon L glass, Leica glass, etc.). Truth be told, I use past pictures to justify to my wife additional equipment purchases 🙂

  77. People take great shot and terrible shots with pro equipment as well as with cheap gear. In the end it comes down to what your creative vision is and what kind of image you want to achieve. I always liked this quote: “A pro bicycle doesn’t make you win the Tour de France but to win the Tour de France you need a pro bike.” A great camera in the hands of a talented person can lead to stunning results. When I was a child our neighbor took me and my brothers to the river Rhine and took a set of black&white photos with a 6×6 Hasselblad. These images were absolutely amazing and have stayed within our family since then. At that time people didn’t take many shots of their kids and I may have 20 photos of me being young(that was during the 70ties). These 6×6 shots made me try out medium format when I was out of college and it got me hooked on photography. These days every newly parent buys a SLR to document their kids. Today every angle and every step gets captured. I believe that was counts is not the seamless documentation of family life but the right capture of the few moments that defines it. Thanks for sharing. Great shots. D!RK

  80. Absolutely the best ‘family’ pictures I’ve ever seen. I would call them ‘family art’.

  81. And if you REALLY want to preserve your most personal memories.

    FILM! Still the most archival and ONLY proven archival imaging format available. What are .cr2 files going to be in 40 years?

    • In 40 years, there will still be conversion software for .cr2 files, as there will still be countless images and demand for that. We already have it, and any future RAW conversion software will certainly keep the legacy formats there as it costs nothing to add it. Film will absolutely degrade with time, so this advice is founded on FUD

      • That’s essentially a guess, and you can’t know that for sure. I mean how do you KNOW that you will be able to convert a CR2 file in 40 years? I KNOW that baring the film being physically destroyed I can look at it, and know what it is. Most likely I will be able to find some way of reading the negative, if you can still find enlargers or scanners (i’m sure I will, but I don’t KNOW it).

        And you have to assume that everyone is going to be 100% up-to-date on their digital archiving. How many parents do you know that do this? How many people already over the age of 40 do you know that store their files properly? I’m guessing not very many, unless they’re photo-knowledgable.

    • It’s why I enjoy shooting with my Ricoh GXR since its RAW files are saved as DNG in the camera. So far an open file format that should have no problems being read for years to come. Peter’s M9 is no different in that Leica has used the DNG as their standard too. Plus they even include a copy of LR so you have a proper program to process your files.

    • Funny, as I’m launching a large operation to salvage thousands of my family’s photographs on film from fading into oblivion…I’m not copying them to new film. Granted, I’m not worrying too much about the Kodachrome and B&W film (yet), but many of the other color film stock is showing issues as the 40 year mark recently passed. And color prints that I don’t have negatives to, some of those are just ghosts at this point.

      I would worry about proprietary raw formats, but I don’t worry about formats that are meticulously and publicly documented. Adobe has been doing a great service of decrypting proprietary raw file secret sauce that The Rest of Us don’t have the the resources to do (either technical, or political wrangling with camera manufacturers), and normalize that into a documented format (dng).

      More on topic, I recently dipped a toe in the micro-four-thirds world because I realized that most of my contemporary family photos ended up being taken with a phone camera because I only lugged my DSLR out for “photo shoots”. It turned out to be a fabulous move. One of the best investments I’ve made in photo gear, to be honest.

  83. Well I think that Steve Huff has proven that you can take a (relatively) cheap camera like the Nikon 1 and do great things with it. The message about not buying the “pro” equipment is not so much about people not deserving to use it, but rather about it not being necessary to make amazing photos.

    David Burnett shot President Obama with a Holga. That was pro enough for him to realize his vision of that moment. It’s all about the vision.

    • Only problem is with the V1 you don’t get those shallow DOF shots. Not that you have to have shallow DOF, but if that’s what you want the V1 isn’t going to deliver.

    • I think you might be confusing ‘cheap’ with ‘bargain’ here Mark. (some might say the Nikon isn’t too cheap or bargain priced anyway – but I digress)

      The Nikon 1 has enough quality for family pics – and more – but do the countless low priced point & shoot digital models on the market offer the same? That’s the ‘cheap’ part of the market.

      Oddly, in the latter days of film, it was hard to buy a poor quality brand name compact camera – as they all used much the same 35mm recording medium – but digital has seen the return of ‘cheap bucket no-names’ that offer much …. but deliver little.

  84. Morning Peter, I follow your blog and completely agree with your thoughts and opinions on family photo equipment. It’s 10-20-30 years down the road when the next generation of family comes across your work where the quality of the images will make the difference. We’ll just have to have a way for them to find the images in our digital storage apparatus. Or like you and us others who post to a blog or services like Google+ will have a place to see them.

  85. Just fantastic, Peter. I completely concur. Your family includes those that are closest to you, so why not capture those moments with such inspiration as you have demonstrated here with your images. Always great to see your work, and I have been keeping track of your blog regularly as well.

    Hope all’s well, my friend!

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