[Leica] 50mm users more creative? Hardly so.

["BIRKEY, DUANE" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>]

 Stephen Gandy wrote:

>the irony is that David Hamilton would achieve world wide fame by using 
the
>simplest equipment, using what is usually considered an amateur's 
camera.   his
>success makes for a good argument that most photographer's (including 
me)
>pre-occupation with different lenses is really just a mental excuse for 
their own
>lack of ability and imagination.   of course many will take exception, 
but think
>about it.

>if David Hamilton can achieve that level of success with only a 50, why 
can't the
>rest of us?

Let's see,  we've come up with 2 or three photographers in the world in 
recent history who have been successful with a camera and a 50mm lens.  
HCB did use more than the 50mm though.  How many thousands of thousands 
of successful photographers in world use more than one lens.  It's a 
statistically irrelevant argument IMHO and means your chance of doing is 
nill.

I would argue that the more creative and imagination you have,  the more 
lenses you need to effectively record that vision.  But I shoot a lot of 
situations for my work that can't be done with a 50mm or the results are 
much better with a different lens.  Limiting yourself to one camera and 
one lens is a artistic gimmick IMHO.  But a lot of lenses in the hand of 
a fool isn't a recipe for success.

World-wide success and recognition on the art side at least, is based on 
a lot more than pure talent.  It's more based on playing to and been 
taken in by the artistic community than actual talent.  It has little to 
do with equipment or technical quality in reality, shoot why do think the 
Diana and throw away Ilford BW cameras are so popular.   

Lastly, I'm reading one reason people state for going to one camera and 
one lens is because they are tired of carrying a large zoom or a 
motorized camera.  That's a fine argument for your back, but not a sound 
one photographic wise.  There are many situations where 20 or a 24,  a 
200 or 300 will give you images unobtainable in any other way.  It's a 
matter of how much you want to limit yourself photographic wise.   I hate 
lugging around a lot of equipment too, but when I'm shooting, I don't 
feel a ounce of it.  I try to research as much as possible what I'm going 
to be shooting.  Add experience and that tells me what kind of EQ kit I 
should take.

Duane Birkey

HCJB World Radio
Quito Ecuador