As we start this brand new week, I’d like to reflect on how photography has progressed over recent years. Whilst I was studying Sheffield Hallam University, everything I learnt was all about film cameras and how to use them well. Shooting photos on a film camera and doing it well is such a beautiful art, you had to be able to master using a darkroom before getting your photos developed, it was like a grand magic trick. Unfortunately film cameras started to get lost when the first DSLR was released back in 2000… Since then, everyone and their Auntie has managed to get their hands on a DSLR camera after receiving them as gifts for birthdays and Christmas etc.
It’s easy to forget there was once a time where the only way to capture a photograph was by using a camera, now anyone can take a photo within seconds - in fact, over 40 million of us have access to a mobile phone in the UK alone and can readily get a great shot from the device in our pockets. There’s always new equipment being released, from flashy drones to exciting lenses and as professional photographers we just can’t keep up. I’ve noticed, particularly over the last few months there’s an expectation for us to always have the latest equipment, otherwise customers’ often think that we can’t be at the top of our game and that’s completely wrong! I know so many people who have spent thousands on the latest equipment but they don’t know how to use it - they’ve got all the gear and no idea! I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come in the last four years, I’ve learnt so many new skills and I’ve perfected my style, gaining over 50 outstanding five star reviews from clients across the UK. When I started, my first camera was under £400, it might not have been a first-class device but that didn’t mean I couldn’t capture sterling images because I knew how to use it - and you wouldn’t have known it was a budget camera.
