Member-only story
iPhone or Nikon, Samsung or Canon, pinhole or Olympus, it is not about the gear; it is about the eye.
“Very nice. What camera and lens made this magnificent photo?”
The unintended backhanded compliment
The above question was posted on Facebook under the excellent photograph of a juvenile sharp-shinned hawk perched on a deck rail. The picture was taken by Dr. Mike Amedeo, a friend of mine here in Northern Virginia. Mike, a fine internist, is not a professional photographer, though he shoots with the precision and eye of one.
In all fairness to the the FB poster, I’m sure he had intended to praise Mike, but, as happens all too often, posts like this end up crediting the camera and not the photographer.
What is the “best” camera?
It is axiomatic in photojournalism that the best camera is the one you have with you at the moment
In a world bloated with phone camera pictures, many of which are, admittedly, outstanding, there are serious amateurs and professional photographers who are also equipped with big glass — high-end cameras with lenses costing well above $2,000 — and they produce beautiful, important, thought-provoking images…
