“I spent more than $1000 on this camera, so I expected the results to be a lot better!”

“A DSLR is a waste of money.  I use the [insert point-and-shoot model number here], it only cost me $150, and the pictures are just as good as from almost any DSLR.”

I see those two statements, or statement like them, on my favorite photography forum all the time.  They represent two extremities of the camera buying public.  But, the people that say them usually have at least one thing in common: they don’t know very much about photography.

If I had to guess, I would say that any person making either statement probably takes bad photos (see my “not a blog” entry on what makes a good photograph), and they will probably never take good photos.  But, they both have different obstacles standing in their way.

The person who makes the first statement at least recognizes that his pictures are crap.  That’s important to be able to progress.  But, they are blaming their inadequacies on a piece of technology.  If your pictures suck, it’s your fault.  If you spent $1000 (or more) on a camera thinking it was going to turn you into Ansel Adams, you have wasted a lot of money.

The person making the second statement, as he says, may actually be taking good pictures.  But, a P&S camera presents some serious limitations to serious photographers.  And, anybody who says that a P&S is all that an enthusiast will ever need is kidding himself.  He is probably either not pushing himself creatively, or simply doesn’t recognize the supreme crappiness of his photos.

Notice that I keep saying “probably”.  A better word would probably be “usually”.  In other words, in most cases, what I have said is true.  But, there are exceptions.

The first thing that you should know about photography as a hobby is this: throwing all the money in the world at it will not make you a good photographer.

The pursuit of good photographs requires dedication, patience, and a lot of effort.  It requires you to accept your failures and try to learn from them.  It requires a constant desire to improve.  Buying a great camera, or great lenses, or any other great equipment will not make you a great photographer.  For that, you have to actually read books about light and composition.  You have to study other great photos.  You have to go out and practice what you’ve learned, evaluate your work, and try to figure out how you can do better next time.  You have to learn how to get the most out of the equipment you have.  It takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s a lot of fun.

The second thing you should know about photography as a hobby is this: if you are serious about it, you will probably end up throwing a lot of money at it to maximize your creative options.

Lots of great pictures can and have been taken with cheap cameras.  There is even a genre of photography that requires the use of the cheapest camera you can get your hands on.  Sometimes, a point and shoot is completely adequate for the job.  In fact, if you’re only printing 8x10 inch prints, a point and shoot camera will probably suffice more than 50% of the time if you know how to use it.  But, it’s that minority fraction of photos – that portion that requires superior optics, excellent noise immunity, or perfect focus control – it’s those types of situations that push the people that really care about the quality of their pictures to spend thousands of dollars on the best equipment they can afford.

It’s just like transportation.  A simple car will get you most places that you want to go.  But, if you want to climb mountains, ride the sand dunes, or sit in the middle of lake Powell, you’re going to need something else.

Then, there are the people that have to have a jacked up F350 just because it looks cool.  It’s the same with photography.  I think there are a lot of those people nowadays.  But, I’ll talk about them some other time.