Are you an iPhone or Samsung photographer? Do you have your own unique vision that you bring to life? Maybe you artfully compose images from your iPhone or Samsung or some other device yet long for more advanced equipment to further develop your vision.  Whatever it is, it is important to use your creativity and the tools available to you now. While it will be a whole new game once you have new equipment, no device can replace getting to know yourself and your individual style through creating. Plus you will get to look back on all the material you generated prior to upgrading. It’s true what they say you know “you miss 100% of the shots you never take”. 

You Miss 100% Of The Shots You Never Take

The inspiration for this post grew as I looked back on all that I captured before I had a DSLR. So many photos that could never be duplicated, neither could the feeling or memory attached to them. I definitely didn’t appreciate them as much as I could have then but when scrolling through I realized meaning isn’t dependent on a device but more so a moment. While they couldn’t necessarily be blown up (although I did print one on 8×10 canvas) they are significant even if to no one else but myself.

Bells & Whistles

While photography had always been a pursuit of mine, the DSLR, lenses, and additional trinkets were out of reach financially for me for quite some time. As many of you know camera equipment is not always affordable. However, I had an iPhone (still do) and I used it to many advantages. Everything from landscapes, to portraits, to weird ideas brought to life, like the one above were captured through an iPhone 4. No bells, whistles, lenses or control of shutter speed, ISO, f-stop, and poor zoom. Although I love my canon (dearly) and all of its capabilities, I also deeply appreciate all of the moments captured before that luxury.

Make The Best Of What You Have

We can seek out reason to continue or excuses not too, the choice is ours to make and the responsibility ours to live with. Why not make the best of what we have? I remember the day I stepped out of my own way, thinking I didn’t have what I needed to actualize my visions, I went to the backyard of the house I had been living in. It sat just off of a 4-lane highway and wasn’t a necessarily pleasing aesthetic depending on how you looked at it. We had planted bulbs the fall before so the backyard had morphed into a sanctuary of sorts within the concrete jungle. The canna lilies drew me in with their vibrant, textured leaves, and soft touch of mornings dew. And the busy 4 lane highway didn’t look to bad in the early morning or late evenings light.

Keep Going

The message here really is to keep going. To use what you have as your foundation and build with it, build from it. Find value in your vision and what you do have.  When you admire someone else’s photographs how often are you moved by the camera brand or accessories? It’s largely a feeling, scene, composition, particular lighting or something familiar that we appreciate and feel struck by. It isn’t what you have but what you do with what you have that can make a drastic difference.

Thank you all for joining me here! I appreciate you and our interactions! Feel free to ask questions, you can write me in the comments or through my Contact page, I’m always happy to respond. Wishing you all an adventurous weekend! ♥

What about a photograph moves you?

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