Gear Acquisition Syndrome

Albert Pedrosa
Photo Mania

IN one of the stories in 500px, I stumbled upon an article titled “Confession of a Gear Addict.” It was written by Pedro Quintela, a landscape and travel photographer. As I was reading it, it dawned on me that at some point of my photography career, I was as guilty as him. Am I cured from this disease? Probably not entirely.

Taking it from my personal experience, I tend to start blaming my gears when I’m getting mediocre photos. It occurred a lot during my starting up stage in photography. Maybe because I’m not using an L lens or the lights I’m using is just China-made and those branded ones are producing really great results. The excuses and blaming is endless.

Then you start seeing behind the scenes shoots from the professionals that you follow and you see them in jaw dropping lenses and really expensive equipment in the set. You would even see them using medium format cameras. Then you say that probably because they have the right gear so they produce great photos.

Now that mirrorless cameras are shaking the photography industry, many are shifting and selling their entire system to replace with what’s hot today. I can imagine the pressure on the marketing department of leading brands that they have to come up with something new to offer. Something that can trigger the interest of the photographers and lure them to buy.

Aside from 4k resolution, many expect wireless connectivity and new technology on sensors and AF system. Which camera offers higher ISO and packed with all the features you are trying to have. It will never be enough. Do you use them all? Nope.

It’s not a question if whether you need the right gear or not because you need the right gears to do it right. I know that good gear is expensive, but you also need to consider their durability. It will last a lifetime with proper care. But only buy when you have stretched the limits of your gear.

After you buy all the gear, read all the reviews and listened to the endorsers, you’ll realize that that the only way you can get better results is to actually challenge yourself to do better. What’s important than any gear are your eyes, heart and passion. Finding the shot that would express your thoughts and feelings. Framing your imagination and creating art.

There’s a lot more to photography than gear. Instead of upgrading your gear, upgrade your skills instead by shooting as much as you can. Find the genre that will bring out your passion. Develop a relationship with photography by printing your photos at least your top three for the year.

When you’re passionate about photography, you tend to get into the loop of gear addiction. It’s a matter of getting through it and realizing that photography is an expression of one’s art through photographs. Keep on shooting, everyone!

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