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Photography & technique

May 24, 2017 JimK Leave a Comment

When the Sony a9 arrives — soon, I hope — I will jump off into another weeks-long, geeky, mathematical analysis. Hey, that’s what I do, right? But I try to put that kind of thing in perspective for myself, and occasionally for you, dear readers. Here’s what I wrote on someone else’s blog a few weeks ago:

…what’s most important about making photographs is not related to sharpness, bokeh, LaCA, LoCA, focus shift, focus stacking, swings and tilts, exposure, spherical aberration, PDR, FWC, RN, AA filters, camera and lens brand, whether the capture was digital or analog, whether printed on an inkjet printer or with gum bichromate, or any of that technical stuff. As someone who writes a technically-oriented, gearheady blog, I try to do a post every year or so to point that out. We all know it to be true, and it’s easy to forget while you’re looking for your keys under the lamp post.

On the other hand, cameras and lenses are tools, and photography has elements of craft (though some would deny this). From that perspective, it is worthwhile to select the best tools for the job at hand, and to learn to use our tools to the best effect.

Technique is not the objective. Technique is the road.

The Last Word

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