Cadence Gamache

Cadence it is so true, and I have yet to see a camera get off it’s lens and take an image all by itself!

The camera is just the tool to help put your vision out there.

Reminds me of a whattheduck.net comic:

lol, true… but fancy lenses do help, and there FUN!! i have an average camera too, well its not even mine, its my parents, i do alright… but a fancy one would be nice just for a bit of a boost… also id LOVE a macro lense, normal cameras can only go so close… and i adore really good macros (Like alot of Prismes’ work on DA, love her stuff!)... also infrared n stuff like that can be fun to play with… but i do agree, even if u have the most amazing equipment, the person is far more crucial… ^_

An expensive lens will make a good picture better, but if you can’t take a good picture to start with, then they’re fucking useless.

Give me a 35mm Contax anyday.

Owning an expensive digital camera doesn’t make someone a photographer, it makes them an expensive digital camera owner. Most of my favourite photographers were shooting tiny Pentax super ME 35mm with standard 50mm lenses int he ‘50s, and they still look good, what’s alright for them etc etc.

Your work probably would be improved by more equipment because you already have a good eye, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t already superb.

the same history as Claire own…
and agree with you, the Mpix are nothing ….

You’re 100% correct. All a higher level camera and lens does is refine the work done by the photographer. If you’re good, you’re good regardless. If you’re crap, you’re crap regardless.

You are doing one heck of a good job with your “crappy” lens. I dare say it does matter though, depending on what the artists wants to convey. Some cameras obtain much more visual information than others and that enables the artist to do more with it if that is what the artist wants.

Yes, I do agree that it makes a difference, and I certainly wouldn’t complain if I had some of that equipment available to me. Alas, I am but a poor college kid who can barely afford new clothes, let alone new camera goodies. It’s okay, though. I think my camera gets the message across well enough (for now). I’m not saying I’m a great photographer or anything, it’s just that I’ve seen worse pictures taken on much nicer cameras…

I have had the same digital camera for nearly 4 years. Well past its life in todays upgrade society.

Its an old argument by the elitists and pixel peepers. So many people have to make mention of “what they shot” their pic with their comment on the pic.
“oh shot this with my new 400D today” – yeah well so friggin what…

Your art stands for itself and yours stands tall. You have to right to hold the untalented expensive camera owning fanboys in amusment and look them in the eye saying nothing but letting their own mouth make them look stupid.

I have seen better pics shot with a mobile phone by a talented photographer than one shot with a pro level camera by someone not…

ONYA Cadence :-)

To truncate a quote I was once told : an amateur worries about their equipment… a master worries about the light.

Just because you have the money to buy a pricey bit of equipment does not give you instant appreciation for beauty (at the aesthetic end), or an understanding of composition, lighting or aperture or ISO (at the technical end).

Equipment will make a difference at certain extremes (wide angle or telephoto or very low light for instance) – and then only if you know how to deal with them – but you’re absolutely right. Your photos are excellent and speak brilliantly for your abilities (and a small part of me reckons that’s always nicer than having to share credit with good equipment!)

Well said Cadence,

I agree it doesn’t matter what you shoot with, just that you know how to use the camera and know how to take a good image.

The best bit of equipment is the one between your ears!

Darling….you are a legend. I’ve been saying this for years.
BTW…I was gonna ask you the other day what you were usuing (I was sure you were using a DSLR!!) You have proved your own point!!!
Good stuff girlie-really good stuff ;) xxx

yay for shitty little cameras!!!
we should start our own group =P

your words are true

I agree, get the vision right and then worry about how you capture it… images are created in the mind… the equipment merely interprets this thought… I’ve seen great shots with pinholes and holgas and seen some real crap from people using Canon 1D’s and fancy L lenses, although I wouldn’t mind some of that given that they add quality to an already well thought out idea etc…

I agree with this 100%

Thats awesome Cadence – yay for point and shoots. You use yours supurbly.

I definately agree, Lucan hit the nail on the head. Ive seen people with really expensive cameras not even be able to get an image in focus. Alot of what makes an image is not about what camera it was shot with but how it is cropped and the composition too. I have a friend that went to university to get all the fancy photography degrees and he told me they dont mean shit really. I am completely self taught, I am not saying my images are great but I dont think im doing to bad for someone thats knows jack about all the technical jargon!

I agree as I have taken most of mine with with a kodak P&S plus old pentax film cam over 20yrs old still works well with film.lately though I was lucky enough to buy a Nikon but only the basic kit as that is all I can afford for now and will probably last me the next decade. Camera is merely a tool an extension of the already clever person behind it and that you !

I,ve taken Insane pictures with Disposable cameras….....its true what you say!!!,now with computers anyway,anythings possible.You don,t need quality utensils to have an artistic license in my opinion.Well said Cadence.

“A poor craftsman always blames his tools” is a saying my father taughts me when I was very young. Dad is a Carpenter/Cabinet Maker, and I grew up playing in his workshop.

The inference from this saying is that no matter what tool you use, if you have the skills then the tool makes no difference.

I have seen photogrpahers who use little 30 yr old intsamatic point and shoot cameras and they are waaaayy better than me. Framing, composition, imagination. these are what sets aside the master from the student.

Mind you, a nice camera is a joy too.

Its kinda like using expensive golf clubs. They wont improve your game if you can’t play very well. If you CAN play then they will give you an edge.

Cadence, (what a cool name) your work is stunning. Your post-production is some of the best I have ever seen. Flawless. The best post production work is invisible; it doesn’t say to the viewer “HI I DID THIS IN PHOTOSHOP…”

So glad I found your page.

I like to use the phrase “All the gear, No idea”- sometimes it sums up the kind of snapper who uses their equipment as a kind of jewellry. I have owned high end gear in the past, when I was shooting Motorsports etc. I now have a 4year old creative compact and have really discovered the joy in composing work and worrying about my images more than how many people can see how much I am worth(not very much at all, for the record!). I would still LOVE a good D SLR and an extensive set of lenses, what I am probably going to end up with is a new tripod, remote release and some filters. And it won’t matter a bit!

In principle i agree with you Cadence. Often it is not the tools that you have, it is your talent – and i support the adage “a bad worksman blames his tools”. Though, in terms of lenses, the reason people would have asked, is it can alter how an image can be caught. – Ie. Good Macro photography is easier if you have a telephoto lens that can capture macro as you do not need to stalk so close to the insect etc. – also, depth of field is easier produced with telephoto lenses. as are wildlife photos; taking a full frame close up of a kingfisher catching a fish with a 30mm lens would be somewhat Amazing and i take my hat off to anyone that can!

I have a “old” Canon 20D someone told me. haha. A mix of good equipment, and a killer eye will take you far!

hm, thats true. i think the mind of every person is so individual with certain degrees of creativity. some people can create masterpieces from toy cameras they find in lucky bags for god’s sake. its damn true that the image quality is good on nikons or canon or whatever however if you haven’t got the eye to see then the photos can often end up like a snoozefest.

i really like sifting through ur portfolio, its really cool.

very good points here , but horses for courses. I have never seen a Pro photographer using a Compact for a shoot , in much the same way your average family happy snap isnt taken with a EOS 1d Mk II.
I have used a few different point and shoots on my way to a 10D and now a 40D DSLR. While they still are capable of a good shot (in excellent lighting) they are less than perfect in poorly lit conditions.
I still like to use a point and shoot olympus for its fun macro ability , and they are a cheap alternative to say a single fixed lens.

You are so right, I could not have said it better myself…..

Right on Sister! Let’s here it for crappy purple cameras! Well mine is purple at least. I have really enjoyed your gallery.

:O did you use magic pixy dust too? jokes jokes
Man i’m jealous of your talent and agree with your statement about how the photographer is mroe crutial than the camera… but wow that’s pretty good for that kind of camera. My jaw was dropping to the floor. Although i might add that sometimes it helps having a more sensitive camera especially for people who don’t have willing models. I know for a fact my camera can’t catch things in motion worth crap. I usually only get lucky. But great job with a crappy handheld camera! Plus photoshop! (now knowing how to work photoshop can help VERY much as well)