Note: This article is not promoting ignorance, it is promoting focus.

How Important is All the “Technical Stuff”

“I like my camera, and it takes really good pictures, but someday I want to learn how to use all the features, and what all those numbers mean.”

Most people I meet think they need to know and understand all the little features in a camera and what all the numbers mean to be a good photographer, but that simply isn’t true. You can be a great photographer without ever knowing what f/5.6 means. In fact, most people should not know what every number means.

At this point, you are probably thinking to yourself. “Aaron – You teach photography for a living, don’t be an idiot and tell people they don’t need to know this stuff.”

Thanks for looking out for my well being, and you are totally right. some people do need to know every little detail. A photography instructor for instance, better know what all those numbers mean.

Why It Could Ruin You

So why would I say that some people should not know that stuff? Because it would be a complete waste of their time. If you are happy with your photography and enjoy taking pictures, understanding the F-Stop will not make you happier or take better photos. It may even do the opposite.

Do the opposite? You are really full of crap Aaron. How in the world could knowing all the ins and outs of your camera and photography make you less happy with photography?

Pause

Please pause here and think about your experience as a photographer for a minute or two. Think back to what it was like in the very beginning. Think about what you enjoyed about photography to begin with. Think about all the laughter. Think about all your adventures. Is all of that still there?

If it is, feel free to stop reading and spread foul rumors about me. If not, here is the reason – Learning all that “stuff” basically took something that was fun, and turned it into work. Something you used to love, has turned into a hassle.

The Problem

A person finds something they love, and wants to improve. This is great, except that most of the information available is provided by companies trying to sell something. Even indirectly, this effects how most people consciously write about photography. We wind up with 4,340,000 pages written on High ISO Noise.

THAT IS ABSURD.
You want to know ALL you will ever need to know about high ISO noise?
As ISO increases, so does Noise. This has noting to do with creating an emotional connection with the viewer.

Want to see the 13 photographs that changed the world? Here they are. Image quality in most of them is downright abysmal.

How is a person who is just starting out supposed to know if this is important or not?

Even when trying to help people by explaining in great detail what all those numbers mean, people forget to identify the importance of this information, and if and when it should be learned at all.

What winds up happening because people don’t know what information is necessary and what is fluff, is that they put too much importance on all of it. This becomes overwhelming, because now it seems like they have to know everything. They get frustrated, they feel stupid, and all for no reason.

I have spent countless hours frustrated because I didn’t know something, only to find out later that I didn’t even need to know it to begin with. What a waste of time and resources.

Should you really worry about all the technical stuff? Probably not. If you are reading this and you shoot in AUTO mode. You are doing nothing wrong.

Every single one of the best photographers I have ever met, is less technically proficient than most of the worst photographers I have ever met.

How In The World is That Possible?
SIMPLE. They enjoy photography. It is not something they feel like the should be doing. It is something they want to be doing.

Because of this, they take more photos, spend more time taking photos, and are able to stand photography for a longer period of time in their lives. They focus on the subject instead of the shutter. They focus on emotion rather than the color of seamless paper. They research art and passion instead of chromatic aberration. They continue to take photos vigorously, years after all their peers quit.

The do not care what brand of camera they use.

How to be a great photographer

Focus on what is important.
Trust me, you will learn what you need to as you go, eventually all the technical stuff will take care of itself. Your job as a photographer has almost nothing to do with a camera.

Your job is to capture the minds and imaginations of people and pull them into different worlds. Your job is to create a connection with your subject, so powerful, that other people thousands of miles away years from now will feel it. Your job is to show us what it means to be human. Your job is to care about something so passionately that everyone around you will find themselves caring too. Your job is to realize that art has the power to change the world.

Focus on these things, and you will succeed.
Focus on Megapixels and High ISO, and you will fail, because your passion will die out long before you have the chance to shine.