The Gear Conversation We Should Stop Having

Every photographer has been asked "what camera do you use?" as if the answer explains the work. It doesn't — and the obsession with gear is holding the industry back.

The Question Behind the Question

When someone asks about your gear, they're really asking: what's the secret? They want to believe that the difference between their snapshots and your portfolio is a piece of equipment they could purchase. It's a comforting idea. It's also wrong.

The secret — if there is one — is thousands of hours of practice, hundreds of failed experiments, and the slow development of an eye that knows what to look for before the camera is even raised.

Why Gear Talk Persists

The photography industry has a financial incentive to keep the gear conversation going. Camera manufacturers, lens makers, accessory companies — they all benefit from the belief that the next upgrade will unlock the next level. And to be fair, better tools do make certain things easier. But easier isn't the same as better.

I've seen stunning work shot on decade-old cameras. I've seen forgettable work shot on the latest flagship bodies. The correlation between gear investment and output quality is much weaker than the industry wants you to believe.

What We Should Talk About Instead

If we spent half the energy we spend on gear discussions on these topics instead, the industry would be better for it:

Light. Understanding light — not just how to set up a softbox, but how to read natural light, how to work with mixed sources, how to use shadow as deliberately as highlight.
Direction. How to communicate with a subject. How to create comfort. How to guide someone into an expression that feels natural rather than posed.
Editing decisions. Not Photoshop techniques — the editorial judgment of which images to show and which to leave behind. Curation is a creative skill that gets almost no attention.
Business fundamentals. Pricing, client communication, project management. The skills that determine whether you can sustain a photography career, regardless of what camera you own.

The Bottom Line

Use whatever camera lets you do the work. Then stop thinking about it and focus on the work itself.

Michael Schacht is a professional photographer based in Chicago. He runs 312 Elements, a photography studio in the West Loop.