It's NOT the camera...

Photo cred: Chris :-)

I remember my first camera, when I was just a little kid, being SO important to me!  Where we didn't take selfies back in the day, my friends and I were ALL over photographing each other doing gymnastics on the lawn or in the wilderness, posing with out latest killer outfits or of our adorable animals!  My camera was a small rectangular box, a point and shoot, with zero ability to do anything but that!

I LOVED dropping off the film at the local Albertsons and having to wait a week to get my coveted prints back in my hands!

Now a days, what kind of gear you use is one of the first thing that people, including myself, ask other photographers!  For me its curiosity and maybe me being able to pick the brain of someone who knows more than I do, but most people think it's the camera itself that "get's the shot".  

Waterton Canyon is a beautiful place to get a LONG walk, run or ride! It's very flat surface makes it a doable trail for people who aren't interested in climbing hills!

Where I will never tell you that you can replace a professionally shot session with an Iphone and your best buddy, I WILL tell you, if you are concerned about what you are shooting with, it's not the camera, its the photographer that is making the picture what it is!  For example, an Aussie filmmaker I admire greatly is shooting an entire event with a gopro! This is a camera that you have very little control over in the sense that you can't adjust settings, much!  THAT, I guarantee you, is a challenge!  One challenge I KNOW he is up to and will show us some phenomenal footage! @samevanslife on Instagram, follow him for some super inspiration and fantastic adventures!

When Chris and I headed out on our weekly hike last weekend, I got to the location and realized in my haste, I had forgotten to bring my Nikon!  GASP!!!!  In addition, we were in a location that is different from my normal mountain setting, so I challenged myself, to make the hike interesting photographically, with only my phone!

I will probably get "shamed" for this comment but I LOVE the introduction of the selfie! When my kids were young, most often times I was NOT in the pictures.  A selfie is a really fun way to grab a shot you want, of yourself, without having to even bug anyone else if they aren't as into pictures as you are!!

I LOVED this rock wall and Chris had already moved ahead on the trail, so, I turned the camera on myself and get the shot, no shame here!

Phone cameras today have come SO far, allowing you to adjust exposure, focal length and even white balance!  Now you still don't HAVE to do all that, but it is pretty cool what we have at our finger tips if we need it!  I can even shoot RAW if I shoot through my Lightroom app!  Who would have thunk it! :)

When learning what works and what doesn't, you just have to try things out!  I did that with this shot of these really cool reeds I saw!  I loved how they looked from the trail but just a snap from my standing perspective, just didn't make them look as cool as they truly were!  

I shot 3 different ways, 3 ways that made me look at the area differently!  I actually like something about each shot, but if I had to choose my favorite based on; did I meet my goal of making the reeds look as neat as I thought they were at first glance, I would choose shot number 1!  I like that I can see the trees and also have a more macro focus on the reeds and shot down low to give perspective of how huge they were!  

Below is a shot of one lone flower that I saw in this mini jungle area close to the river! do you see it?  It's located in the middle of the frame at the 1/3 vertical line mark!

I crawled into the area to grab a picture of the flower.

I was able to zoom in on the flower, blurring the background and giving the flower it's time to shine and be the first thing to catch your eye!  I shot a lot of varieties of this shot too and chose this as my favorite!

When you are on an adventure, think before you shoot! A tree may look even more grand if shot from down low!  An image of a winding river may be way more interesting if you pay attention to the lines of it and how it flows through your frame!  You sister may look even cooler, if shot amongst some deep grasses or flowers!

So, like anything, a great camera will give you beautiful resolution, color and focus, but if its an uninteresting picture on an inexpensive camera, it will be an uninteresting picture on a pricey camera! Experiment!  that is the all time BEST way to learn how to make those pictures go from just meh, to WOW!  Even after 18 years of shooting professionally, I still take time to experiment and learn new ideas and methods!  Constant learning!!

I hope you found something of value on my blog!  If you did and want to leave a comment, you would totally make my day!  If not, no big deal!  Feed back is ALWAYS appreciated, no matter what it is!

Until next week....

All images were edited with VSCO filters.