Get The Picture

For the past four years I often found myself fighting my gear to get the image quality that I was looking for, trying different gear and cameras to try and get what I was seeing with my eyes. Now that I've been using the D700, and some nice FX glass, for almost two months I can happily say that is no longer an issue. I can honestly admit now that any issues I have with image quality can only be pointed in one direction, right back at myself as a photographer. That is a nice place to be as a photographer, because it means you can trust your gear to get the job done. At the same time it is a little unnerving, because in the western world today people have a tendency to try and find anything other than ourselves to blame for our shortcomings.

The Man Behind The Camera

What can I say is the best aspect of shooting with the D700? Simply that it forces me to be a better photographer. Using the D700 has made me rethink my photography on several levels, because it doesn't give the crop factor of the D300 that I was using for the last few years. Bird photography, which in the past has been my primary focus is more of a challenge, and I find myself looking for other subjects as a result. That is a good thing because I felt like I was stuck in a rut just shooting birds. Not that I no longer find shooting birds interesting, but I am working to expand my horizon. I think the biggest challenge that I'll face this year is building a strong vision for my photos, looking outside of the box that I put myself into during the past few years.