Apologies for the long silence. I've been busy moving from one side of the North American continent to the other. After 32 years in San Diego, I have moved to the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.
It's a huge change for me, after decades living in high-rise buildings in the city (see an example in this video) to suddenly find myself living in 20 acres of forest on a mountain.
One thing this cross-country move made me realize: I have a lot of photography gear!
Even after giving away or selling more than half of my photo gear in San Diego, I still ended up moving five large boxes full of gear, plus the camera bag and backpack that I carried on the plane containing my cameras.
The camera gear I moved across the country.
So, now that I've paid to move all this stuff across the continent, I'm wondering: Do I really need all this stuff?
Of course, my situation may be slightly different from yours. I teach photography for a living, so I tend to accumulate items from each different teaching project, and these items often linger in my closet even when I've moved on to the next project. But you may have a similar cycle in your life, as you climb the ladder of ever-better photography gear and pursue different styles of photography
Also, makers of camera gear tend to randomly send me products that I didn't ask for, hoping I'll review them. I know, I know, it's a problem many of you would like to have, but often these are not products I really want or need (or I would have bought them already) and they usually just turn into more clutter.
So that's why I gave away half of my stuff before moving.
But I still have a lot! Do I really need to be lugging all this gear around?
What I really need.
When I try to imagine the bare minimum that I need, here's what I come up with:
One good DSLR (currently my Canon 5D Mark III)
One all-purpose zoom lens and one telephoto zoom lens
One tripod
One camera bag with accessories (flash, memory cards, batteries, etc.)
The Panasonic GH4 mirrorless that I shoot my videos with
With that kit, I could still consider myself "a photographer" and I could still make videos.
So what's all this other stuff? Well, much of it is lighting gear, of course, which tends to be big. Given that I have created two courses teaching off-camera-flash lighting, I've acquired quite a bit of gear related to that kind of shooting.
But do I still need all that lighting gear? Some of it, yes, if I plan to do some lit portrait or lifestyle photography again. But will I actually do that? Who knows. Meanwhile I'm dragging around all that lighting gear just in case.
Much of the rest falls into the "nice to have but optional" category. Extra tripods for specialized purposes. Five different kinds of flash triggers. Various gadgets that I plan to try out "one day" but that day has not yet come.
So maybe I don't need all this stuff.
And when I think about what I really, really need as a photographer, it's hard not to come to the conclusion that many other people are increasingly coming to:
These days, most of my day-to-day photography is actually done on a smartphone.
What I really, really need.
I must admit, after paying to move all these heavy boxes of gear, that there is a temptation to just go with the camera that I carry in my pocket all the time. And as the smartphone cameras become better and more capable each year, the temptation to ditch it all in favor of my iPhone will continue to grow stronger.
Meanwhile, I think I won't unpack these boxes right away.
I plan to only open them as necessary, to retrieve specific items when needed. Maybe some boxes will never be opened at all, and the next time I move, perhaps those can be left behind.
SUMMER SALE!
To celebrate the start of summer, I’m putting my courses on sale for subscribers like you. If there are any courses you'd like, that you don't already own, here are some links to save you 30% off the price:
Understanding Your Camera — 30% Off
Lightroom Made Easy — 30% Off
Photoshop Basics for Photographers — 30% Off
Successful Event Photography — 30% Off
Pro Portraits with Off-Camera Flash — 30% Off
Advanced Off-Camera Flash Photography — 30% Off