All too often we’re led to believe that the more equipment you carry with you on any photographic trip the better pictures you will take. In many cases the reverse is true. Photography is essentially a simple act complicated by an aggressive consumer industry that needs to keep selling new and ‘improved’ equipment.
That full camera bag, bursting with so much kit, can be a problem in a couple of ways. Firstly, it can actually be a deterrent to going out. “I don’t fancy carrying that bag around all day – I’ll give it a miss” is a fairly typical response, and secondly, “I’ve so much equipment I’m not sure what to use; so many possibilities and choices of cameras, lenses, filters and much more”
Decide at the beginning of the day which camera and lens you are going to work with and leave all the other bits and pieces behind. It will free you up in many ways, forcing you to look in a particular manner and concentrating your mind on subjects that will suit the lens you have selected. Not only will you begin to look in a more structured and disciplined way, you will also enjoy the experience of ‘going light’ without the encumbrance of all your equipment. It’s quite liberating!