Rockport, Maine

Tech-head vs. Artist:

I have just returned from a photography workshop in Maine, and observing the photographers there  reinforced a belief that I have had for some time. Now that nearly all photographers have gone digital, it's tempting to think that the latest techno-gadgets will make us better photographers. A certain contingent, mostly men, buy desktop

supercomputers, a dazzling array of software and camera equipment that would make the National Geographic green with envy.  They try to buy their way and hack their way to photographic excellence. Another group, often women, worries more about art, which they practice in the field, before the shutter button is pressed. Both groups get excellent images at times. But the people who worry about subject, light and composition in the long run outstrip those who brag about the price of their latest lens and the power of their latest Photoshop add-on. I'm talking about aesthetic quality, quality that will hold up in a print on your wall for 20 years. So if you really want to improve your photography, take the $1,000 you had earmarked for a new camera and spend it instead on a photography trip. 

-Gary Anthes