The Power Of Always Having Your Camera With You

The tired but true phrase, "The best camera is the one that you have with you.", is sage advise. The key to this though is having a camera with you. Try to always have a camera on you. As photographers we are selectively capturing moments in our lives as the happen. If you want to greatly increase the number of great photos, you'll need a camera on your person - obviously.

One Black, One White Chrysler Minivan

This photo of one black and one white Dodge minivan parked next to each other in back lot of an old downtown is interesting to me. Randomly, the yin yang thing happens with 2 common vehicles. I would have never thought to go find this photo. The scene just randomly happened. I was walking into work and because I had my camera on me, I captured the scene.

When I head out with intent of taking pictures, I probably find more photos in a short time span, but life happens non-stop. If you keep the camera on you at all times, your can remain in a state of mind that you are looking for the interesting things in life worth taking a photo of. For me, that's a great state of mind to be in. It keeps you "in the now" so to speak. 

There is never a dull moment when a camera is available. Bored? Practice using your camera. Need some exercise, go explore the area you're in for photos. 

I've perused some cell phone camera social websites and noticed the volume of great photos outnumbers social forums for the high dollar cameras. Cell phone cameras are out there doing the hard work while the expensive cameras sit on a shelf. Which is bringing more value to the world? Which is telling the stories of our lives and which is only brought out for the rare special occasion? 

I've noticed in many interviews with professional photographers, when asked about their equipment, the usual statement when they pull their camera up to show it off is, "It's a little beat up, but...". If your camera looks like new, you're not carrying it enough. You're wasting opportunities to improve your skills by letting your camera collect dust. Why pay money for a dust collector? Go ahead and grab that camera every chance that you can.

Some believe being a "serious amateur" means that you spent a serious amount of money on your equipment. It's not true. A serious photographer actually has their camera on them all of the time. They're serious enough that they want to take photos all of the time and they're ready for it.