Am I obsolete if my photography gear is?

I’m feeling obsolete lately. Why? Let me tell you.

Technology moves fast. So fast. Writing for Photofocus has allowed me to see just how quickly the photography industry — and the photography gear that come with it — has changed in the last six years.

New photography gear

It feels like all photographers ever want to talk about is the latest and greatest gear. When is this new camera coming out? Will they stop making lenses for DSLRs? Should I switch to mirrorless?

It’s not just the technical equipment. There are also things like backpacks, camera straps and anything to do with the industry. I get it. The companies are in the business of making a profit. They need to create new products, offer new updates, etc. in order to stay in business. At what cost though to the artists out there?

Marketing

I’ll admit, I worked in marketing for most of my working life. So, I understand the necessity of it. But, I don’t buy into it. Does that make me and my photography gear obsolete too?

First of all, I can’t afford to buy into it every time a shiny new “thing” comes out. Secondly, what I work with works perfectly fine for me and what I do.

We are inundated with ads, emails and blog posts from the manufacturers themselves. Not only that but also from some of our own photography friends and those photographers we are inspired by and follow. Yes, I know, that’s how it works. Am I the only one tired of seeing it all the time?

Old tech

My Canon 6D is old, 10 years old to be exact. Is it obsolete with ‘only’ 20.2 megapixels? Because it’s not mirrorless? Not fast enough, not light enough, not techy enough? Doesn’t have enough functions or options? In my opinion, no it’s not old — for me.

I’ll admit, I had a Canon EOS R in my cart back in 2019. I had a reason though. My original 6D screen went black. So, it was either repair it or replace it. In the end, I ended up having it repaired and I purchased another 6D (which happened to be on sale) to use as a backup or second camera. Why? I just did not feel the need to upgrade just for the sake of upgrading.

Missing out

All this said, sometimes I feel obsolete because I write about photography. I choose to write about and focus on the creativity of it, the artistic side of it and the personal side that photography has for many of us. We need that information as much if not more than the technical side.

Will I ever be an ambassador for a gear company? Or any of the manufacturing companies really? Not likely? I’m ok with that but sometimes it makes me feel left behind. I feel like I can’t always offer what the mass audience of photographers out there wants. That said, not everyone is my audience.

Am I missing out? Nope. I’m quite happy to create in the way I create and share that with my audience and the audience here at Photofocus. We are not all the same. We photograph differently, create differently and we all learn differently. It’s important to have voices out there who aren’t always touting the latest and greatest.

Love and passion

It’s about the love of photography and the passion you have for creating. Not the gear.

Film photography is still popular; maybe I should go back to that.