what piece of photo gear had a fundamental impact on your photography?

153 Comments »

1. 

   Great question. What piece of photographic equipment had the most impact on my photography? In looking back over the past 20 years, it’s hard to pick out any single piece of equipment. Nearly everything I purchased has been well loved and impactful. That’s why we’re all gear geeks. The answer is tricky because as your skills grow, your gear grows with you. In recent years, Bruce Dorn’s Asymmetrical Soft Box was my favorite piece of gear. It’s simply brilliant. Something so simple in concept, yet it had never been done before and it’s become one of my favorite, most reached for tools. However, if I were to name one single piece of equipment, it would simply be Photoshop. That one piece of gear has helped me realize my vision more thoroughly than any piece of camera hardware or lens or light modifier. And it continues to grow as I grow. Always at the ready, more advanced and capable than I’ll ever be. But it’s nice to know there’s room to grow. And that is something I strive to continue doing until they pry my camera from my fingers.

         Comment by Randy — May 31, 2012 @ 12:54 pm

2. 

   My speedlight SB-800 is so far, what has impacted / improved my photography the most. Without it, I do feel ‘naked’. Either on the camera or off the camera, and especially when I use it off the camera, my lightning is improved to an unmatched result. Because I still don’t have the pocket wizards TT1 and TT5, I am using the SC-17 sync cord to trigger it off-camera. Even though the mentioned sync cord is not that long, it does help a lot to keep the unit off the lens axis and the lightning is improved because I can direct it to where I do want it at the power I do need it.
   However, I use it most of the time, in iTTL. Following these blogs have helped me to improve the way I should use my flash.
   I also do have the SB-700 but honestly, my SB-800 is what I use almost all the time because simply, I trust it with my heart. I do have the power that I need, I can use it on iTTL or TTL-BL, something that my SB-700 does not allow me to. With my SB-800, I just dial the FEC to between -1 or -2, underexpose the ambient light a bit and that’s it, of course, this apply for fill light which is what I use most. A diffuser mounted on the SB-800 also helped me to soften the light. I still do not have the Quickbox 24 x 24 mentioned by Neil, but I am in the process to acquire one of those and I know it will be much better to use my speedlight once I do have it.
   In some cases I have use my flash mounted on the camera and using the technique to bounce the flash off the walls on the side or behind me ( ceiling ) have helped me to soften the light and get super natural look on my subject. My camera is not that good on ISO behavior, though I am using the Nikon D300 which allow me to go up to ISO 800 and still get optimum result. But has been my SB-800 the equipment that helped me the most to get better results on my pictures. I do have a couple of prime lenses, the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 and the Nikon 50 mm f/1.8. When the light is too dim, those are the lenses that I use in combination with my SB-800 and I get the job done with no hesitation. Definitely a fast lens helps a lot but it is the SB-800 in my case, the unit that allow me to even use a less faster lens with optimum results. Usually I use my Nikon 70-300 mm and my Nikon 16-85 mm to take my shots and those lenses are not fast lenses. Without my speedlight in hand, I would not be able to get the job done as I have done it, so it is the SB-800 the equipment that makes the difference in my shooting.

         Comment by Mauricio — May 31, 2012 @ 12:55 pm

3. 

   My world was rocked when my first flash arrived in the mail. It was a LumoPro 160, fully manual, off-camera flash. Before that day, I was at the mercy of the natural light. I knew enough to put people in shade, or to use a reflector. But you can only modify natural light so far. For me, the flash gave me control. I could put a pop of light on my subject that was impossible before. I could separate the subject from the background, control lighting angle and color and quality. With that single purchase, I gained near full control over what the final photograph would look like.

   It started a journey that would evolve into multiple light setups with radio triggers, and on-camera TTL bounce flash (thanks to reading this blog). But that first flash affected my photographs more than an upgrade to a full frame camera or switching from zooms to fast primes. A flash changes *everything*

         Comment by Jameson — May 31, 2012 @ 1:01 pm

4. 

   The piece of gear that had the most impact on my photography was easily an off camera flash, before the flash i could not understand why my images just didn’t look right, i would compare my own to other photographers and for a while i thought that the problem was my camera or lightrooms raw processing capabilities, in my pictures i would notice that the backgropund would be so bright that the colors would seem cartoonish especially green grass and there would be no tone seperation between the subject and background, also the only way i could acheive any kind of color or detail in the sky was grossly underexpose the subject, after studying this blog and strobist.com i finally bought a cheap flash with radio triggers, my pictures have been 300% better right from the first day of using the flash, i was able to darken the background to get the tones that i wanted and still keep the subject perfectly exposed and. now i can have a bright blue sky and dark green grass in all my pictures and my sunset portraits have never been the same.

         Comment by brad — May 31, 2012 @ 1:07 pm

5. 

   A Kodak Instamatic 124!
   Why?
   It was the first camera I ever owned.
   That little camera launched me on a 35- year career in photography, film and television.

         Comment by Dan Moynihan — May 31, 2012 @ 1:12 pm

6. 

   The single most valuable piece of equipment in my photographic gearbag has to be my remote triggers. For me, the CyberSyncs were my first venture into remote triggers and they opened up an entirely new way to do photography – off-camera flash.

   I use it for nearly every type of photography – landscape, portrait, insect, architectural, ad infinitum.

   The ability to take flash off-camera and control them quickly and easily continues to drive me to explore the depths of my own creative soul.

         Comment by Raymond — May 31, 2012 @ 1:16 pm

7. 

   I was prepared to talk about off camera flash and fancy electronic gadets that I just couldn’t live without. Honestly, none of it matters with out imagination. All the toys in the word can’t help if you don’t have the imagination and creativity to over come the lighting hurtles. Without imagination you don’t think outside the box.

         Comment by Troy D — May 31, 2012 @ 1:18 pm

8. 

   Definitely Photoshop has been the best ‘photography gear’ i’ve used. I guess it can be argued if Photoshop is a gear. To me it is. It is part of the tools that help me produce a picture. If it weren’t for photoshop, i would have abandoned actively doing photography as a hobby a long time ago. Everytime i don’t nail the exposure..or the white balance..or if anything else for that matter..i have this assurance that i can do something in photoshop later to rescue the image..or change the mood of the picture to reflect my tastes…photoshop will be an irreplaceable gear for all of us and it definitely had the most impact on me.

   Besides Photoshop..i consider the 70-200 2.8 IS to be the next best thing i’ve used.

         Comment by Derryl Varghese — May 31, 2012 @ 1:18 pm

9. 

   By far , the equipment that has had the most impact on my photography was buying a 580ex speedlite together with a book called On-Camera Flash by Neil Van Niekerk which has amazing lessons in how to use a speedlite properly and get the most out of it.

   Having this light and knowing how to use it properly means no more slow shutter speeds in low light. I have been able to use faster shutter speeds and eliminate camera shake, and as a result my photos are sharper.

   Of course, I would love to win a speedlite and an impact quickbox. But regardless of the outcome of this contest, I still consider myself a winner for being able to take great photos with my 580ex and the information I have learned in the book.

         Comment by mo11211 — May 31, 2012 @ 1:20 pm

10. 

    My 5D Classic, which I bought used after the Mark 2 was released, is by far the most influential piece of equipment I’ve bought. The larger sensor was great for both IQ and low-light performance, but the biggest advantage is that my lenses now performed at their actual focal lengths. This was particularly important for me because it allowed me to focus on using primes. I love prime lenses because of the additional light they afford me. Between the fast glass, and the excellent high-ISO performance, it allowed me to shoot with available light in situations that weren’t possible with my 40D. Also, I believe primes force you to think more about making interesting composition. When I first started, I asked myself why anyone would choose a prime over a zoom, due to the increased versatility. But my friend and business partner kept saying “It’s ok, just zoom with your feet.” I feel that the more we have to think about behind the camera, the harder it is to get great shots. By removing the zoom variable from the equation, it forces you to think more about where you’re standing, the angle you’re shooting at, how close or far away from the subject you need to be, what the subject is doing (hand placement, pose, expression), background distractions, etc. It also forces you not to be lazy. All of these things, for me, result in more attention to detail, and ultimately better composition.

    So although it would be easy to pick one of my favorite primes as the most influential piece of equipment I bought, it was ultimately the 5D Classic that was the enabler for me to really learn to exploit the power of the prime lenses.

          Comment by Nick — May 31, 2012 @ 1:21 pm

11. 

    For me, it was the Pocketwizard Transceiver device. It took flashlight off from my camera body and totally changed my photography.

          Comment by Loka — May 31, 2012 @ 1:22 pm

12. 

    Thinktank Steroid Speed Belt™ V2.0 matched together with 2 Spider Camera Holsters http://www.spiderholster.com/

    Finally able to shoot with 2 cameras and get rid of the annoying straps.

    Best thing since sliced bread.

    Cheers :)

          Comment by Blackspear — May 31, 2012 @ 1:24 pm

13. 

    :-)
    I think the piece of photographic equipment that had the most impact in my life was the first one I got, a one time use film camera, the cheapest camera you could get in a local supermarket, the one you have to throw away after finishing the film.

    I was playing with it, framing without even shooting to save the film, preparing myself for my school trip… Running everywhere with it, playing and playing. When eventually getting the photography, I realised how Photography can capture what I felt at one place, in front of someone, something, a landscape. When I started looking at other’s photography I realised how difficult but also how powerfull… So it’s all about feelings, and that’s what I discovered with this piece of gear, how to transmit this feeling is an other story I am trying to explore.

          Comment by Ced — May 31, 2012 @ 1:46 pm

14. 

    Over the years a lot of equipment has run through my hands. Trying to pinpoint one piece of equipment is tough. One of the first was a 580EX and your blog on on-camera flash. Opened so many creative doors for me. Then there was Pocket Wizards, the full-frame camera bodies… These each made yet another huge difference in the range and quality of my work. But, I would say as of today, the biggest impact from a piece of equipment has been the PCB Einstein flash unit coupled with the Vagabond Mini battery. Unlike working with speedlights, I have very few situations where I require more flash power and the range of power adjustment is amazing. All in a portable package that’s pretty easy to pack around.

          Comment by Matt Carr — May 31, 2012 @ 1:59 pm

15. 

    The Canon ST-E2. When I first got that and was able to move my flash off camera and do wireless TTL control, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities and changed the way I approached photographing people entirely. Since I got that and learned how to use it and subsequently learned it’s limitations, I moved on to the radiopopper px system, then recently onto the Phottix Odin System.

    Fundamentally though, still the same, the ability to wirelessly control my speedlights off camera has had a profound effect on the way I shoot.

          Comment by Dennis Pike — May 31, 2012 @ 2:06 pm

16. 

    For me, it was a simple, pretty cheap set of gels. Gels permitted me to add all kinds of effects to my images and make them more interesting to look at. I was also able to better control the quality of light when working with my speedlights in various conditions such as ambient or fluorescent lighting, or even outside for that matter. Gels give me all kinds of creative opportunities, and best of all, they don’t cost an arm and a leg. I’m looking at getting some “real” lights in the next year or two and I wouldn’t even consider buying them without a decent set of gels to go with them.

          Comment by Richard McDonald — May 31, 2012 @ 2:15 pm

17. 

    Without question, my Samsung Win7 Slate has changed my photography the most. Why? Not because it provides invaluable help nailing the focus and exposure with fully controlled tethered shooting, or because it allows me to pre-edit shots on location to ensure they’ll work as imagined, but because it allows me to always carry my RSS feed filled with obscenely important advice from individuals such as yourself.

    I spent the past 10 years saving and spending for my next big addition, but then came the realization that my bag was filled with gear I couldn’t fully utilize and I was throwing money at a problem only an education could fix. In the past few months I have been glued to that screen, reading this site and others from “cover to cover” trying to absorb all I can. With this constant access to new knowledge my photography has progressed more in a few months than in my previous ten years of shooting combined.

    That said, a second speedlight and the quickbox are both on my birthday wishlist, and that day happens to fall on the final day posts are accepted for this contest. Just sayin…

    Finally, a sincere thank you for your work here. It is a pleasure to read and informative beyond belief.

          Comment by Matthew — May 31, 2012 @ 2:20 pm

18. 

    The best piece of photographic equipment I have ever used was a 50-cent piece of black foam and a broccoli rubber band. The combination of the two has moved mountains for me, photographically. (Also needed, of course, is a speedlight and a camera, among other accessories.)

    Flagging one’s flash allows a simple speedlight to be used on-camera in hasty situations to provide a similar quality of light to that same flash used off-camera in an intelligent way. Time and space do not always permit booms and beauty dishes. The concept of using the light from a speedlight as indirectly as possible — including eliminating the forward spill that can result from most bounce situations — is crucial to providing a soft, wrapping, beautifully illuminating source of light.

    This proves the point that not all quality photographic tools need to be exceedingly expensive (or high-quality). Photography involves ingenuity and problem-solving, more than anything else. Quality of light is important, but it, too, is really a product of ingenuity and solving a common problem. You can have all the tools in the B&H catalog and *still* not have that one trinket that really is the solution to your problems.

          Comment by Kyle Schwab — May 31, 2012 @ 2:22 pm

19. 

    One type of gear? Nikon CLS. – Build in into camera and the flash, I started to recognize the importance of light to my photography. I decided to first invest into light, after that into glass and at the final step, I still not arrived at, into the camera body. – Light is really the difference in between the average and the better image. – It’s not the last sharp pixel in the image nor the megabyte of pixels added to it. – Light shapes, light produces feeling, light enhances and ‘explores’ the human face, light injects life into the eyes. – After hitting some limits of CLS, I overcame them by extending my gear (Pocket Wizards and Elinchrom Ranger’s) and again moved ahead with my lightning and the impact of my images … – still shooting with a D90 :-) – So this whole path seems a little strange compared to what the majority of (amateur) photographers take, but for me it makes a lot of sense and I’m excited where it will lead me to.
    Light is a wonder (and one of the first things god created) and CLS and flash and advice (naming NvN not as least :-) ) helps me to discover it.
    rk

          Comment by Ruediger Kern — May 31, 2012 @ 2:31 pm

20. 

    What had a major impact on my photography, believe it or not, was the black foamie thing!

    Or should I say, the concept behind the black foamie thing.

    And seriously, I’m not saying this just to kiss up…

    I grew up shooting film back in the ’70′s and 80′s, and in the days of wedding photography and film cameras, the majority of photos were shot with direct flash, over-exposing our film by +1 stop for the best skin tone.

    I certainly knew how to bounce my flash, and often experimented with light modifiers too numerous to mention, but the THOUGHT of aiming my flash at something OTHER than the subject NEVER crossed my mind. DUH!

    More times than not, I shot with my camera on a bracket, and either direct flash or bounced at a forward angle into a StoFen, Lumiquest, etc.

    Neil’s technique on using the black foamie thing really changed the way I shoot, and see. Now I look for opportunities to bounce my flash for the best light on my subject. And I look at lighting differently as well. Sometimes I don’t use flash at all, and I’ve change the way I look at that, looking for the light source, and making the most of it.

    I the studio, I always used multiple lights and had direction to my portraits, but on a wedding, it was very plain and straightforward. Now I’ve changed my entire approach and seldom do I use direct light from the camera position to light my subjects.

    Back to the roots of my shooting, I have a firm grasp of the basics of good photography, especially exposure and composition. What lacked was my lighting technique for weddings.

    I can honestly say that the black foamie thing changed the way I shoot in more ways than just using flash. The concept has affected EVERYTHING I shoot, even with regard to my point/shoot camera around the house. I guess that’s one of the main reasons I’m on this site in the first place.

          Comment by Bill W — May 31, 2012 @ 2:31 pm

21. 

    After years on the 35mm film and chemical darkroom, loading my own bulk film, and later, waiting for the day’s shoot to develop so I could print it, developing the prints, then waiting for the prints to dry … I migrated to a new Polaroid SX-70 Sonar (the first auto focus SLR, by the way) because it provided immediate presentation SOOC Straight Out Of Camera … and, funny thing, from the second picture on, there was always a prior Polaroid picture in the picture, and once people saw their own images develop before their eyes, everyone else asked, “Ooo, take MY picture, too!” … absolutely the best, most dynamic, living, though impromptu, portraits I ever created.

          Comment by Peter Blaise — May 31, 2012 @ 2:41 pm

22. 

    simply a digital camera (my 1st one was a nikon d70) : the instant feedback gave me the opportunity to try and learn at a much faster pace than in the film era. No more, jotting down your settings and then a couple weeks later trying to second guess what you did reading your notes and seeing your pics !

          Comment by gerald — May 31, 2012 @ 2:48 pm

23. 

    Some might not call it a piece of photo equipment, but to me, the iPad has completely changed my photography. It allows me to read and keep up to date with the latest photo news like the Tangents blog (even when I am away), it also serves as a photo preview on site either by importing the photos or wirelessly transmitting them to the iPad. It allows me to upload to my off-site sales and storage service. Even basic photo editing is possible with it, allowing me to get proofs and examples to my clients immediately. Lastly, I can swipe their credit card and bill the customer right there from the device. Overall, this one tool has allowed me the flexibility to improve my photography from click to cha-ching!

          Comment by Mike — May 31, 2012 @ 2:49 pm

24. 

    Hey Neil:

    I would say for me it’s gotta be the Canon nifty-fifty. Yes it’s cheap & plastic, but it really allowed to open up and get the photos I was seeing in my head. It also allowed me to understand & experience the effects of aperture & DOF a lot more as well. I have since parted ways with it (hello Craigslist!) and have the 24-70 & 70-200 L’s now but will never forgot what I was able to learn about my own style through the use of the Canon 50 f1.8

    I’ve been stalking your site for a while now, thanks for all the great advice and tips…

    Patrick

          Comment by Patrick — May 31, 2012 @ 2:50 pm

25. 

    If this is US-only count me out as I’m UK. I can’t see anything saying US-only but I thought it best to put this up front and save you the trouble of reading the whole post then finding out I wasn’t in the US.
    My entry would be about my PC. I can see how you might not want to count that as photographic equipment so I’ve provided a second possible entry about something that is definitely photographic equipment, if you don’t want to count a PC then skip to the second block of text below – “Non-PC Version”.

    —————– PC Version

    I think a piece of equipment that had an absolutely colossal impact on my photography was my PC with the access that gave me to a world of educational content, inspirational images and social interaction with other photographers across the entire world. I had almost no concept of photography, photographic technique, what made a good image or anything of that nature prior to reading about it or seeing it in action in the incredible content that people have made available online.
    I was introduced to a world of equipment and techniques that could free me from the shackles of irritating drawbacks that hampered my creative freedom.
    -Knowing I could get a DSLR that had no start up time and much faster autofocus so I wasn’t standing around waiting to be able to take a photo like I’d always experienced before was incredible. Learning to use the camera totally manually allowed me to escape from badly exposed images both because I could bypass the automated exposure entirely and because I had a much greater understanding of what was happening when I used the semi-automated modes so I could tweak them effectively. Never again would I miss an image because of the equipment, it was all on me now.
    -Knowing why a flash could rotate and tilt and how to use that function effectively freed me from being terrified to use flash as anything other than a last resort. No more red eye. No more “deer in the headlights” effect. No more ugly harsh shadows. When I learnt about this stuff I felt I could call myself a photographer as I could use my knowledge to create something demonstrably and undeniably better than someone without that knowledge could create.
    -There are so many more things I would never have even remotely considered the possible existence of without an internet capable PC. Off camera flash without needing mains powered studio lights – check. Lenses that focused super-fast (Canon ring USM), were sharp through the whole aperture range, opened up to wider apertures and had very few optical aberrations so I could totally forget the lens existed and get on with photographing things – check. Weird home-made flash modifiers that were a hundred times more effective than commercial products – check.
    Knowledge is everything and my PC gave me knowledge.

    —————– Non-PC Version

    The item of definitely-photographic equipment that most changed my photography was a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM. Previously I’d always had to compromise myself to get around lens drawbacks. I had to keep changing aperture because the maximum aperture changed while zooming, I couldn’t use the maximum aperture of the lens without major image quality issues, the autofocus was faster than a non-DSLR but still a bit slow and whiny.
    The 70-200 changed all that. It was fixed f/4 so I didn’t have to think about whether it was going to change when I zoomed, the lens was sharp with few little in the way of aberrations even wide open so I didn’t have to think about stopping down to keep IQ, the ring USM was lightning fast so I could respond immediately to anything I wanted to and while f/4 isn’t all that big an aperture it was much better than f/4-5.6. I could finally forget about all the little niggles of my equipment, I could get my head out of the camera and my mind was totally free to concentrate on what was happening around me. Freedom is lovely.

          Comment by Darren — May 31, 2012 @ 2:59 pm

26. 

    I remember when the kit lens for my Nikon D60 just stopped autofocusing. That was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me. It was the only lens I owned and I remember while doing some surfing to replace it, coming across something called a ‘prime’ lens. Anyway, I bit the bullet and purchased a Nikon 35mm 1.8G to go along with the replacement kit lens. Stupid me, I should have never paid money to replace that kit lens because the 35 stayed on until the day I upgraded my camera. That small investment was the stepping stone I needed to really immerse myself in learning my camera and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.

          Comment by Amanda — May 31, 2012 @ 3:02 pm

27. 

    My Praktica MTL3 35mm camera given to me about 8 years ago. Suddenly I had to learn what aperture, shutter speed & ISO were, and how these effect a final exposure, besides just pointing and clicking away! I could suddenly become more creative and take photos how I wanted. Suddenly my interest in photography rocketed to new heights!!!

          Comment by Scott — May 31, 2012 @ 3:34 pm

28. 

    For me it would be the nifty-fifty (50mm f/1.8). The biggest thing it did for me was teach me how to control depth of field. With that, it made me explore how I could control the camera and make it do what I wanted to do. That lens really got me to understand a lot of things I never understood before. Now, whenever a newbie asks me what lens they should get next I say 50mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/1.8 (for the crop sensor folks). They are inexpensive, very sharp and can really teach you how to get the most out of your camera.

          Comment by Herb — May 31, 2012 @ 3:55 pm

29. 

    Lens cap for sure! I’ve read a lot of books about composition, exposure, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. I also read a lot of reviews online on different cameras and lenses. But until I learned to take the lens cap off I couldn’t apply my theoretical knowledge to practice. Every single shot that I was taking turned out underexposed, no matter how hard I tried to adjust to situation with all of the knobs and buttons on my camera. I was ready to give up photography completely!

    One day I was taking a portrait of a model and she said to me “Hey, your lens cap is on!”, in a moment of panic I somehow took it off and that changed my life! From that day I always remove lens cap, and boy, it makes a huge impact on my photos. Now I can totally understand how aperture and shutter speed affect the exposure. I can actually see the through the lens and get a decent composition. Man, that opened my eyes!!!!

    I just want to tell to all authors of photography books and tutorials: “Please include something about removing the lens cap in the beginning of your books and articles before diving into all of details of what makes a good photograph!”

          Comment by QuickLearner — May 31, 2012 @ 4:10 pm

30. 

    Canon 30D…..my first dslr, it planted the seed and got me back into the hobby I got away from. It gave me instant results and made it easier to see what I did right and what I did wrong.No more wasted money on film and pictures that were sub par. If my results werent what I wanted I could analyze what went wrong and correct it and then re shoot right then and there.

          Comment by mike — May 31, 2012 @ 4:10 pm

31. 

    Being from a small town, the transition to digital was huge for me. Putting film canisters in an envelope and waiting 10 days for the results was a slow way to learn. Plus, I didn’t take notes so I usually forgot what I did to achieve both disappointment and successes and therefore learned little. Digital changed all of that and I learned a lot with immediate feedback on a Fuji S1 Pro.

    Next, and the reason I’m here on Tangents, the black foamie thing. It is one of the least expensive and most used modifiers. I use it at weddings and events and there is always one around at least one or two of my flashes even when they are packed in the bag.

    Finally, the Shur-Line painter’s pole model# 06572L along with the Kacey pole adapter have allowed me to put a flash anywhere and quickly (I shoot with an assistant). It is more flexible than a monopod, faster to move up and down, and can be extended 9 feet.

          Comment by Matt — May 31, 2012 @ 4:27 pm

32. 

    My first DSLR (Nikon D90). I store my pictures chronologically in my hard drive and the quality of pictures go up exponentially from the day I bought my first DSLR. Sure, the off-camera flash and other gadgets improved my photos and changed the way I take some photos, but they pale in comparison to the the difference my camera made.

          Comment by Marco — May 31, 2012 @ 4:49 pm

33. 

    The one piece of photo gear that had the most profound effect on my photography is the Canon 580EX II Flash. However, for the profound effect of this flash to be realized, several other events had to take place.

    At the start of digital camera era, I shot with a few early generation point and shoot digital cameras. They were largely disappointing in that they could not take shots as fast as I needed (ex. my daughter scoring a soccer goal), or as nice as my venerable Canon AE-1.

    I knew with time, digital cameras would improve, and in 2006 I bought my first digital SLR camera, a Canon Rebel/XT. It was a significant upgrade over point and shoot cameras, and I took many wonderful photos with it, but in about a year or so, I outgrew it, and upgraded to a Canon 40D.

    For the Rebel/XT, and later the 40D, I didn’t think much beyond the built-in flash. The built-in was automatic, seemed pretty good, and was very convenient.
    I was doing some sort of web search right around the time I bought my 40D, and ended up at Planet Neil. Once I got on the site I read as much as was written, absorbing as much material as I could, and bought a 580EX II flash. The articles influenced the way I shot, as I completely stopped using Automatic mode in favor of Manual mode. Fast forward a number of years of digesting Planet Neil articles and the book entitled “On Camera Flash”, and my entire approach to photography has changed and dramatically improved.

    Not only has my low light flash photography improved dramatically, but so has my daytime photography when I encounter backlit situations or some other daylight shot in need of additional light. It’s a rare occasion when I go out for a shoot without my flash; day or night.

    Seeing photos on Planet Neil taken with a 70-200 f2.8 L with its impressive Bokeh, sharpness, and color influenced the purchase of my next lens, which was the 70-200 F2.8 L lens. While the 24-70 is on my camera the majority of the time, portraits and travel scenery shots are the domain of the 70-200. The portraits shots with the 70-200 are just so compelling.

    This past weekend I got out my new 5D Mark III, 70-200 lens and took a few shots of my 4 month old granddaughter. The shots turned out wonderful, where the exposure, amount of flash, Bokeh, color, and sharpness all work so well together. For a moment I admired the shots and thought of just how far I have come.

          Comment by Alan Cutler — May 31, 2012 @ 4:59 pm

34. 

    The equipment that dramatically changed my career was the realization that regardless of what photo equipment i used to create images, the most important piece of gear I owned was my brain. Only through education and creating many images did I gain the knowledge to create decent images. My education and learning efforts will never end and that is the only way i will continue to learn and create great images.

          Comment by Robert Gunter — May 31, 2012 @ 5:11 pm

35. 

    Over my photography career I have owned many different cameras and lenses. I certainly have my favourites among these and they are the ones I have held on to or probably currently using. But it is not a camera or a lens which has had the most effect on my photography even though with each new camera (or lens) there has been the ability to do new things or old things better .
    I think the ability to work with flash off camera in the studio and in the field has been the thing which has freed me up and allowed me to create images which are different and which sing. Being able to quickly add that important backlight or hairlight, or to add light to a background or add contrast etc has been a huge factor in my photography going forward. So I nominate my Pocket Wizards as having the most impact on my photography. They have allowed me , with my small army of flash units , to easily and quickly add quality to my lighting when needed. The Pocket Wizard units are small and mobile, and coupled with todays small but powerful speedlights, are perfect for the mobile photographer who needs to get things done quickly but with consistent quality.

          Comment by roger clark — May 31, 2012 @ 5:42 pm

36. 

    The piece of equipment that opened up a new world in photography for me, is the Canon 17-40 f4 wide angle lens that my wife bought for me shortly after my heart attack, back in 2004. It is really amazing what you are able to cover with this lens.

          Comment by Bob Masiello — May 31, 2012 @ 6:07 pm

37. 

    Amazing, cheap, requires no batteries and works every time I use it – the humble grey card (I’m from the UK and we spell gray as grey).

    I mentioned it on one of Neil’s blogs and he told me that he used them many years ago. It’s so simple I don’t know why I’ve never come across it before. You just take a light meter reading through your camera (manual mode of course) and it’s job done.

    I don’t know if you camera can mis-read the grey card but for me it’s spot on every time.

          Comment by Pete (Barnet, uk) — May 31, 2012 @ 6:15 pm

38. 

    The photo gear that had the greatest impact on my photography is my Digital Rebel. The switch from film SLR to digital SLR gave me more freedom of shooting without the drawback of worrying about the costs and the wait-time of film processing. Once I got the Digital Rebel, it changed my way of shooting; I instantly became more spontaneous and less reserved in the number of shots, and with this I became a bit more creative with my work. My previous digital camera was a Sony Mavica with the floppy disk as the media, and while that was “instant” as well, it was not the same as going with a digital SLR. I’ve gone a long way from the Digital Rebel to my current gear, but that started it all for me.

          Comment by Donald Rodriguez — May 31, 2012 @ 6:42 pm

39. 

    Hello, compared to all people here, I might very well be classified as a new kid on the block. Therefore, the equipment list I’ve encountered until now is short. But from such short list, I will pick the ‘nifty fifty’ as the gear that left the deepest impression on me. It was the very first lens I can afford, with my first lens being a Sigma super zoom.

    The EF 50mm/1.8, being a large-aperture prime change my approach to making picture completely. The convenience of super zoom was clear, but using prime (in a film body, back then) forced me to think deeper – which I love. I found the thought process before the shutter button was tripped addicting. The large aperture also opened a whole new world of popping the subject against the background up. When the first images of the nifty fifty went into life, in the form of prints, boy, no word could describe how amazed I were. My family, which was my primary subjects were impressed thoroughly, too.

    The lens, which until now remains as the lens I attach to my trusty 20D all the time, paved way into another prime, a 200mm/2.8L USM II. This lens, however deep it influenced my style now, didn’t leave as much memory as I had with my nifty fifty. The nifty fifty’s impression was too deep it shaped my long-term camera gear road-map into a more prime-only approach.

          Comment by Arif R — May 31, 2012 @ 6:53 pm

40. 

    The piece of photographic equipment that has had the most impact on my photography has been the small yet powerful Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Yes it is small and very inexpensive, but it has provided me with valuable education. The lens allowed me to explore the relationship between the aperture and depth of field. It also gave me confidence in my shooting as I became the “go to guy” whenever I had the lens with my camera at parties and gatherings. To be able to capture indoor portraits in low light and still look sharp was a thrill to friends and me. The lens stayed on my camera for a long time as I captured beautiful images throughout my every day walks. One day while walking through the Mall in Central Park, I captured my favorite picture. The image is of a lovely candid portrait with a background that is completely out of focus. Whenever a family member or friend visits and sees the image for the first time on our counter, they always comment with “…..what a beautiful picture of your wife…..”

          Comment by Mario Aguilar — May 31, 2012 @ 6:56 pm

41. 

    The piece of “photographic gear” that has had the greatest impact on my photography is the internet. 35 years ago when I started taking photos anything you wanted to learn had to be out of books, classes or working with people. As a young person with not much money this just did not come together very well. Film camera, lens and darkroom gear all headed to the cupboard in frustration and took second place to family responsibility.
    Fast forward 30 years and the purchase of a “good” camera, a D90, and the desire to create more than just snaps. The internet has unleased such a wealth of resources to learn things from the very basic exposure triangle to exciting techniques of long exposures and many more. This coupled with the almost instant feed back from digital allow an active mind like mine to run wild.
    I can confidently say that without this tool, I would be still in a program mode, taking photos square on with the pop-up flash.

          Comment by Peter Kirk (Aust) — May 31, 2012 @ 6:56 pm

42. 

    A REAL ESTATE SIGN!!! I was set to photograph a couple so I could later sketch their portrait, we met at their house during the golden hour to take photos on their back veranda overlooking the river. We got talking & before we knew it the sun had set! All I had was (my first digital camera) a DC4800 that’s it nothing else. With no sun we moved inside their lounge room under a halogen down-light. I set the camera into black & white which is all I needed for a sketch (& not have to worry about white balance). Because the halogen light was fixed in the ceiling I couldn’t adjust it’s straight down beam. I wasn’t getting the loop lighting I wanted. I scanned the room looking for something to use to redirect the light when I spotted outside the window, the back (white) side of a 3′ x 6′ “for sale” real estate sign in their front yard. Success! I posed the couple & had them hold one corner of the sign whilst I held the other. I didn’t want to get caught like this again, so this ‘problem’ then started my journey into off-camera flash & not relying on the sun (or house lights) as my only light source.

          Comment by Tony Scott — May 31, 2012 @ 7:02 pm

43. 

    The piece of equipment that had a fundamental impact on my photography is neither plastic or metal, nor does it have superior optical powers and capabilities. Although cheap as a one off purchase, usually a bottle of wine, this equipment is there for life.
    .
    Some of the negatives are;
    They can be temperamental, just like Pocketwizards TTL for Canon,
    Will not work in inclement weather,
    Has a short run time, usually under 10mAH,
    Can loose focus, and erratic at times due to non Image Stabilisation,
    Difficult at times to pack and lug around,
    Will fight when paired with a similar mode, or opposing brand.
    Mismatch in communications at times, and occasionally will not work at all on any channel or mode. Including ETTL and M.
    .
    However the positives are;
    Cheap to run, and recharges on something sweet, usually sugar,
    Just like the BFT, can be easily manipulated, and adjusted,
    Needs no adapters, studs, brackets, and one size fits all, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax,
    Easy to assemble, poke and prod into position,
    Will scream out with blinking highlight alert when over exposed, or running low on power.
    .
    If you haven’t guessed it by now, its my children.
    They are the ones who have helped me in developing and honing my skills as a photographer.
    Have given me the passion, inspiration and admiration for everything in photography, and more so, in life.

    Cheers

    Angelo D’Amico
    Australia.

          Comment by Angelo D'Amico — May 31, 2012 @ 7:05 pm

44. 

    I’m not a pro, nor have I been doing photography for a long time.

    Having said that, the one piece of gear that had the most impact for me was my 5D mark II. I got it second hand and it’s really allowed me more freedom due to it’s high ISO capability.

    I also think that it has some magical quality to the images it produces…many times I can tell a shot that it was used to produce…it’s distinctive.

    Though I love my L lenses and my speedlights and my black foamie thing :)…the 5D2 holds a special place in my heart :)

          Comment by Robert — May 31, 2012 @ 7:17 pm

45. 

    I’m going to channel Kirk Turk here and say EVFs (attached to an Olympus E-M5, in my case). One of the best things about digital photography is being able to see results instantly. One of the worst things is spending too much time staring down at the LCD reviewing what you just shot, instead of remaining engaged with your subject and thinking about what to shoot next. But with an EVF, I can see the results before I take the shot — it’s WYSIWYG for cameras! I now shoot with image review off and rarely feel the need to call it up. Instead of chimping after the fact, I “pre-chimp” (to use Kirk’s phrase). I’m a better photographer for it.

    I fully understand those who don’t like like the feeling of composing by looking at a miniature TV screen — I’m one of them. Even the best EVFs lack the immediacy of a good OVF. That’s no small thing and it kept me from getting an EVF-based camera for a long time. What I discovered upon getting one was that by sacrificing some immediacy in the viewfinder image, I was gaining for myself a more fluid and engaged shooting experience.

    Of course, you can turn off image review on an OVF camera and learn better how to meter the scene to get your desired result the first time — that’s very worthwhile! But being able to do that in principle is very different that doing it in practice. Even those who are adept at getting the shot the first time seem to find it hard to resist looking down at the LCD to review and disengaging from the subject in the process. I certainly do. That’s one of the reasons I find shooting film a refreshing experience — there’s no temptation! — and that forces me to slow down and think more carefully about metering the scene before taking the shot… but at the cost of giving up the instant results that are so appealing in digital photography. EVFs get me closest to having the best of both worlds.

          Comment by ginsbu — May 31, 2012 @ 7:20 pm

46. 

    Honestly, I’m going to have to say my photography changed when my digital Canon Rebel arrived. I was free to take more photos and began receiving instant feed back. It’s also on my Rebel that I learned to shoot manually, talk about a drastic change.

          Comment by Christine David — May 31, 2012 @ 7:28 pm

47. 

    At the risk of sounding redundant, my first pro glass had the biggest impact on me for all the obvious reasons… and one not so obvious.

    The unexpected impact is it showed me what nonsense the “gear doesn’t matter” rhetoric really is. I was shooting higher quality images. Instantly. Gear does make difference. I was happy with my photography again and moving forward.

          Comment by Robert — May 31, 2012 @ 7:57 pm

48. 

    Getting a tripod had a big impact on my photography, as it allowed me to start experimenting with longer exposure photography, particularly sunset and sunrise.

          Comment by Martin — May 31, 2012 @ 8:10 pm

49. 

    Hoo Haw! Hands down . . . the Black Foamy Thing changed everything for me.

    I expect no prize of any kind for this, I’m satisfied with much better images.

    It has changed photography for me! That’s enough for one day.

          Comment by Buddy Brown — May 31, 2012 @ 8:22 pm

50. 

    For me, that piece of gear is the Nikon 80-210 f/4 Series E lens that I got for free from someone’s basement. For a long time, I had only a Nikon D90 (I’ve since gotten a D200 as a spare) and that camera cannot meter with the lens, so I had to shoot completely manually with it while on assignment. Believe it or not, I use it mainly for sports (I’m a shooter for my university newspaper). I’ve shot soccer, basketball, field hockey and track with this lens, and it hasn’t really let me down. From a technical standpoint, the lens leaves something to be desired. Purple fringing is rampant, and without AF I can rarely get a tack sharp image of a player in motion. However, it has rewarded me like no other lens in my small bag. After all, it got me my first cover photo.

    It has forced me to really pay attention to what I am shooting, and taught me that tack sharpness and low noise at 100% isn’t always an indicator of a good picture. Since I will never be able to get a “technically perfect” image with the lens, I put my efforts towards the fundamentals like quality of light and composition. It is the lens I go to when I shoot on the street. I’ve used the newer Nikkor 70-300 VR, and I can’t say that I’ve really fallen in love with it. There is no “magic” in lenses that do it all for you with perfect MTF charts and no flaws. They don’t make you “put your back into it”, and the image suffers as a result. Without any modern conveniences like light metering or autofocus tracking, I can’t think about the coffee waiting for me back home. All I can think about is what is in front of my lens. I’m so proud of the images I’ve shot with that lens, and as I upgrade the rest of my gear, I could never part with this $40 hunk of glass and metal.

          Comment by Hugo Wong — May 31, 2012 @ 8:32 pm

51. 

    Without a doubt, the photography equipment that has had the most impact on my photography are my Paul C. Buff cybersyncs. Learning about taking my flash off the camera and creating images with the ability to use various modifiers and shape light off of my camera has opened a whole new world for me. I am still learning and have used your blog as well as many other resources to learn about moving my modifiers and using creative lighting methods that are not possible to achieve with such success when my flash is on my camera. I, by no means am touting this brand, nor any other brand, I’m simply stating that having the ability to do this has taught me more about light than anything. In addition, I found a vast local community interested in learning and practicing and playing and shaping light off camera. As a result, I have newfound friends in my craft who are interested in learning, trying new ideas, sharing their skills and knowledge. This has enhanced the joy I have found in doing what I love to do with awesome creatives in my area and sharing my resources with others worldwide.

          Comment by Mel Reyes-Abbey — May 31, 2012 @ 9:12 pm

52. 

    The piece of equipment that has had the most positive influence on my photography has to be my computer. Sure, it’s not designated specifically as photographic gear however, just like a light stand, gear bag or soft box, it’s an accessory that provides access to greater creativity. It allows me to check, modify, store and observe images. It also allows me to critique my work, and share it with other, more advanced photographers, who in turn provide their critique. It also opened up the world of the internet, and with it an endless stream of resources and information at my fingertips. It’s how I found this site and others, after all, and my photography has steadily improved ever since. It has become a necessary tool for me, and another piece of equipment in my photography gear bag.

          Comment by Ron — May 31, 2012 @ 9:43 pm

53. 

    The ‘gear’ for me is the internet, specifically forums and this site. Now I read lots of photo sites but this was the first one I followed. Before coming here I didn’t own a flash, I was one of those who thought flash must look like those horrible P&S flash photos. I thought it was a necessary evil and didn’t know you could take natural looking shots with flash.

    In fact it was Neil who helped me decide to get the SB900 over the SB600/800 as were my choices back then. Since then I have moved from on camera to modifiers and bounce cards to off camera to remote triggers and never looked back.

    I can definitely say learning to use flash with the support of online communities did more for my photography than any camera or large-aperture lens ever did. And not just using flash ‘by the numbers’ but being able to look at the output and make adjustments to get what I want.

          Comment by Val — May 31, 2012 @ 10:10 pm

54. 

    The piece of gear that has impacted my photography the most is my Macbook Pro. Because it allows me to access the Tangents blog. I have learned so much from you over the years and I check your page every day. If it’s not just for the lessons and recommendations, it’s also the amazing inspiration that I get from you every day! The content is always well-written and approachable. It is always accompanied by a great shot that you captured and it’s just awesome! Thank you so much for doing what you do and allowing each and every one of us to grow and learn every day. We all are very grateful!

    Cheers,
    Chris

          Comment by Chris — May 31, 2012 @ 10:38 pm

55. 

    My flash! Buying a flash and learning bounce technique has allowed me to get results like this:

    http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.379894808713460.75560.149628251740118&type=3
    In those pics the flash was either bounced off walls or off a reflector.

    I no longer call myself one of those ‘natural light photographers’. We all know that is usually code for ‘I have no idea how to use a flash’! haha!

    I have embarrassing equipment – Canon 400D (gasp! try to keep reading from where you just landed on the floor!) and I recently bought a Nissin brand flash to learn how to use a flash, and wow did my photos improve! Improvements like that are exciting to me! I’ve been on a steep learning curve and I have to squeeze the goona out of my gear to get decent results. Whatever a goona is. I just know it makes me practice hard!

    I’m dying to get a professional camera and flash soon because my learning curve has brought me to the point where I need one. I’d choose the Nikon to go with my future camera :)

    Good luck to everyone who has posted a comment.

          Comment by Jo — May 31, 2012 @ 10:55 pm

56. 

    My first 50mm 1.8f prime on my nikon d60 was my turning point in photography. Not only did it open up a new world but made me move and try out new angles. It did not auto focus on the D60, so I had to step out of my comfort zone and manually focus. It was the best thing that happened to me and the photos I take!

          Comment by aparna — May 31, 2012 @ 11:00 pm

57. 

    Since I mostly take landscape photos, I would have to say that the photo gear that has the most fundamental impact on my photography is a good tripod head such as the Manfrotto 496RC2 ball head that I currently use. Most landscape photos are captured during sunrise or sunset (or even at night) hours, a longer exposure is almost always the norms. In order to get sharp images in such situations, being able to hold the camera still and avoid camera shake/movement is a must. Without a good tripod head, no matter how good your camera body or your lens are, the resulting image might still be blurry. Comparing the cost/value of a tripod head to those pro-grade lenses, it is the best investment I have made to obtain sharp pictures! While the tripod legs are an integral part of the system, I thought the tripod head still has the most impact in stabilizing the camera especially if you have heavier lens attached. Cheaper tripod head might creep or wobble causing minor movements during or in bracket shots.

    I particularly like the Manfrotto 496RC2 for its ease of use, stability and durability. The ballhead really allows me to quickly compose a shot. The friction knob is also very helpful when doing minor adjustment. It has serve me very well in all weather conditions. By far my best “L” or “pro” equipment in my bag!

          Comment by Wilson Ng — May 31, 2012 @ 11:14 pm

58. 

    I would have to say the Straight 33? Cord for Nikon ITTL from OCF. It has changed me as a photographer, all for less than $100. I can put my SB800 off camera and it will work 100% of the time. I didn’t have to spend $$$ on radio triggers or have to worry about CLS not working in bright sun. I used to be one of those “I only shoot available light photos.” Not any more. My photography just changed big time and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. Love your blog, keep up the great work.

    –Micah

          Comment by Micah — May 31, 2012 @ 11:44 pm

59. 

    For me, it would definitely be the Cokin filter kit I bought early on.
    Landscapes and Seascapes took on a whole new dimension. My hard grad ND’s have become an important part of my kit.
    They slow me down, which with my propensity to rush is a good thing.
    It was really my first step towards working hard to get things right in-camera so I didn’t have to work so hard in-computer.

    Jon.

          Comment by Jon — June 1, 2012 @ 2:23 am

60. 

    PocketWizard AC3 ZoneController: Wow!! This is an amazing little device. When combined with the PocketWizard Mini TT1 & Flex TT5 it really gives you freedom. No more running to your remote flashes.

          Comment by MvH — June 1, 2012 @ 2:30 am

61. 

    A defective Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens: It taught me to use exposure compensation on a camera.

    The lens had a severe under exposure problem, but I realised that by adjusting the EV on the camera, I could “fix” the problem immediately. It was too much hassle to return the lens.

    Before using this defective lens, I seldom changed the EV on the camera. Using this defective lens, taught me to use the EV function and histograms on the camera.

    I got it fixed: The aperture controller of this lens was defective.

    You just need to use your equipment and work round it’s limitations and problems.

          Comment by MvH — June 1, 2012 @ 2:53 am

62. 

    Neil, thank you for your excellent blog and wonderful teaching which has greatly helped me.
    My smart phone has made the most fundamental photographic impact for me. With it, I am able to store samples of poses I like which helps me make more interesting portraits. It’s map guides me to the photographic location I am headed to. I am able to look up hard-to-find camera settings because my DSLR manual is stored on my phone. It serves as a depth-of-field calculator when I am trying to experiment and find new creative ways to focus. The screen serves as an extra directional light source to assist in lighting my subject in low light settings especially for macrophotography. I am able to instantly show pictures I have taken to my family and friends. Lastly, it is a camera during times when I don’t have my DSLR nearby. It is always with me and that makes it indispensable.

    Ramiz

          Comment by Ramiz — June 1, 2012 @ 2:58 am

63. 

    My first flashgun a Canon 430ex, computer and internet and both the tangents blog and strobist website would have a profound impact on influencing my photography.Keep up the good work Neil you’ve helped in teaching me all I know.

          Comment by Pat Sheerin — June 1, 2012 @ 3:03 am

64. 

    I think it was a Kodak film camera with a large flash on the top which used replaceable one shot bulbs. I had this with me at a scout camp and I was watching smoke curl through the trees from our fire which I thought would make a nice photo. Then I saw the light flowing through the smoke and had a ‘ha-ha’ moment, and realised photography was about seeing the light. That camera led me on to building a home darkroom for black and white processing and eventually to my Canon 5Dmark11 and all the kit, including a studio, which I have today. And the strange thing is, the light still behaves in the same way today as it did 50 years ago when I was a teenager – you can’t change the laws of physics and the sophisticated gear still needs the benefit of those lessons I learned with my simple Kodak box.

          Comment by Charles Mercer — June 1, 2012 @ 3:11 am

65. 

    For me, the most important and influential piece of kit I ever owned was my old Rollie 35 LED compact camera. It was given to me by an elderly relative while I was still at school as a teenager. My Aunt knew I was into photography and wanted me to move forward in my career.
    I already owned a camera, a Zenith 11 slr, but my Great Aunt, who was herself a professional photographer in the 1950s, knew I wasnt happy with it as it had too many limitations and the glass was extremely poor. The Rollei is tiny, well compared to other cameras of the era, and had a brilliantly sharp lens which could compete with more expensive glass even wide open. I fell in love with the camera and used it relentlessly during my early days in photography.
    The biggest advantage the camera gave me though was the fact that I could use flash at any shutter speed. The Rollei has a leaf shutter which synchs up to 500th of a second which made controlling flash so much easier than using the 30th sec on my old Zenith. My Aunt had also given me an old Metz 402 flashgun, but had deliberately not given me the bracket to attach it to a camera( not that it would have fitted the Rollei anyway) and she told me that I didn’t need it anyway, as it was always better to use a flash off camera… Without realising it, she had started me off using off-camera flash, way before the ‘strobist’ revolution came along. I used bodge tape to mount the 402 onto an old tripod and wired up a simple cable to trigger it from the camera and I was away. I shot everything using flash and created a really interesting portfolio of images that eventually got me my first job on a paper. Which then led onto an 18 year career as a military photographer and now I have my own studio and have won many awards for my work.
    I still have that old Rollei. I still use it, once in a while, and I still remember the day my Aunt gave it to me. I will always keep that camera to remind me of her and what she did for me.

          Comment by Paul Saxby — June 1, 2012 @ 3:14 am

66. 

    Ok, this is a no-brainer.

    The piece of equipement that completely changed my photographic life is my camera bag. The lowepro passport sling.

    This bag is the piece of equipement that single-handedly moved me out of the “guy with a DSLR” zone into the “amateur photographer” zone. It helped me take the major step, the step where most people fail.

    It made me go out and take pictures. Hundreds. All the time.

    It made me take my camera to places where I would never have taken it if I had thought about it.

    But I don’t think about it. That bag is my bag. my normal bag. I have it with me at all time. And it has my camera in it.

    Why ? because this bag is just perfect for “one afternoon urban walk”. When I started photographing, I could fit in it my DSLR+kit zoom+ everything I usually take with me when walking around (wallet, sweater, keys etc…) I

    * It doesn’t look like a camera bag. I am not afraid of being spotted as transporting valuable gear
    * It looks good, not like most camera bags
    * It has the perfect size. small enough to not weight a ton, large enough to fit your essential gear
    * the foldable expansion is just genius. I can take my bag not just when I go out for a walk, but also when I have something a bit larger to carry with me.(typically a bottle of wine when visiting some friends, sweater, raincoat…)

    Nowdays I have improved my kit a bit, and I typically carry with me in the bag
    * D90+ 16-85
    * SB900
    * 50mm 1.8
    * gorrillapod with cold shoe mounted on top (fast flash-on-a-stick)
    * inflatable softbox
    And I can still fit my few extras (wallets, keys) and that’s without the expansion space.

    But yes. It literally changed my life by taking the camera out of the drawer and into my hands. I cannot recommand it enough.

    I just realize that it’s also the reason I never take pictures with mi phone… Why would I, I always have my camera with me…

    This is the piece of gear you need if you want to improve. Something that will leave you no excuse for not having your camera with you

    Changed my life as a photographer is the best way to describe it. Everything else (50mm, remote flash) was just a consequence of buying this bag. That bag made me a photographer, and i’ll never thank it enough for that.

          Comment by Boucman — June 1, 2012 @ 4:05 am

67. 

    To put it simply, a camera. When I picked up a camera, it felt so right. I love using any camera, it doesn’t matter what type – digital P&S, digital SLR, 35mm, 120 Hasselblad, toy camera. Anything.

          Comment by Andrew Spiers — June 1, 2012 @ 5:06 am

68. 

    A second-hand Sekonic selenium light meter was my most influential piece of equipment. It came in a beautiful old, scuffed, black leather case and needed no batteries. I dragged it out to meter for every shot I took with Kodachrome or Porta 160. It just brought all the aspects of exposure together and taught me a lot.

          Comment by Jim Schofield — June 1, 2012 @ 5:31 am

69. 

    My first digital point and shoot had the single biggest impact on my photography. It was a 4mp Sony purchased in 2002(?). This camera brought me back into photography. Suddenly, I could experiment to my hearts content and finally start understanding the photography concepts I knew intellectually but not practically. It wasn’t long after that when I bought a D70 and the lack of shutter lag allowed me to really go to town developing my understanding, skills and style. While other pieces have had a big impact and been favourite tools (A Mac mini and Lightroom Beta in 2006, 70-200 2.8, and my D3s), nothing comes anywhere near as close as those first two digital cameras.

          Comment by Michael — June 1, 2012 @ 7:10 am

70. 

    The piece of photo gear that had the most impact in my photography is my Kata backpack, after i gave it away…

    I had a dream of travelling the world and capturing photos of grand locations, different traditions and exotic culture of people. I collected prime & telephoto lenses(which includes a 500mm), the biggest lense i could afford), lighting equipments, tripod & monopod, I even bought the biggest backpack I could find to put everything in. But every time I go shooting with my backpack full of gear, I noticed that i spend more time organizing my bag and checking my gear rather than taking pictures. It’s not until i started going on shoots with only a camera with a single lense that i was able to capture great images from different angles. I could jump, run, duck and roll on the ground. In a way, the gears that i thought would help me capture great images was actually what’s holding me back. By getting rid of the gears that are not important I was more free to think, compose and create images. I’m sure that all the gear I’ve bought has it’s uses but not all at the same time…

    (I am also joining in from the UK, I’ve been following your blog for awhile and hope to attend your seminar if you will have one here ^^)

          Comment by marvin velando — June 1, 2012 @ 7:17 am

71. 

    While not strictly “equipment”, the Dave Hobby’s first Strobist DVD collection not only changed my photography completely – it changed my life.

    I knew *nothing* about off-camera flash before I watched this video. A friend kept telling me I wasn’t going to take my photography to the next level until I learned off-camera flash. I kept not listening to him. Finally he convinced me and pointed me to the Strobist web site. The DVDs had just come out, so I bought them. I’ve never looked back.

    I now spend all of my free time (and most of my money :-) doing off-camera flash based photography. I love it and I can’t get enough. And that lead me to finding Neil’s site which is why I’m reading it daily.

    So I guess, if you need it to be equipment, it was my cheap shoot through umbrella + cheap stand + cheap flash + Cactus triggers that launched my real photographic journey. (Of course I’ve upgraded them all at this point, but it was the DVDs that did it).

          Comment by Art — June 1, 2012 @ 9:08 am

72. 

    What piece of photo gear had the most impact on my photography? That’s easy. It was a Gray Card. More specifically it was 1/4 of a gray card. Many years ago, while still learning the basics of photography, I often had exposure issues with my pictures (back then I didn’t create images or shoot photographs, I took pictures). After reading about a gray card and what it does, and the fact that all reflected light meters and calibrated to it, I had a great idea. I bought a 8″x10″ Gray Card, cut it into quarters, and stuck the resulting 4″x5″ piece in by camera bag (and cut to that size it fit perfect in my back pocket). When I was out shooting I would simply meter off the Gray Card, think a second about shutter speed and aperture options and effects, set my camera for that reading and shoot. I learned to compare light ratios (lit side of the subject vs. shadowed side of the subject). And that led to learning about the exposure range of the film I was shooting, and how to keep the details in either the shadows or highlights. I learned that sunlight and shadow where I was standing was the same sunlight and shadow striking the car ten feet away or striking the mountaintops 50 miles away. Shooting indoors I learned the Inverse Square Law (actually I learned that someone sitting on the couch right next to the lamp got a lot more light than someone sitting in a chair ten feet away from the lamp).

    Using that Gray Card taught me how to really see the light that was in my images. And mastering the light is probably one of the most important lessons a photographer can learn.

          Comment by John B — June 1, 2012 @ 10:28 am

73. 

    Hi Neil, great blog! I’ve been a reader here and of your books for years. Thank you for all you offer to the photographic community!

    Without a doubt, the gear that had the biggest impact on my photography was the RadioPopper P1′s (and later the PX’s). Getting the flash off-camera with reliability allowed my creativity to explode! Canon’s built-in remote capability of the 580ex/580exII was barely usable. With the RadioPoppers I’m able to position flashes where I want them to get the desired look. The RadioPoppers allow me to create the mood, shape and dimension I see in my mind’s eye.

    While there is a lot that can be accomplished with flash on-camera (as shown in your extremely helpful book “On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography”), being able to position the flash off-camera has been a game-changer for me.

    Thanks!

          Comment by Russ Goos — June 1, 2012 @ 11:03 am

74. 

    I have learned a lot about photography in the last year, or myself as a photographer I must say. But the single piece of equipment that had an impact on my photography was my Cannon L- series 24-105 mm. To have a quality lens, made a difference in my photography. It was the first L-series I owned, I didn’t stop there with investing in my equipment- but it was my first. And I want to say thanks to Neil for this site and his books, I am mostly a natural light photographer, but all your information here on this site, made me not afraid to use my flash either. I hope to attend one of your workshops one of these days!

          Comment by Katie Sullivan — June 1, 2012 @ 11:07 am

75. 

    Ummmm! Three tennis balls. I cut an “X” into each one and this enables me to slip them onto each tripod leg. I shoot a lot on sandy beaches and other places which are unfriendly from an equipment point of view. They provide stability and a certain amount of protection from the gritty and wet stuff. I won’t tell you of the strange looks I get from some folk, but hey, what the hell.

          Comment by Peter Durk — June 1, 2012 @ 11:28 am

76. 

    I would say that my SB900 speedlight is the piece of gear that has most changed my photography. Or I should say that learning to use my SB900 speedlight most changed my photography. I still shoot primarily available light, but not only has mastering my speedlight made me feel confident that I could create a portrait under whatever lighting situation I may find, it has most importantly helped me to gain a better understand of all light. Being able to play with the placement of my light source (either as a bounce flash with the BFT or off-camera), to move it around and observe how it’s direction or it’s balance with the available light changes the look and feel of my subject, has made me more aware of light in general. It has made me more able to “see” the quality of the available light.

    I used to be one of those photographers that would say “I shoot only available light.” Which really meant “I don’t know how to control my flash and I am scared of it” Now I am a photographer who says “I shoot primarily with available light” but I have the skills to overcome problems when available light is not beautiful light!

          Comment by Wendy M — June 1, 2012 @ 11:41 am

77. 

    For me this has to be Lightroom. It is so simple to use and immediatly enables your photos to “pop” with minimal time. I can make my photos look even better within 1-2 minutes rather than hours in photoshop (which has a definite purpose).

    Using Lightroom changed my perception once I began to shoot more and this began to help me see the photos more creativly and helped me think outside of the typical box. I know it doesnt directly impact your actual photo and it is not gear that enables on-site photography, but for me it began to help me think more creativly and learn to adjust lighting better though my camera!

          Comment by Steve — June 1, 2012 @ 12:06 pm

78. 

    Having my Nikon D90 rig stolen was a huge turning point for my photography. i had to fallback to my D70 with the kit 18-55 lens after having gotten used to the low ISO performance of the d90+50 1.4. While i was saving up for a replacement body that would satisfy my standards for a good image, i had purchased a cheap YN560 full manual flash because available light and my gear just wasn’t making me happy any more. I also had to develop my composition and lighting skills, basically redoing my entire shooting style until i saved up enough money for another low ISO/1.4 lens rig.

    It was a huge learning experience and by the time I put together funds for a d7000/50mm1.4 again, all the additional skills i learned while “slumming it” took me to a new level. Since then, I have developed my photographic “style” which comes to show that oftentimes, bad things that happen to us only make use find more creative ways to compensate until things start looking good again.

          Comment by Benjamin Goco — June 1, 2012 @ 12:59 pm

79. 

    i would have to say the day i went from film to digital was my greatest gear change.
    i moved to Belize in ’98 with a Nikon N90 and a bag of lens. soon i found out what i was up against here in regards to film and processing, only outdated Kodak gold and primitive processing. i got discouraged and but my stuff on the shelf.
    around ’00 we got internet service and i discovered i could now get a dslr and keep my lens and flash!
    i was unaware.
    so i ordered up a nikon D100.
    after shipping my lens to a repair shop to remove mold from the insides, i was fully digital now.
    with film i was not able to experiment with much as i could not afford film and processing that much. but digital all but leveled out the learning curve for me.
    i fell the first year with the D100 i learned more than i had in the previous 20 years with film!
    so for me i will say it was the D100 that influenced me the most.
    but i must also mention all the blogs and photo sites that i have now found, your included, have been a tremendous source of help! especially with off camera flash. and i thank you for that!

          Comment by bill taylor — June 1, 2012 @ 1:22 pm

80. 

    Gonna have to say that the first SLR I ever owned, a Pentax K1000, is it for me. I learned to love photography with that camera. Manual focus, manual film advance, manual everything! I learned about composition, the sunny f16 rule and many other things with that camera. I had a 35mm lens and a longer zoom and figured out on my own how to make the best use of both of them. That camera just felt right in my hands. When I made the switch to digital I was already a Canon guy (EOS 650) so that’s where I am today but I certainly miss that old Pentax….The K1000 opened the world of image making to me and started a lifelong passion in me and I am forever grateful!

          Comment by dave duzy — June 1, 2012 @ 1:35 pm

81. 

    What perfect timing for me to find your blog and contest!!! I just had the “a-ha moment” (as Oprah would say) last week when I shot my 1st teenager and used off camera flash for the 1st time on a client. LOVE does not say enough!!! It’s the look I’ve been wanting so badly! I used my shoot through umbrella which is a little small but gave me awesome results (see 1st pic on my website).
    So in short..my umbrella showed me my true potential as a photographer and I am so excited to learn more and practice more!!

          Comment by Rachel Leib — June 1, 2012 @ 2:29 pm

82. 

    I like prime lens :

    So cheap 50 1/8 and then
    no so cheap 85 1/4

    were those pieces of equipment that “had a fundamental impact” on my photography

    Cheers and Big Thanks , Neil
    Alex.

          Comment by Alex Keselman — June 1, 2012 @ 4:02 pm

83. 

    Like most here, It is difficult to state the piece of equipment that had the most impact on my photography. An obvious choice would be my first camera, an Olympus OM-2n whose lens cap has been waiting in the lost city of Machu Picchu, Peru since the early 80s for a future archaeologist to ponder over it’s discovery. While certainly credited for igniting my interest, alas not the piece of kit with the greatest impact.

    Searching through the mental archives of gear some items do stand out, such as the SC-17 TTL sync cord that got my SB-24 off my n8008s camera in the nineties certainly can be credited for my love and continued exploration of what is referred to today as the “Strobist way”. Again though, not the most impact.

    Narrowing it down huge credit has to go to the Mamya RZ67. No meter, no prism, no frills medium format camera that really forced me to slooooow down. 10 frames to a 120 roll is all you get, choose wisely what you shoot and when you trip the shutter. The huge, bright viewfinder and fantastic prime lenses that must be focused via bellows is a visceral and deeply psychologically pleasing experience to shoot. I can still feel the “Clunk” of that massive mirror in my bones today. Coupled with a glorious film live Fuji Velvia 50 and the patients to craft a shot and your photography will improve. The only problem, it sits unused waiting patiently for my return. (Someday my friend, be patient as there is a reasonably fresh box of 120 Fuji in the fridge, sigh)

    The folks that talk about the software have a point to which I largely concur. The graduate filter in Lightroom has changed my life. No doubt about it.

    Ultimately I have to agree with the suggestion of the Internt. Without a doubt it has had the greatest impact on my photography. What gear I buy, what techniques I try, how I get help, the connections I’ve made with people around the world, the never ending supply of pictures of unnecessarily attractive women whose pictures need study, the benefits of having my work critiqued by others who share my passion. Sites like Flickr and 500px, where I’m still too nervous to post anything to since the quality is so high, are tremendous resources to inspire, inform and share. Mostly though, the number of photographers who’s blogs server as a constant education has sustained and propelled my enjoyment of this art form.

    So the short answer is the internet since without it I wouldn’t be able to take great comfort in knowing that Joe McNally often captures pictures just as mediocre as me.(He gets really good ones too just with a bit more regularity. -Sigh)

          Comment by Joshua Lynn — June 1, 2012 @ 4:31 pm

84. 

    If I said my first SLR camera, or my first piece of good glass, or my external flash and studio lights, it would all be technically true; they have all impacted my photography and allowed me to make better quality pictures.

    But for me, signing up for my first photography class in college taught me to see differently. To not just notice one thing in your viewfinder but to see everything that is happening in your frame. And to see light. And moments. And waiting, persistence and patience for the moment to occur.

    The best piece of photographic equipment? Your eyes and how you see.

          Comment by Tova — June 1, 2012 @ 7:04 pm

85. 

    A great friend of mine gave me a Canonet QL17 rangefinder a couple years ago. This one piece of kit completely redefined how I shoot and how I see. Learning to use a rangefinder with high contrast B&W film has taught me more about the craft of photography than anything else. One lens, one focal length, manual controls on rings around the lens, busted internal meter, no motor drive. This camera is always at my side.

          Comment by Gary Kurtz — June 1, 2012 @ 8:05 pm

86. 

    I am going out on a tangent here (pun intended) but the greatest tool in my eyes that has changed my skill set is the iPhone, whoa! now hear me out. Not only is it a camera but it is also a valuable resource with keeping up on emails, contacts, internet reference, and repository for photo ideas in the camera roll. I’m no apple fanboy but lets get serious, it is just another tool in the camera bag. My favorite use is taking photos on the phone and having a geo tagged reference of where my favorite spots and backdrops are, and of course lets not forget that it is a camera with over 25 photo apps alone on mine, it does take some pretty sweet photos as well that can instantly be uploaded to my website or facebook in a blink of an eye! In conclusion I really couldn’t run a photography job without one.

          Comment by Richard Harris — June 1, 2012 @ 8:49 pm

87. 

    Oh for sure it was the nifty fifty! I’m talking the cheap canon 50 1.8. changed my pictures immediately, for a bargain price. before that, I was a mom with a camera. With this lens, I found my creativity, found low light, found depth of field, began to get in peoples faces, began to move myself to compose a shot. If don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t pick up this lens. – Andrea

          Comment by Andrea — June 1, 2012 @ 10:01 pm

88. 

    My most important piece of photography gear is a very basic one – my second hand film SLR.

    I had technically been taking photographs for years on the family’s point-and-shoot. As time went on, there was the odd hint that I may be interested in more than snapshots. I went out of my way to stop in cities and take hundreds of pictures of their downtown cores – skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes. This was motivated more by the architecture, and cataloging it, than the photos. In doing this, however, I slowly found myself thinking more about what I was shooting, and eventually tricking my auto-exposure into giving me what I wanted.

    On an unrelated note (or so I thought), animated film-making was a significant hobby of mine. Although I liked all aspects of it, I always ended up gravitating towards the cinematography. More so than the writing or editing, I found myself reading textbooks, studying the visuals in film, and making elaborate storyboards.

    The real turning point, at which I combined my love of visual storytelling with still photography, was when I unearthed my dad’s old film SLR. Dating back to his journalism days, it was a manual Pentax K1000 with a 50mm lens – about as simplified and do-it-yourself as they come. Its age showed in the grain on the lens, the missing lens cap, and most clearly through the characteristic brown stain, likely either coffee or mud (considering his stories, either is equally possible). Not to mention, if I needed to defend myself from a bear, the cast iron body was deadly heavy. As soon as I found it, I knew the time to give real photography a go had arrived.

    With a brief explanation from my dad (who was always a writer first, photojournalist second) and some cheap colour film (sadly, I was not able to find black-and-white to complete the classic approach) I set off. For the first time, I was having to adjust aperture, shutter speed, and focus before releasing the shutter. I definitely remember looking through the viewfinder while changing my aperture and wondering why the heck my focus stayed the same. Despite a frustrating film jam that resulted in opening up the back and losing my first frames, I went back out and shot them over again. My rolls of film steadily improved and I learned how to interpret my meter and compose better to avoid that “If only I had…” feeling.

    Eventually, I was comfortable enough with the settings and that fixed lens that I could handle most of what came my way. Without finding that old thing in storage, it’s entirely possible I never would have gotten into serious photography to begin with.

    I wanted to write this post about my shiny DSLR for all that it had done for me, until I realized it mostly made easier and more customizable the things I had already gained from film – such as manual settings/focus, viewfinder framing, and even the satisfying slap of the shutter curtain. At the end of the day, that old bare bones SLR camera and fixed lens is what started the path to where I am today, and even though I no longer use it much, I’ll always love that simple, trusty old thing, mudstains and all.

          Comment by Dylan — June 1, 2012 @ 10:47 pm

89. 

    The piece of gear that had the most fundamental impact on my photography has to be, without a doubt, my first digital SLR, a Canon 10D, in 2003. Until that point I’d always been a film shooter; I was even a snob about it! Now I think of film as just another 4-letter word. My photography had always been something of a hobby until I got my 10D; after that, it became my profession. I shot my first 5 weddings with that 10D, a 28-135mm Canon lens, and a 550EX Canon flash. No backup bodies, lenses, or flashes.
    Since that purchase, 9 years ago, I’ve moved on to professional, full-frame bodies and lenses, and have just purchased three of the new Canon 600EX-RT speedlights. However, none of the gear I’ve bought matches up to the delight and joy I discovered in owning my first digital SLR. My creativity increased significantly as a result of the instant feedback I was able to receive via the 10D’s LCD screen, and not worrying about the cost of film (or choosing the appropriate ISO) was equally instrumental in allowing me to just shoot away, learning and adapting all the time.
    I’ve just handed one of my 5D classics to my stepson, as he’s been bugging me about becoming my full time 2nd shooter, and I see the same cycle of ‘digital awareness’ go through him that I experienced. Watching him learn his way around a completely new system brings me back to my 10D, and I’m glad this contest has been posted at this time; if I win I’ll give him the 430EXII for sure!

          Comment by photomatte — June 2, 2012 @ 12:01 am

90. 

    I have been using some photo gears, from ‘ancient’ Konica Minolta dimage z1 to the more ‘modern’ one, such as Sony a200 and from P&S/cameraphone to DSLR.

    It surprised me when I found out that the best photo gear is neither the one which has the highest price tag nor the one which has the most advanced features. I am not saying that we must use the cheapest gear to get a good picture but what I am trying to say is that there are more important factors than price tag in creating a good picture.

    Firstly, I think the best photo gear is the one which can help me transforming my imagination to reality.

    Secondly, the best photo gear is the one which I understand inside out. I understand its strengths and weaknesses and use them (strengths and weaknesses) to my advantage to get good pictures.

    Thirdly, I always think that the best photo gear is the one available in your hand when you need it.

    -

    just another thought:

    IMHO, photographer is like a musician.

    I remember a story of my friend:

    One day, my friend, a jazz guitarist was given a cheap guitar which no matter how hard you tuned the strings (6 of them), you could only have 3 strings in tune and the rest were out of tune. But, since my friend was a ‘master’ who understood the limitation of this cheap guitar, he decided to make the best of this cheap guitar and played the entire song with only 3 strings in tune.

    The audience really liked his performance and later, the audience found out that he played the song with 3 strings because of the limitation of the guitar. The audience was more amazed and could not believe that the song they just heard was played by using 3 strings.

    So, in the beginning, the audience was amazed only by his music / performance and later, they were more amazed when they knew that my friend played the entire song with only 3 strings.

    Just like my musician friend, as a photographer, it is our hope that our clients are happy with our pictures and as a bonus, our clients are free to be more amazed when they find out that we only used ‘3 strings’ when we created our pictures.

    -

    Ivan
    (My ‘best photo gear’ (at the moment): Sony a200 and KM 35-105 (old) and Lightroom 3 and of course, my ‘ancient’ KM Z1)

          Comment by Ivan — June 2, 2012 @ 7:21 am

91. 

    Well…The piece of gear that had the most impact on my photography was…Tobi, my dog. It’s a great piece of gear that let you take her photos, without whining.again and again and again until you’re happy with the results.
    When I arrived to South Africa, I didn’t know anyone except my wife (who didn’t allow me to take her photos). So I had to practice somehow. And Tobi gave me the opportunity to become a better photographer.

          Comment by David Lahav — June 2, 2012 @ 9:09 am

92. 

    The equipment with the biggest impact for me consists of several items: 1. Pocket wizard plus (2)- I wish I had one more, but I have learned and produced so much work being able to create images with the freedom of moving lights. 2. My iPad. I can keep up on blogs, continue learning and being inspired. 3. The light saber. Not that I purchased one, but having been inspired by it, I created my DIY version and used it quite a bit.
    Thanks for a great blog.

          Comment by Robb mckindles — June 2, 2012 @ 11:44 am

93. 

    So this might be completely off-base but the piece of equipment that has changed my photography more than anything isn’t actually a part of my camera at all…its my computer. Coupled with professional-grade photo editing software and the internet my photo skills steadily increase and not just incrementally. I have the ability to manipulate and change photos at will and re-edit and re-process old photos to get better results. The intenet allows me to peruse useful forums and tutorials not unlike this site to help me improve and become inspired. If anything, I think that quality research on the internet and lots of practice has helped me become the photographer that I am today. I know its a simple and maybe somewhat of a catch-all answer but I cannot refute how useful it has been to me.

          Comment by Jeff Hill — June 2, 2012 @ 1:29 pm

94. 

    Most impact: e-TTL spiral cable of 2 meter length

    I am not a pro. With the company I work for, we went on an indoor carting event. Very bad luminance light, quite dark with some color spots switching on and off to give it a little atmosphere. And, of course, carts racing high speed over the track. A nightmare to photograph, but I decided to give it a try.

    I decided to use low shutter speed and high ISO because of the low light, a flash to still the carts, panning to limit the motion blur and second curtain to assure the motion blur was behind the flashed still (first curtain would suggest backwards motion).

    To avoid flat lighting, spoiling the atmosphere, I took an old video monopod of the ’70s that I bought for less than 5 euro at flee market, mounted the flash with the e-TTL cable, extended it and swung it over the cart track with one hand. With the other hand, I held the camera, looking through the viewfinder, panning and shooting.

    With the e-TTL cable I was able to shoot with automatic exposure, with flash coming from a different direction (where you can’t put a light stand), but most of it: at low cost.

    Unfortunately, my e-TTL was stolen from my backpack while I was shooting street photographs in a crowded shopping center. I am missing my precious e-TTL cable. But I am so upset that it was stolen from my bag while I was photographing that I not even have replaced it yet…

    How did this impact my photography?
    I have become very cautious with my gear during crowded events… No other piece of gear as had a more fundamental impact on my photography.

          Comment by Frank — June 2, 2012 @ 3:15 pm

95. 

    For me, as a photographer just starting out, I’d have to say the Internet, and what ever device I can view it on.
    Not only is there a ton of websites, such as this one, with insightful tips and information, but an incredible wealth of photography and images posted, on which to draw inspiration form. For me, it’s been the chance to see an abundance of images then learn a new technique or two which gets me fired up and out shooting photos.

          Comment by D. Allan — June 2, 2012 @ 3:36 pm

96. 

    Neil,
    This wonderful and exciting passion we call photography can be a truly expensive way to express your creativity; that’s for sure. I have spent thousands of ££ over the years, buying and then upgrading kit. However, after purchasing and reading your off camera flash book, excellent I hasten to add, I have the on camera one too,(extra points for the plugs I hope! lol)I needed to test what I had learned.
    Anyway, I duly went on line to buy the Nikon Pocket Wizards but stopped myself. £500 to try out off camera flash?? I not a pro so for once in my life I decided to go a cheaper route and bought a cheap softbox and the Cactus V5 radio triggers at about £70 for the lot. What a bargain! It has opened my eyes to the benefits of off camera flash and has made me realise I can take stylish, quality portraits anywhere, just like the pro’s after all!!(Forgive my boasting, but that’s how it made me feel). They are so reliable and so easy to use – TTL… er nope, hi-speed sync..er nope. These little things are just manual and as a consequence force you to use manual flash. This has slowed me down a little but this is good thing. The extra time taught me a lot about how light falls and reflects, importance of shadows etc etc.. All in all it gave me a big boost in confidence with my photography. As an aside it also reminded me of a long forgotten valuable lesson – a bit too late to help my dwindling bank balance though – and that’s you don’t always need expensive kit to take great photographs.

          Comment by Steve Shepherd — June 2, 2012 @ 3:41 pm

97. 

    I’m going to skip over the Kodak Duaflex with which my Kodak-engineer dad got me started in photography in the ’50s and jump to my first use of good quality wide-aperture prime lenses (about six years ago). That would be the
    Pentax SMCP-FA 50 mm F/1.4 AF (on my first dSLR, Pentax K100D), and then the Canon 85mm 1.8 and 135mm 2.0 L (both of which I rented, fell in love with, and eventually bought).

    The obvious things to say about lenses with wide apertures and nice bokeh are that they let you shoot in low light and that they provide a special way to let the subject pop out from the background. But at least some % of shots have something more than that, something I’ll call “magical” — and I think it has to do with placing the subject’s surroundings somewhere in a continuum between “realistic” and “dreamlike” … which maybe leaves the viewer to puzzle over visual questions like “where is this?” and “what’s the subject’s relationship to this context?” or “what is it about this context and situation that has evoked the expression we’re seeing?”

          Comment by Duane Dale — June 2, 2012 @ 4:15 pm

98. 

    Even though I rarely touch it now, my Nikon 70-300 lens changed not just my photography, but my life. With the reach it provided, paired with my little D40, it let me get to the images I wanted before my presence had an impact on the people I was shooting.

    It let me become invisible in my street photography; an observer, rather than a participant. A finder of moments and a light-hunter.

    It changed what I understood photography to be – not just “taking a picture”, but a penetrating view into something beautiful and intimate. It made me hungry for more, and has led me to become a wedding photographer today with a very sensitive, candid style… the ultimate opportunity to find and capture magical, personal bits of light and color and soul.

    I need to be able to work in less light now, so it’s a 70-200 at the end of my D3s. Thankfully, over the course of a wedding I can become part of the background to observe and capture, even without that 450mm equivalent reach. But that was the lens that taught me that a photo could penetrate beyond what’s there for everyone to see, if only I could learn to see it myself and share it with them.

          Comment by Darryl — June 2, 2012 @ 6:22 pm

99. 

    I was cruising the internet one day when I happened upon super.nova.org. This is a blog on lighting and portrait photography and one section was devoted to using a white towel for getting a proper exposure. By using your camera histogram and taking a picture of a white towel in the light that you want to photograph in, you reach proper exposure when you have placed the white tonality of the towel just shy of the right side of the histogram. If white is properly exposed, then it follows that every other tonality will also be properly placed on the histogram and therefore properly exposed. You can also use it to set the proper ratio for multiple lighting sources such as fill and rim. No need for an expensive light meter.

    Additionally, I use it to set white balance. You can set white balance without buying those expensive gray cards or White balance filters that need to be purchased for every lens size. Cost of my towel is $1.50 at the Dollar Store and it is small and portable. I usually carry it looped through my belt.

    The revelation was that in addition to white being a tonality, it is also a colour and if you can place one colour in its proper place on the histogram, every other colour must also be in its rightful place { exposure }.

    I know that you use the brides white dress to get a proper exposure in exactly the same way. I also notice that your models are wearing a white blouse on occasion, probably for the same reason.

    Understanding how to use the histogram via the white towel has certainly been one of the most important and productive pieces of gear that have improved my photography.

          Comment by Gene — June 2, 2012 @ 9:28 pm

100. 

     Hmmm…. such a difficult question to answer! There are more than a few potential fundamental ‘gears’ that I can say made the most impact. Was it the switch to full-frame? My first flash? My mind searches back to when things began…

     Do I go with the D200? It’s the first DSLR I purchased and started learning this craft with. Or do I go with the D300; the big upgrade, back then anyway, to my D200. The D300 was the first camera I used starting out as a ‘pro’ in wedding and portrait gigs.

     Or possibly a lens? The 85mm focal length has certainly made an impact. Hmm, that’s an even tougher one! Do I go with the Nikon 85mm 1.8D or 1.4D? Do I go with the Canon 85 1.8??? (I’ve switched systems a couple times. I’m now back on Nikon and own the wonderful 85 1.8G! That’s a lot of 85′s!).

     Though, then we have the 50mm… but the 50 was more like an 85 on my crops so I guess it IS the 85!!! No, that can’t be right. There has to be something more!

     I know! The Canon Powershot G3! It was the first camera I ever owned. I took the first pictures of my children with it. It’s the camera that I caught the ‘bug’ with. The camera that got me thinking on the fundamental parts to a great image. I learned the very basics on it. That has to be it!

     There is something else. I know for certain that there is something that impacted me more than anything else.

     I was around 13 when Jim Henson passed away. I remember it affecting me profoundly at the time. Growing up, I was a big fan of the muppets. Some of my earliest memories are of watching ‘The Muppet Show’ with my father, on the couch in our first home. I loved that show and still do.

     I remember waiting for my mother to finish up at a convenience store (Quick Check I believe). Back then, I would always wander over to the magazine rack and quickly scan if there were new video game magazines available. Something else caught my eye that day however. A photo of Kermit the Frog sitting on Jim Henson’s directors chair. I distinctly remember thinking how powerful that was. It was the first time I ever thought of a photo in that way. How they captured that puppet looking so mournful. It was and still is, simply powerful. I had no idea who Joe McNally was… nor did I think that I’d become a photographer someday. All I knew was, I had been affected by seeing that photograph on the cover of LIFE. It opened up a world to me that I didn’t realize existed. I asked my mother to buy it and thankfully she agreed.

     Now I could say that after that my parents purchased some film camera and away I went into photography. No, that’s not exactly how it went. I will not go into my entire life story but I didn’t pick up photography till much later. However, I can say without a doubt that the LIFE issue we purchased that day changed my perception of photography forever.

     I may be stretching things a bit as it’s debatable if a copy of LIFE magazine can be considered ‘gear’, but I can’t think of anything that made more of an impact on me as a photographer.

           Comment by Frank Scallo — June 3, 2012 @ 1:06 am

101. 

     For me, I think it was my first fast prime. That was a 100mm f/2.8 Nikon Series E which wouldn’t meter on my camera, a D40. It was all manual (both focusing and metering) so it taught me to take charge of the camera, and because it was long-ish and had good depth of field isolation, it also taught me how to compose photos in a way to prioritize the subject and throw out the backgrounds effectively.

     By forcing me to take charge of the image making process, it made me understand how I could change an image by controlling the parameters (aperture, ISO, shutterspeed) and by moving around to effectively use the background. It also helped me to appreciate perspective when I compared it to my 18-55mm kit lens, and made me clearly appreciate distortion and why I should maintain a decent distance when shooting people.

     Plus, by giving me enough reach to photograph people from a distance satisfactorily, it made me much more open to possibilities as a street photographer. I learnt to note people’s expressions from a distance and photograph them without getting in their faces.

     Even in terms of detail work – I’ve taken it as my only lens to weddings, at times, and the narrow field of view has made me pay attention to details such as decor, etc which I wouldn’t have looked at, otherwise. Once I figured out how to use it as a macro lens, I was photographing rings, and other details I wouldn’t have paid much attention to before.

     So, yes. A long, fast telephoto is what it was for me.

           Comment by Iftekhar Amin — June 3, 2012 @ 1:41 am

102. 

     Definitely the Nikon 200mm f2! It has become my favorite all time lens. It turns virtually any background into eye candy. The sharpness is stunning! I love to combine it now with the pw flex system using high speed sync to get a 3D type look to my images that is simply not possible with any other lens in my opinion. This focal length allows the flash to be very close to the subject but just out of frame. It is possible now for me to use a single sb900 at very high shutter speeds to tame almost any bg but still get proper exposure on my subject. What a combination! I am in love! If you are already shooting full frame, I would recommend purchasing a lens of this caliber over even a new D800 or D4! Its that good!

           Comment by Jason — June 3, 2012 @ 2:21 am

103. 

     The Canon 40D, because it was my first digital SLR. I had for a long time carried with me a little notebook with my scribble about what settings I used in hopes of learning proper exposure. After I developed the film, I would go back to my notes and try to make sense of why some things worked and others didn’t. I resisted switching from film to digital, but finally broke down in 1997. Digital made it possible to experiment with a lot of different settings and take more chances than I ever did with film. Although my L lenses have made a significant impact on my work, the switch to digital allowed me to learn far more about photography.

           Comment by Wendy Gunderson — June 3, 2012 @ 10:02 am

104. 

     The way I see it, the term “Photographic Equipment” can be anything that would allow or assist a photographer to create and present a picture in the best way he or she sees fit, however mundane or crazy the method/s may appear to be.

     With this in mind, I do believe I can confidently say that the one photo equipment/gear that made quite the fundamental impact that forever changed the way I did photography…

     …is a compact mirror.

     Yes, a compact mirror. The kind that sits in the cover of a lady’s powder press, make-up, or something of the sort. (I’m trying to clarify this one bit of detail since I’m a guy, and I really don’t know how to properly explain this, but yeah.)

     It all started during the days I got my first DSLR body, the Nikon D60, outfitted with nothing more than an 18-55mm. kit lens. Back then, I knew nothing much about photography, save for the basics of adjusting and balancing the shutter, aperture, and ISO settings. As for any other concept beyond that, I’ve yet to discover, understand, appreciate, and properly utilize in real-world shooting – one of which is the concept of using a flashgun. I could remember the times I would stand with my cute D60, and watch a group of professional wedding photographers fire away with their monster D2x’es and SB-600/800 speedlights. I understood that, compared to pop-up flashes, a speedlight can give out a much higher flash output so that these guys can properly illuminate their subjects. That’s pretty much a no-brainer there for me. What I couldn’t understand is why most of the time, they would point the camera-mounted flash heads *upward*, or why would the heads tilt and swivel in the first place, when all it’s trying to illuminate is the subject which is just plain smack right in front of it. Since I had no access to any flashguns before, I decided to push my musings back in my head for the time being and continue enjoying photography using only available light, until the day I attended a small reunion with my friends.

     When it comes to group gatherings here, group photos are always a must, especially if one of us is toting his or her fancy camera (mine, in this case). So I took some shots, and added some pop-up direct flash for a change (since the venue then was somewhat ill-lighted). Of course, when we looked at the photos on the camera screen, they all looked ghastly – stark white subjects and a ridiculously dark background due to the small flash – one of the reasons I “disliked” the usage of flashes. This also made me think a bit: “a pro photographer spends quite a lot on expensive flashguns like the ones I saw before, so surely, these things can offer much more than simply make ghouls out of human subjects.”. This also reminded me of that little “oddity” – the flash’s ability to tilt and swivel its head. Unfortunately, there was no way I’d be able to bend the pop-up flash of my camera to make it point upwards (not without breaking it, anyway), so I was thinking of a way to redirect the pathway of the flash itself, until I saw one of my friends applying press powder on her face… with the help of a compact mirror.

     And an idea struck.

     Borrowing the compact, I removed the powder container, and angled the mirror at 45 degrees to bend the flash’s light directly upwards, while asking my friends to pose just one more time (and yes, they were giving me puzzled looks in the process.). The shutter is pressed, the flash shot out and up towards the ceiling… and lo and behold, I “discovered” bounce-flash technique.

     I was totally amazed at what I saw: my friends all looked “human” in the photo, no one had any scary red eyes, and the room mysteriously brightened up. Basically, the light was even and flattering in the entire frame, subject, background, and all, and the harsh light-to-shadow effects caused by direct-flash went away. But of course, I didn’t know how to explain this “phenomenon” back then; I only knew that the photo is so beautiful (compared to my previous shots), and that I wanted more of this.

     My friends couldn’t agree more, and they instantly wanted solo shots using this technique. I turned my camera sideways to take portrait-oriented shots of them, which in turn redirected my flash (with my impromptu flash modifier) to a wall on the side, and I eventually discovered that in doing so, the horizontal transition of light to shadow on the subjects created a “3D” effect, making them “pop” out from the photo.

     At the end of the reunion, I was beside myself as I reviewed the shots. Sure, my new camera was covered in face-powder due to some leftover particles from the compact, but I didn’t mind. I was too happy at the realization that bounce-flash photography can do wonders to my photos, and that a speedlight can actually also give me the results that I had (which is of course much easier than propping a mirror to your pop-up flash with one hand while holding the camera with the other), and much, much more. This also paved the way for me to go on a decision to become a portrait/wedding/event photographer that I am now.

     As of this writing, a mirror is no longer part of my camera bag’s inventory, due to the simple yet unfounded fear that it might shatter and scatter broken glass shards amidst the bag’s compartments. However, I still use mirrors in various situations when needed (or if available), one of my prime examples of which would be found in this Father-and Son portrait photo (just click on the link):

     https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=336177899765282&set=a.336177846431954.74626.276614505721622&type=3

     Here, I bounced my flash forward and to the left above, flagging the flashhead with a Black Foamie Thing (thanks, Mr. Neil, you’re the best!) to eliminate any spillage of direct light. What I bounced on, however, wasn’t just a plain wall: I asked the dad to stand *near* a fairly small wall-mounted mirror. Most of the bounced light softly covered them both with flattering light, but some of the light reflected from the mirror *accented* their faces a tad bit in contrast to the rest of their bodies, the effect of which is what I wanted in the first place.

     So there. I’ve encountered a lot of fantastic gear and useful methods and techniques that helped me hone my craft as a portrait photographer, ranging from great lenses, cool wireless transmitters, excellent strobes, photo software, bounce-flash photography, the Black Foamie Thing, and many more. But I only got to know and appreciate all of these… thanks to the simple compact mirror that started it all.

           Comment by Dominic Velasquez — June 3, 2012 @ 12:38 pm

105. 

     I would have to say that there has been no real one piece of equipment that has my my photography better than myself. What I mean by this is a total dedication of my time and patience to learn photography the correct way rather than being one of those people that I here at my local camera store who have just bought a camera, than going out and shooting a wedding.Then wondering why camera took such bad pictures. It drives me crazy. For the past 4 years now I have done a lot of shooting not for money but for my own training purpose. I know now this has really made me a much better photographer by finding my own skill set that I use daily. Also by practicing lighting using Manuel and ETTL flash has made me a much better shooter than I ever could have been if I would have fallen into the above mentioned trap. I have gotten to the point now where I have put myself up for hire doing portrait work, as being completely honest with myself has paid off. This might be the long way of going about it but worked for me,but if I did mention one peice of gear that has helped me it would be my move from a cropped sensor body into a full frame body. I love the actual view that I get now. Thanks.

           Comment by Chris — June 3, 2012 @ 4:28 pm

106. 

     Ditto Chris’ remarks.

     The best tool/piece of equipment that one can utilise is the stuff between your ears.

     I have been a pro for a long time, hell I was even using Medium Format gear, and once the internet came along, it’s a whole lot of voracious reading of anything you can think of, like sites like Neil’s.

     Trev.

           Comment by Trev — June 3, 2012 @ 11:06 pm

107. 

     The greatest (photography)-tool I recently bought and used during a shoot cost me a whopping 1,5 euro… It’s a sponge! After reading a lot of Neils blogs / books I decided to take my flash off the camera, and I wanted to put it into a softbox. The only softboxes I have at the moment are those that belong to my Elinchrom studio-lights. The hole in them are much to big to fit a speedlight in, so I bought a sponge large enough for the softbox, cut a hole for the speedlight.. et voila! Works perfect :-)
     I would really like to try the Impact Quickbox though, I really can’t afford me another sponge…

     Marcel

           Comment by Marcel Mooij — June 4, 2012 @ 6:03 am

108. 

     My favorite thing to photograph is my dogs. I even have this crazy fantasy that one day, maybe I’ll be good enough to be a real pet photographer…

     The thing that has had the greatest impact on my photography actually isn’t photo gear… it’s Nature’s Balance dog food rolls. That stuff is like crack for dogs! They’ll do anything for it. It certainly made trying to get some shots of a friend’s dogs much easier this weekend!

     But to answer the actual question… the piece of gear that has had the greatest impact is my flash, now that I’ve finally taken the time to figure it out. I have a Nikon SB-600 and was petrified of it for years. This website, as well as Neil’s book have helped a lot and I feel much more confident with it now. I still have a lot to learn, but the difference so far is amazing!

           Comment by Nicci Goudelock — June 4, 2012 @ 9:31 am

109. 

     I took my first photography class in the early 80′s and loved all the black and white photography I could get my hands on through college. I thought I would never get a digital camera. It was when I was in Jamaica with my little point and shoot Sony Cybershot, and all my photos were blown out due to the extreme sun and reflections, that I finally decided to see what DSLR was all about.

     I would say that my first DSLR changed my photography forever. Its capabilites and all that comes with digital photography continues to astound me. I study and read and absorb and photograph and process nearly daily, and I think that my Nikon D5000 started all that.

           Comment by Mary-Claire — June 4, 2012 @ 9:43 am

110. 

     Neil, I think the photo gear that i can think of is the nikon 50mm 1.8, I know is not an expensive lens but made me see things differently, made me move around to take the picture that I envisioned without just zooming in and out, I never had a lens with a large aperture and wow what a difference, now I’m saving so I can buy the nikon 24-70 2.8 and a 70- 200 2.8, I know it will take me a long time to save for them since I have three kids but it will be worth it.

           Comment by Hanssel — June 4, 2012 @ 11:20 am

111. 

     Lightroom4 or my 50mm f1.4. LR4 has made my processing so much easier and more fun. My 50mm f1.4 helped me to learn depth of field and how very important it is to nail focus.

           Comment by Keri Always — June 4, 2012 @ 1:14 pm

112. 

     Great question. Best photo gear is my sony cybershot digital camera.
     I take my camera everywhere and take pictures of practically everything.
     I wish to upgrade to a DSLR but funds are low. I am in debt consolidation
     and will be for another 3 years. After that I will be able to save and
     purchase a real camera.

           Comment by Nalane Singh — June 4, 2012 @ 1:20 pm

113. 

     Hey, I know the answer as I thought of it many times… It is Russian made Jupiter-9 85mm f2 lens. I started with photography at the early age by clever parents who gave me my own (to do as I please with it) simple camera in the first grade of elementary school. By the 4th grade I decided by myself that photography is my artistic expression and moved up to a single lens 1950′s Altex, taking over it from my father. By high school age my parents rewarded me with a Minolta XG9 SLR, total technical marvel for me. However, in Eastern Europe of that time any lens for it would be more than my yearly scholarship… So I got screw mount adapter and few affordable Russian lenses from wide to telephoto, finally having a range of lenses to work with. Within few years it was obvious: of all the lenses I was sticking to above mentioned Jupiter-9 85mm f2. It saw the world as I see it. I moved on with cameras and lenses but 85mm is still my vision. Jupiter-9 is still in my bag, paired with old Fujica 701 and Ilford infrared film, still keeping old flame and keeping me on my toes with simple manual mechanics and in touch with old film days. It is the lens which shoved me who I am.

           Comment by dusanmal — June 4, 2012 @ 1:31 pm

114. 

     The piece of photographic equipment that had the most impact on my photography has got to be my wife. Yes I can hear the groans already, my wife isn’t exactly “equipment” but at times I bet she feels that way. So let me explain why she has had the most impact on my photography.
     1st she is by far the best flash stand out there today. Who needs TTL when I have YTL (yell to wife) she is able to adjust flash power, distance and direction that no radio triggers can match.
     2nd she is my planner/scheduler/promoter. She is extremely organized and keeps track of where I need to be and who I need to be with. She is also very personable and never has a problem chatting me up to potential customers
     3rd she is my most reliable model. She always shows up on time, hardly ever complains when I need multiple shots to get the look I want and is always up for trying new techniques and styles. Best part is her wages are only a back rub every now and then! Did I mention she doubles as a flash stand, although that can sometimes have a blinding outcome.
     4rd let’s be honest, I would not have any of the fancy gear without her expressed written consent. This is usually achieved with bribes of shoes and purses!
     5th she is my go to for fun creative ideas. She is great at seeing things from a different perspective than me, and not just because she is significantly shorter. She is great with telling my subjects things like “why don’t you move here” or “adjust your body like this” or the always fun “on the count of 3 everyone jump”
     Finally she shows me support in everything I do, even the craziest of ideas I read about on the internet. She always gives me constructive criticism and can be brutally honest at times. She is also good for telling me when I need to put down the camera, stop worrying about white balance, DOF and creative angles and just make a mental photograph.
     So these, among so many others, are the reasons my wife is the piece of “equipment” that has had the most impact on my photography

           Comment by Joe — June 4, 2012 @ 1:38 pm

115. 

     Not since the memory card’s ability to be used and reused, in ways a roll of film never could, has there been a more versatile tool in photography, than the hot shoe flash. Siezing a moment, with an accessory burst of light, within a fraction of a second, has more than evolved; it has endured. From a master of portrait, like Richard Avedon, to landscape like Ansel Adams, most of our pioneers have used strobe lighting in their careers. So too have their current, apt pupils, myself included. Flash has been a constant muse throughout all advancements of photographic technology and practice. But when it comes down to a type of strobe, the hot shoe flash is the power of light at its most revolutionary. (For brevity, I’ll call these little hot-shoe wonders, Speedlites and the burly battery-brick powered “Studio” strobes, Strobes.)

     A Speedlite can be a Strobe; a Strobe cannot nessessarily be a Speedlite. Neil Van Niekerk, chief among many others, have proven how a Speedlite, sitting over one’s DSLR, can create a quality of light comparable to a light on a stand a few feet away from a subject; a Strobe, without proper mounting, could barely sit on a floor. A Speedlite can pivot and rotate for key, bounce or fill light, with or without an attached modifier, in a matter of seconds; A strobe can do this but with more time and adjustment, after, of course, one has placed it on a stand. A speedlite requires no assistant to carry the four double A batteries (including backups) the way a battery pack of old, required a dolly. Furthermore, one can carry more than one Speedlite in one’s bag whereas an assistant is still trying to lift the first battery pack mentioned, on the dolly. Speedlites are small, light portable, hide-able, and can be wirelessly triggered. The trade-off is power.

     Speedlites are not as powerful as, say moonlights, but for what a photographer gets in studio quality and versatility in one’s tote, sheer power is hardly missed. Companys, like Profoto, Broncolor, even Paul C Buff, know this fact, which is why todays battery packs are getting smaller; heads lighter; equipment more portable to be carried. It is because of the undeniable beauty of Speedlites.

     I love Speedlites as much as I love photography. I’ll never forget one of my first assignment, involving a portrait of a band for a magazine. I was to shoot the band in the producer’s basement. With no money to rent equipment- I had a Canon 40d, a borrowed 580ex hot shoe and a reflector, I almost thought I had no chance at a shot. I browsed at two points of inspiration: JoeMcnally’s book, “The Moment It Clicks”, and Neil Van Niekerk’s Tangents blog. The image made the assignment and also the cover. What brought me to tears of fulfillment and love for these Speedlites, was when I received an email from the photo editor, apologizing for not expecting the band to use “such studio quality images.” I never doubted Speedlites again; nor myself.

           Comment by Nicholas — June 4, 2012 @ 1:56 pm

116. 

     It was not new gear that changed the face of photography for me. In fact, my most influential piece of gear was born 25 years before I was. While sifting through old boxes in my garage, I came upon my uncles old SLR, a circa-1971 Yashica. Attached to the camera was a stock 50mm f/1.9 prime. After some ebay digging, I ordered myself a $10 adapter to mount the lens on my DSLR. Since, my photography has never progressed faster. Upgrading from the 18-55mm Kit lens to this smooth, metal bodied prime taught me that the camera doesn’t take the pictures – I am the photographer. I learned to frame my photos, select my focus manually, and control my exposures. Limiting my shooting made me think of photography as an art. I had to create each photo individually instead of pointing and clicking. My nifty-fifty has been my go-to lens for every professional job, every trip, and every event. I have a feeling that I will never give up this lens as long as I am shooting – automatic be damned!

           Comment by Harry Meltzer — June 4, 2012 @ 2:00 pm

117. 

     I would have to say it was flash and specially the ability to use it off camera either triggered via remote TTL cable or via IR/radio. Most people tend to think of flash as just needed when there is not much light but fail to realize that flash can be both the main light (Key Light) as well as for augmentation (Fill-Light). The flash’s flexibility through the use of gel filters further enhances the effects it can give. In one engagement shot, I find myself shooting under overcast and gloomy weather (with no assistant) and normally overcast skies give a very nice ‘high key’ effect but shooting a couple in black and white makes for a very monochromatic image overall! I was forced to use the flash OFF CAMERA (with a flash bounce light modifier to diffuse its harshness) but hand-held still and use 1/2 CTO (for more redness in skin tone) and do some -1.7 to -2.3 stop FEC just enough to give some ‘warmth’ to the image and the couple’s portrait came alive! They didn’t look as dead and drab anymore. The use of flash off camera created a ‘golden light’ (setting sun effect) effect on cue and better yet it is controllable. The ability to hand hold the flash and alter its orientation on the fly helped a lot in establishing the direction of the ‘golden light’ and how it affects the subject. This would not have been possible without a flash that works wireless in TTL mode, can accept light modifiers, have gel filters to alter its color and have power levels for adjustment. No other gear can be as flexible and adaptable as flash. Today I almost never shoot without flash even for landscapes due to its ability to adjust contrast, mitigate color and function as the key or fill or rim light together with any other light source. It just totally changed the way I operate in any lighting condition.

           Comment by Arnold Gallardo — June 4, 2012 @ 2:42 pm

118. 

     I would consider the addition of a Full frame camera – 5dMkII to my existing camera system- comprising of my workhorses 40D and 50D was my biggest change to my camera kit and I consider it as the equipment which has changed the way I shoot.

     I have been following your site since 2007 and employ bounce flash technique but I am one of those people who like to work with just one lens. which is a 24-105 F4 L IS and I occasionally use a 50mmF1.4( Sigma). After I got my 5dMKII, my primary lens suddenly changed from an average lens to a really amazing 24-105 lens ( duh!) and has totally changed the way I shoot.
     Sounds trivial but I have found it to be a personal revolution.

     For a photographer who works alone, there is nothing better in current world than a 24-105mm range ( yes Nikon users have the 24-120)and the amazing optics of this lens! and the difference in the qualtity of photos from a 5dMKII compared to my older 40D and 50D is just amazing.

     With my new “found” 24-105mm range, plus the ability to use full frame makes the 5dMkII the most important piece of kit I have ever owned and has changed the way I have been shooing for the last 7-8 years.

     While i was using APSC cameras, I have tried every possible combo….they never felt right. I tried 17-40mm + 70-200mm ( one is too short on long end another too long)
     24-70 plus 70-200mm ( one is too short on wide end and another too long)
     17-55f2.8 plus 70-200mm ( the 17-55 never felt good to work with )
     5dMkII+ 24-105mm – Just right!

     when i need something longer, i just swap the lens on a 50D and put a 50mm f1.4 on the 5dMkII!

           Comment by Ujwal Bhattarai — June 4, 2012 @ 4:17 pm

119. 

     Cameras with clean high iso outputs have really revolutionized photogrpahy, in my opinion. Now, f2.8 zooms are considered ‘fast’. Eventually, even average zooms, the f4.0-5.6 will be more than acceptable and that will really open the doors to those photographers who can’t afford the pricier lenses.

           Comment by Bill — June 4, 2012 @ 6:07 pm

120. 

     There have been many influences, but the first gear that affected my thinking and directly influenced my photography is the combination of an old, beater Leica M3 and a gorgeous, wide-aperture 35mm lens. I used that combination (and pushed Tri-X) for probably 90% of the photos I made from the time I left college until I quit shooting film. It came to define the way I saw the world (basically, Vietnam-era photo-J style), and it still has a strong attraction for me, and a real influence on the way I see what goes on around me. It forced me to, as Robert Capa said, “get close enough.” Even without a 35mm viewfinder in the M3, the combination somehow just “worked” for me. I don’t regret selling it, but sometimes I do miss it.

     Thanks for running this contest, Neil; the comments have been fascinating and educational.

           Comment by Doug Ford — June 4, 2012 @ 6:27 pm

121. 

     I grew up in a commercial studio; our dad was The Man To See if you wanted food shot for advertising. He’d park me inside the 20×24 Deardorff to keep my grubby paws off the props… well, not really, but it’s still a grin-making fable from my early days in photography.

     In the last 50 years, I’ve seen a lot of great new technologies, like Polaroid Land film (we used to get cases of it to play with,) pro-grade consumer video, and laser printing: those first prints of Ansel Adam’s Yosemite images were stunning, even to the Master himself.

     Hal was old school and a child of the Great Depression; he attended the New Bauhaus and studied with Moholy and Kepes, so my education in photography was grounded in essentials and making do with what’s on hand instead of leaning on what I could do “If only I had X”. He taught that it isn’t the camera that makes the image, it’s the photographer’s vision.

     I grew up in that wonderful community of San Francisco photography of the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies. Ansel Adams and Imogene Cunningham (and oh, so many others!) were just part of that big, extended family — they were just plain folks who’d stop by the studio or the house, for a drink (or ten) and maybe a grilled salmon, or we’d go visit for the same, and if I was really lucky and Ansel got just enough liquor in him, I’d get to hear him play the piano. . . Virtually anyone who was anyone in photography or craft was part of the circle with very few exceptions. Being in the food photography niche meant there was always something to eat and drink at 243 Vallejo.

     It wasn’t until I got serious about photography in the late 1960s that those associations got to be intimidating. I was trying to shoot the Rock scene with my Nikon F, how to process and print and use the light. Hal’s business was down to three months of real work a year — I got frustrated by my lack of technical adequacy and scared by the realities of making a living as an artist of any stripe.

     But I always kept my hand in; making images or equipment as needs required. I adopted computers and digital imaging early on; I still have my Epson scanner that cost $1100 (after a steep dealer discount!) because it came with Photoshop. IIRC, that was in the early 90s. . .

     All that by way of background; suffice it to say (at this point? I must be kidding, or delirious!) that I’ve always been passionate about photography. But never obsessed with it until I got an iPhone 4.

     My Samsung Code was just good enough as a camera to be interesting. Not quite addictive in its image quality, but when it bricked and I had the opportunity to upgrade to an iPhone, I dithered like mad. Even then, if it hadn’t been for a woman who lived outside my then-carrier’s coverage, I’d likely have gone for a lesser model and brand. I got an iPhone 3 at first, and while it was okay, reading about the 4 convinced me that the higher resolution camera was worth the extra $200.

     Within a week or two of shooting with it, I was hooked. It’s a huge leap from the wine-box-with-magnifying lens-and-Polaroid back simplicity that my Dad taught and championed as an aid to seeing, but it has some of the same endearing qualities, with the added benefits of a real preview and none of the mess.

     It wasn’t long after that that I asked my brother about selling images for stock (he runs a small agency with a niche market model.) I was intending to put my abstracts out there for sale or rent, but he offered me a spot in his stable instead! So I sold off our dad’s Canon F1 system and most of my collectible cameras to fund purchase of a Canon dslr and some decent glass, and set up my own small digital studio.

     But most of the time, when I’m not studying digital technique or making images for sale, I reach for my iPhone, and not just because I like the way it renders color, or the immediateness of imaging with a camera that’s smaller than a film holder for a 4×5 — it’s the fact that I can take an image from conception to print-ready without having to fire up the “real” computer. And I can order prints from any of a dozen vendors in any of a hundred formats and finishes.

     Complex post-processing, a’la Photoshop? Sure! HDR? No problem! Chroma Key? Easy-peasy! Brenizer Method? Well, not exactly no problem, but I’m getting there — this morning’s “Still Life – Onion” is 18 megapixels from a 5 Mpix camera, all without getting out of bed. Off camera lighting? While I haven’t yet found a good way to trigger a strobe (or the shutter slaved to one,) I have built a bunch of repurposed 12 volt fixtures, softboxes, strip lights, pin spots and on and on… all in the name of making better images on the journey to Who Knows Where. I have learned tons about exposure, lighting, and processing that I might never have considered if I was shooting with my dslr alone — the iPhone is quirky, to be sure, and those quirks force me to see better, shoot better, and process better when my seeing and shooting fall short.

     And it isn’t just the nuts and bolts of photography — it’s the social aspects as well. I’m usually not very social, but with Instagram, Path, Tadaa, Facebook, Flickr, and Tangents all within reach, virtually everywhere I am, I have a virtual “Studio Between Shoots.” I can do a six martini lunch with a few dozen (or a few million!) photographers without leaving the house or getting the hangover.

     The iPhone wasn’t just a sea change camera for me; it defines and creates a whole new world whose boundaries have yet to be discovered– kind of like the Bauhaus of the 20s and 30s and the New Bauhaus of the 30s and 40s. And yes, while it has “cheapened” photography just as every evolution of photography has done since the first snapshots came out of those early Kodak Moments, it is raising a new generation of serious photographers who will take photography to its new limits.

           Comment by Erik Halberstadt — June 4, 2012 @ 6:40 pm

122. 

     My tripod… beside making all my images sharper it led me to think twice what else was there to be capture… It allowed me to shoot panoramas with ease and accuracy and extra long exposures to see what my eye can’t.

           Comment by Alfonso Sanchez — June 4, 2012 @ 9:57 pm

123. 

     The piece of equipment that had the most impact on me was undoubtedly my D70s.

     I found photography for the first time in the 90′s. I tried film pretty hard out, but never ‘got it’ and it slowly took a back seat. Eventually digital came along though and photography started peeping over the front seat again, just a bit.

     Things were good enough for a while, until my digital Sony camera was stolen. But with the resulting insurance money (plus some of my own), and a few internet searches, I was lucky enough to get a D70s.

     Now things changed – big time. Everything was instant, seeing an image and its flaws, cause and effect were obvious, the ‘AHA’ moments were continuous, and photography just took off for me.

     Now it’s 6 years later and I am still hopelessly hooked, well and truly out of pocket from gear purchases, and deleteriously happy with photography. I still have and use my D70s. It’s almost worn out it’s second shutter, and is on it’s last legs (Nikon if your listening – a pro DX body would be great. Years overdue, but great).

     I’m still searching for AHA moments (hence my ‘living’ on this site) and not as good as I want to be, but I have never found anything in life that I’ve got my teeth into so much. I just love it.

     and my D70s was the key to everything.

           Comment by Tony — June 5, 2012 @ 3:45 am

124. 

     The piece of gear which has changed my approach to photography more than anything in my relatively new journey as a photographer would have to be my AF Nikkor 50mm 1.8. This little, inexpensive prime freed me from the captivity of the cheap zoom I started with and forced me to “think” like a photographer and not an amateur. The creativity it both requires and inspires in me, along with the incredible flexibility it allows in regard to depth of field has enabled me to create some of the most dynamic images of my career.

           Comment by Brad — June 5, 2012 @ 7:16 am

125. 

     The piece of photographic equipment that had the most impact on my photography (film) was the Jones Bracket (camera/flash). It allowed me to “get the flash off the camera,” while keeping the flash 12-14″ above the lens axis and move from vertical to horizontal with just a move of the wrist.

     This was immensely helpful when I started in weddings, needing to move quickly and maintain consistent (although fairly flat) lighting. It also pushed shadows down behind subjects, if not eliminating the shadows all together. I could remove the handle with a simple click and lock the bracket securely in the quick release on my tripod.

     Finally, because of its unique circular design, it was always a point of attention & conversation. No one ever showed up at an event with that bracket! Even those “stealing shots over my shoulder” couldn’t match the efficiency of the unit, nor the ultimate results.

     I still use it for fast-moving events (dances, high-energy concerts, etc.), but I’m a true convert to the advantages of full off-camera lighting (thanks to you and the bft).

           Comment by Richard Duncan — June 5, 2012 @ 10:22 pm

126. 

     I would have to say when I bought my first DSLR, the 20D with the 50 1.4 lens, that I felt back in love with photography all over again. I still remembered playing with my friend’s 10D and was amazed of what it can do – just like a regular SLR. I had a Canon G2 point-and-shoot at the time and was not happy with the delay in focusing. I had used my G2 to take my first digital wedding. Prior to my G2, I was using a Contax film camera with Tokina lens. It was getting expensive to do a lot of shootings with film.

     This is why I said I felt in love with photography all over again with my 20D – it handles like a SLR and I get instant feedbacks. I love it!!!

           Comment by William — June 6, 2012 @ 3:26 am

127. 

     My friends call it the Fat Bastard. The big, bulbous, clunky Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n shoots at a lightning fast 1.7 frames per second. If I shoot about a dozen frames within about 2 minutes, I’ll get a slight warm feeling from the left underside of the camera. It has a whopping 5 selectable autofocus points, that work, some of the time. I can’t buy one of the fancy shutter release gadgets for it because the shutter button has a threaded hole – it takes the old manual plunger type. Tethered shooting takes about a day and a half to transfer over one file. The battery indicator will sometimes read 1/4 full and even start blinking after about 30 minutes of use. Sometimes if the camera sits overnite with the battery in it, the battery will expire by the next afternoon. If the power runs out, the camera clock resets back to January 3, 2000. If I try and put a 4GB card into the camera, its brains get scrambled, things flash wildly, and I have to pull both the card and the battery to get things to stop. And yet, you will have to pry this camera from my cold dead hands. For you see, getting this camera was my own Ultimate Kodak Moment.

     When I first got the camera my old Dell computer nearly came to a screeching halt when trying to process a single file. But, ohhhhh the long wait was worth it for each and every frame. The color is sublime, the specular to diffuse to shadow transitions hit every sweet spot with the right lighting. And with no AA filter, you got detail you did not see on the run of the mill DSLRs, even a lot of the newer ones. Today, things are much faster with regards to processing, and I now have new aftermarket batteries for the Kodak. They actually hold a charge for a few days.

     The Kodak today slows me down, It makes me think before each frame, because I know that if I try and fire off multiples the darned thing is going to make my hand warm ;-) So actions are thougtful and more deliberate than with the high speed cameras I have. The Kodak makes me pay attention to what I’m doing instead of just firing off frames.

     If I had to pick a second impactful time or moment, it would be hearing Dean Collins. Going a hundred miles an hour with his hair on fire. I miss him so much. After hearing Dean, I was able to shoot stuff with $12 Midi slave units. I was laughed at sometimes when I pulled them out of the bag. But hey, they worked. And I learned about the light with those silly little things, which were the only ones I could afford back when. I still have them. I guess I should pair them up with the Kodak someday just for fun. Maybe that’s what I’ll bring to one of your workshops ;-) I should be able to get a good half dozen shots done during the course of the day LOL.

           Comment by Libby — June 6, 2012 @ 5:25 am

128. 

     “Hold it…hold it…don’t move…give me a second…almost…ok, ok, ok!” I used to say this ALL THE TIME before I got my first auto focus lens and camera. I believe it was the Nikon N6006. I still have the photo that made the biggest impression on me. It is of my 2 year old nephew running down the street toward me. He was tack sharp! I was amazed at the clarity. It was such a relief for me, because I was so slow at focusing. I always second guessed myself and people I would photograph would lose their patience with me. Then along came this beautiful combination of lens and camera and it changed my style and pace forever. I was now able to shoot faster, my portraits were more candid, less posed. I was able to sneak up on people and bam!! make a picture. I could compose on the fly! My photos became more spontaneous and fun, which remains my style today :-)

           Comment by Laura — June 6, 2012 @ 9:48 am

129. 

     I’d have to say the gear that has had the most impact was the simple 50mm F1.8 lens. I upgraded to a DSLR from a point and shoot camera and immediately liked the control it gave me. The image quality was much improved as well. But the images didn’t look significantly different from those I could get from the P&S.

     That is, until I got a wide aperture lens, specifically the 50mm F1.8. Suddenly, I was able to take pictures that I could never get before. I could get out-of-focus backgrounds. I could take pictures with less ambient light. It was fantastic! After the initial excitement wore off I realized that the background should sometimes be in focus, but having the new options provided by this lens certainly changed the way I approached photography more than anything else.

           Comment by Jeff — June 6, 2012 @ 11:34 am

130. 

     For me, the answer is pretty simple when looking at the biggest impact. New accessories always add a new dimension and I tend to add them as enabling options rather than must have options.

     The one piece of gear that has made the greatest impact for me is moving to a DSLR from p&s. Before I purchased my first DSLR I was writing a facebook app for displaying photos from an external host, and I ended up with quite a few end users. During the troubleshooting and development process I was exposed to many many public images posted by members. I was seeing family happy snaps that looked so professional compared to the pictures I was taking. I just knew I had to have a DSLR; I could visualise the type of imagery I wanted to produce but could not with my p&s.

     I finally got the opportunity to get my DSLR, and when I got it home I set about taking some test shots which I was generally happy with, but then I set it down and started with the manual. I was determined to use any settings bar the ‘auto’ settings so I had a learning curve ahead. I did not want to use that camera unless I knew what settings were needed for a given scene and why. Many of my early shots were about learning just what the effects were of aperture, ISO and shutter speed – the fundamentals for setting up for a scene.

     It was only a matter of weeks before I was able to finally produce my first image that was a reflection of the vision in my mind’s eye. It was like a breath of fresh air, I was finally able to express an artistic vision that I felt limited with in my old p&s.

           Comment by Troy — June 6, 2012 @ 7:35 pm

131. 

     Though I only have a few years of photography under my belt, there were a few game changers for me. Though bounce flash was a huge revelation (thanks to this site), I’m going to go with my Black Rapid Shoulder R-Strap as the gear with the most significant impact. The simple convenience of being able to wear my camera like a cross body bag, as opposed to wearing a 5 pound chain around my neck, greatly increased the number of situations I would bring my camera. I pretty much carry my camera with me everywhere now since I upgraded the strap, which enabled me to get shots I wouldn’t have otherwise.

           Comment by Steven — June 6, 2012 @ 11:07 pm

132. 

     This is the question that I had never asked to myself. And, actually, it took me half an hour sitting in front of my gears and thinking which one I should choose.

     Well, I have a Lastolite Hot Shoe Softbox and 4 PocketWizards TT5. They do a very good job when I need them. I have some f/1.8 fast prime lenses and some f/2.8 zoom lenses. The photo are fabulous because of them. I have a D90 and D800. They give me every stunning photo

     I don’t know how to choose. You know, we need to combine them and form a beautiful picture. They need to work together and I can’t say which one is the most impact on my photography.

     Recalling my memory, 3 years ago, when I brought my first D90 Kits (with 18-105mm VR), at that time, I really believed that I could immediately get a better quality on the photo. And yes, it really a different world when comparing with my 3 Panasonic DC. The photo are good.

     After a few months, I started struggling on my D90. Everytime, when I came to a low-light environment, I got 99% failed rate on taking photo. After surfing the web, I believed that I did the same action as the others, I buy a faster lens. At that time, I brought a Sigma 17-50 f/2.8. After using a couple of times, I didn’t use it again. The f/2.8 is not fast enough for me even I use the ISO-1600. I still got the blur image. Then I pick a new lens(35 f/1.8). This time, I can get a better result with the f/1.8. But very soon, I got another problem. When I was taking the photo in the birthday party, I found out that only the face is clear and the birthday cake was lost inside the beautiful boken.

     I had a very hard-time at that period. I surf the web. It’s clearly that the other could get a much sharper, much nice color photo in the low-light environment. I even thought that I may need to take a Photoshop class to get a better picture.

     One of my friend suggested me to take a look on the flash. After reading a lot of book, I decided to buy my first speedlight, the SB-800. It’s not something plug-and-play stuff. It’s just a nightmare when using it for the first few times. I tried to learn a lot on the speedlight and I start to see my photo had been improved, from time to time, in terms of quality, color and sharpness. It changed the way I see the scene and photo. Now, in the low-light environment, I saw the possibility, instead of the hopeless. In the boring scene, I saw a new color can be introduced by flash(with color gel), instead of the boring photo. I saw light can be shaped in different way. I saw the shadow giving me another definition of beauty. It gives me endless possibilities that I can do and it inspired me to create more different photo than those I originally have. I started to accept and appreciate the creativity photo that I hate before (eg. some extreme-lighting photo).

     After a long-journey with the speedlight, I understand how to use the light and it helped me to understand much more on the nature-light. The combination between the nature-light and speedlight give the photo a new dimension that I had never experienced before.

     How the speedlight had a fundamental impact on my photography? It just change everything in my photography :)

           Comment by Jacksin — June 7, 2012 @ 9:09 am

133. 

     Hey Neil!
     Trying to narrow down a specific piece is like asking a parent which is they’re favorite part of actually “being a parent’! Some may say its watching a small person become a larger, smarter, molded version of what they wish to become themselves. Others may say the best part of being a parent is sending them off to become adults and no longer have to feed them!!

     For me after purchasing my first DSLR (D3100) I was introduced to Prime Lenses!! That in itself was quite like the first time I had beer as a teenager. :) WOW what have I been missing and how do I get more!

     I purchased my 35mm 1.8 lens (from B&H of course) and the magic began! From that moment on bokeh, controlling a larger DOF, the ability to shoot in lower light at lower ISO’s was my intoxicating experience in photography! The sharpness and clarity was like sipping on all the fine international beers and enjoying what each experience lead to the next and then the next.

     After the prime adding an SB600 flash almost made me overdose on joy! It was like moving up to a fine whiskey from beer. The ability to actually light a subject and learn bounce flash techniques was infiltrating my creativity like crack to an addict! I had to have more, learn more and create more.

     So off I went in search of information reading many books, watching videos of professionals like yourself and having a few close friends help me was incredibly important!

     The day I had my own wireless trigger was my moment of AH HA!!! In that moment pure bliss rang from the heavens and the world indeed was truly round!

     My quest for more light, more knowledge and of course a few more wonderful cocktails will always drive me to become a better photographer!

     Cheers Neil!

           Comment by Manny — June 7, 2012 @ 1:21 pm

134. 

     2 cents worth of 1/2 CTS gel on my SB800 during indoor event photography

           Comment by Singh — June 7, 2012 @ 6:40 pm

135. 

     Like many others, the piece of equipment which changed the way I shoot was a 430EX, borrowed for 2 hours from my friend, who happened to have one, but know absolutely nothing about it, apart from to point it at the subject, and hit the shutter.

     That was quite literally the first time I handled a speedlite in the flesh, despite reading about them beforehand. I mounted it onto my Nikon D200, and went full manual mode in what I recall was mixed flourescent and tungsten light. It wasn’t until 10 minutes later, after grasping that aperture controlled flash exposure, and that auto white balance wasn’t going to work, that I made probably my most successful flash shot to date:

     http://www.flickr.com/photos/passiveflight-photography/7181866788/in/photostream

     I had the head pointed to the ceiling, and tripped the shutter at JUST the right moment to catch this fleeting expression. To date, I still feel that this is the most successful photo I have made with a flash, especially for it being my first time. At that moment, everything seemed to click into place, and the subsequent photos I took with the flash made each one special, to the point where I couldn’t remember the dim, dim ambient light, and instead thought that the photos were taken in great lighting. It made all the difference for me, and in my work. However, I couldn’t afford a brand new SB-900 at the time (which was my dream), so I dug up a vintage kalimar flash from the film era, and with uncertainty, plugged the sync cord into my PC port, and pulled the trigger. It was perfect. Now with the manual flash experience in hand, I plan to invest in a quality off-camera lighting kit that allows me to use high speed sync and ‘kill the sun’. :)

           Comment by Jun Tan — June 7, 2012 @ 8:12 pm

136. 

     Jun .. I have to interrupt at this point, with a Public Service Announcement:

     You don’t “kill the sun” by using high speed flash sync.
     Sure, the faster shutter speed affects your ambient light … but the higher shutter speed (over max flash sync), kills your flash faster than it kills ambient light.

     high-speed flash sync tutorial
     maximum flash sync speed

     Neil vN

           Comment by Neil vN — June 7, 2012 @ 8:44 pm

137. 

     ^^ Neil

     So how would you kill the flash, say with 2 speedlites at full power? Keep the sync speed at maximum, but put them really close to the subject?

           Comment by Jun Tan — June 7, 2012 @ 9:53 pm

138. 

     When I got rid of my Canon A-1 and opted for the Canon 10D, I nearly gave up photography for good, because the results were so inconsistent. When I moved up to the Canon 5D, my faith was restored and I jumped right back into shooting and learning.

     Once I started shooting again, I was introduced to the infamous “Little Black Foamie Thing”. This got me totally out of “P” (professional) mode and into manual 99.9%. Throw in two great books from NVN, which have replaced all others in my rather large library, and I’m off to the races.

     So. . .Camera, LBFT, good teachers and lots of productive practice.

           Comment by Harry — June 7, 2012 @ 11:34 pm

139. 

     (from Portugal)

     Looking to photography gear as a whole system, I’d say Adobe Lightroom was the most influential part of the process. Not only because it is an organization and cataloguing tool, but also and mainly because it opened up the doors for the kind of retouching, adjustment and manipulation that make digital photography come true. From working those sliders, knowing their limitations and objectives, I found the need to learn more and more about all other aspects of photography, from thinking the image, to capture, to post-processing, to delivering the final product (mostly to myself and my family, since I’m only an amateur).

     Second and third runner-ups would be a fast prime lens and an off-camera flash.

           Comment by J. Diniz — June 8, 2012 @ 7:06 am

140. 

     Although I already posted an answer for this contest #138, I was thinking while at work today and it hit me like a bolt of lightning. “Digital”!!!! Computers and digital cameras have opened up not only my photography, but also for the entire world. Just look at the quality of even cell phone photographs now. This was not possible even just a short time ago. Last year, while judging 4H photography, we saw fantastic exhibits that came from point and shoots and cell phones. A good deal of people don’t know the difference between f-stops and bus stops, but the quality of photography, in general, is growing by leaps and bounds.

           Comment by Harry — June 8, 2012 @ 6:21 pm

141. 

     To me the best piece of equiptment i have bought has got to be the ipad. Now before i get flamed,i should explain what the ipad has done for me is give me instant access to the internet without the wait of a pc or laptop. What this meant for me was the instant answers i was able to obtain with regards to all aspects of photography. Without the ipad i would not have had the inclination to research off camera flash as by the time my pc booted up i would have forgoten what i was looking for due to a mental illness. Without the ipad, i would not have discovered this website that has become one of the most influencial elements of my photographic journey. Thank you neil for everything that i have learnt from you.

           Comment by Chris — June 9, 2012 @ 6:19 am

142. 

     Easy breezy Cactus V5 transceivers. Light from someplace other the on axis genius. I was a snap shooter for a long long long time. So long that I tried to come up with a way to market red eye as a selling point until I discovered bounce flash but even that had its limitations. When I discover radio triggers particularly one’s I could afford a whole new world opened up to me. I got so excited I went out and bought two more inexpensive speedlights and some stands and some modifiers. Now I had powerful portable studio quality light that I was free to place practically anywhere to sculpt my subjects.

           Comment by Wallace Ferguson — June 10, 2012 @ 5:18 pm

143. 

     Definitely the move from compact Point-and-Shoot to DSLR. I still do carry my PnS around as my backup or for others that are not familiar with DSLRs to shoots. This move to DSLR opened up new area of possibilities that I never regretted. Though I have the basic knowledge of photography (aperture, shutter, ISO etc) during my PnS days, I never really got to put it to good use as there was basically not much control over it. I know there are micro 4/3s and higher end compacts, but the use of DSLR felt at home.

           Comment by RJ — June 17, 2012 @ 4:51 am

144. [...] van Niekerk, the photographer that has perhaps done the most to shape the way I shoot, is holding a little contest on his website asking photographers what piece of equipment had the most fundamenta…. I thought I’d augment my own response on his website with something that is a little bit [...]

           Pingback by In the crosshairs | John Jay Li — June 18, 2012 @ 1:33 am

145. 

     It looks like I’m one of the stragglers when it comes to throwing my story into the hat. I hope I’m not too late…

     The most valuable piece of equipment that fundamentally changed the way I shoot pictures is my Nikon SB-900. For one, it gives me directional light that I can control with the black foamie thing, but I’m sure that everyone here does that already, so that’s relatively unremarkable.

     But what my Nikon SB-900 has allowed me to do is shoot almost exclusively from the hip. I’m a social dance photographer that likes to shoot couples up close from the middle of the dance floor, so I usually shoot at 24mm on my zoom lenses and primes and use the AF assist light to aim.

     Not needing to peer through the viewfinder also means that I can raise and lower my camera for interesting perspectives in my shots. Rarely do I ever shoot at eye-level anymore.

     Without a camera glued to my face, it also means that I can shoot with one hand and wrangle a light in the other. For most dances, I can shoot with on-camera flash, but for late, late night dances (typically blues dancing), photographers aren’t allowed to use strobes. For such dances, I’ll carry a video light in my empty hand and try to maneuver it to where I get good light on the couple I’m trying to photograph. I just watch how the light falls on my subjects, aim the crosshairs of my SB-900′s AF assist light, and I know what the picture will look like before I depress the shutter.

     Most importantly, not using the viewfinder means that I can keep my head up and aware of what is going on on the dance floor. I like to shoot directly in the middle of the dance floor where all of the action is, so the ability to constantly scan my surroundings and dodge dancers while I’m taking shots is absolutely invaluable to me.

     So there you go. My Nikon SB-900′s AF assist light serves as my camera crosshairs when I’m shooting directly in the middle of a crowded dance floor. If forced to pare down my collection of equipment, I could make do without the 24mm f/1.4 or the 24-70, but I *need* that SB-900 flash…

     I wrote a longer, free-form rant about my flash on my blog as well… http://johnjayli.com/?p=878.

           Comment by John — June 18, 2012 @ 1:48 am

146. 

     I was 8 years old when I got my first camera. The Kodak Ektralite 600 film (110 cartridge) camera. I loved that thing – remember distinctly the sound it made when the flash was charging after discharge, the way the plastic smelled, and even the way the plastic felt in my hands. I took it pretty much anywhere and everywhere I went and took photos of anything and everything, I even took it to school on one occasion and had it confiscated. I threatened the teacher with calling the police if it wasn’t returned to me like all the other items that went into her desk that were never seen again.

     It wasn’t long after that I started my own photography business. That’s right – I was a professional photographer at age 8! It happened quite by accident actually, I was at a wedding with my parents (my camera in tow naturally) and was snapping away as per my habit. I was watching and following the official photographer around everywhere he went for the entire day at both the church and the reception. Enthralled and captivated with all his gadgets and lenses and just the overal process of what was going on. I peppered him with questions, most quite lame I imagine but he graciously answered all of them. He even called me his assistant when talking to some people and remember him saying it would be extra if I came along.

     Fast forward about a month or 2 later and the couple who were married came around to visit. They had brought some photos that they got from the photographer and were showing them to us. The groom remembered me scurrying around on their wedding day and asked if I had any pictures. I went and got them for them to see. Most were kinda crap but they were fixated on one photo. Given the fact I was small and nobody really noticed me moving around I had managed to get a shot that the photographer wasn’t able to. It was a shot of the rings ceremony from the front in ostensibly a dark church angled up and side/back lit by the stain glassed window with a missing pane that shined a beam of light onto the couple as if the Lord was making his presence felt! The groom gave me 20 pounds on the spot (btw my family was in England at the time – hence the significance of a shining sun for 15 minutes on an otherwise dreary grey day). I was RICH!!!!!!!!!!!

     It wasn’t long then that I would offer to take some photos at various kids parties, and other events for 10 pounds a pop – i’m not even sure if that covered the cost of film/batteries and I’m pretty sure most of these people agreed to do so were humouring me and were friends of my parents so just went along with it. There were those however who genuinely like the photos and were in most cases happy to have a photograph of their family or kids etc., as back then not everyone had a camera. I knew that the overall picture quality wasn’t that great especially compared to the beautiful and rich images of the photographer at the wedding. But it was the best lesson that I ever learned about the non-technical end of photography: A good shot (or in my case even a relatively OK shot) now is better than the perfect shot tomorrow.

     I must have taken hundreds of photos, gone through dozens of batteries, and eventually managed to save close to 400 pounds – which at the time (and even today) was a small fortune. Even my parents were taken back with just how much I had. Even though I had stuffed my face with candy and other such things and even bought some toys, I was always weary of spending it. Because in the back of my mind what i really wanted was the camera that the wedding photographer had: The Minolta 7D. Having enough for half, my parents ended up providing the rest, which with lens and flash my kit cost upwards of about 800 pounds.

     Even though I don’t really operate a business anymore and haven’t since I went to university (which I paid for by money I made shooting birthday parties and other events – with a camera I bought through money I made as a child from a present my parents gave me) photography is still and will always be a source of joy and inspiration for me. All thanks to that little plastic 110 film camera: The Kodak Ektralite 600.

           Comment by Roger — June 18, 2012 @ 8:22 am

147. 

     EDIT: I meant to say Minolta 7000. was thinking of my canon 7D. Sorry about any confusion.

     Thanks

           Comment by Roger — June 18, 2012 @ 8:24 am

148. 

     A few years ago I had a fancy DSLR (Nikon D40) that was stuck in Auto mode. Dials weren’t broken. This was by choice.
     It was a good camera but I’d read someplace that it tended to overexpose (whatever that meant!) and this was obviously the problem with my pictures. If only I had the money to upgrade to the D3 my pictures would surely be on magazines, right? Sadly, the money wasn’t there.
     And even sadder is that many years later, I still don’t have a D3 :(
     I know… grab a Kleenex.

     Even so, I plugged along and eventually sprung for an old 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor AI. The only drawback was that it was manual lens. That meant the horrifying Manual setting. Memories of destroying my first car’s standard transmission flashed in my head. By going manual I would surely destroy my camera too.
     This little lens forced me to balance aperture, speed and ISO and my usual point and shoot process slowed down. Way down. Seems obvious but I realized that when I clicked the shutter, the camera wasn’t looking through my eye into my brain and recording what I imagined up there. It was MY job to look through the viewfinder, frame the photo and tell it what I wanted darker/brighter. Since I had to do the work, I found I wasn’t going to war with a machine gun blazing at 2.5 fps but rather a slingshot and with every adjustment getting closer to the target.

     That was my first growth spurt as a photographer. The ability to get my pictures in the direction I wanted was incredibly encouraging. I went from “my camera sucks” to “I know how to get a good picture out of the situation”. Even if there’s ‘no light’!

     Without this lens I probably would have acquired a plethora of gadgets with the promise of ‘making’ my pictures amazing.
     Ok, I’m lying. I’ve still bought a lot of useless gear.
     But the experience taught me that without a good exposure all you’re left with is hours of sitting in front of the computer fishing for a preset or an adjustment that will save the moment.

     And that’s the story of the lens that changed me from a point-and-shoot shooter and added kerosene to my photography fire.

     Oh and by the way, if anyone is upgrading to the D4 and is thinking of throwing your D3 away. Please send it to me instead. Thanks.

           Comment by Gerardo — June 18, 2012 @ 10:28 am

149. 

     Thank you to everyone who participated. It was intriguing to hear how everyone developed as a photographer, and what was the catalyst. Or hear about how some piece of gear made a difference, or brought the joy of photography back.

     With such a diverse range in stories, it was quite tough to pick a winning entry.
     The one that grabbed me, was Erik Halberstadt’s essay on the difference that the iPhone brought to his photography. (Comment #121)

     As Erik summarized:
     The iPhone wasn’t just a sea change camera for me; it defines and creates a whole new world whose boundaries have yet to be discovered– kind of like the Bauhaus of the 20s and 30s and the New Bauhaus of the 30s and 40s. And yes, while it has “cheapened” photography just as every evolution of photography has done since the first snapshots came out of those early Kodak Moments, it is raising a new generation of serious photographers who will take photography to its new limits.

     Erik, congratulations! I’ll contact you to find out your details.

     Again, to everyone else, thank you … we’ll be doing something similar again sometime in the near future.

     Neil vN

           Comment by Neil vN — June 18, 2012 @ 7:32 pm

150. 

     I desperately want to dismiss this choice with a flip comment like ‘Seriously?’ But after reading your winner’s essay I have to admit that the iPhone has dramatically changed photography for him. And the question was not what piece of gear has had the most impact on photography. It was what piece of gear has had the most impact on your photography. And it never said the item had to have improved your photography. Ironic that a point n’ shoot is the choice of someone who grew up the son of a photographer, became a pro and had every piece of equipment available to him from the 1950s on up. So is he just tired of doing it the right way and infatuated with a novelty and its convenience? Or is he on to something?

           Comment by Jennifer Lynch — June 18, 2012 @ 10:12 pm

151. 

     Interesting. Some thing iphones changed the world. Others have had a P&S in their pocket all the time since 2000. Yet others have had cameras on their phone and/or PDAs since the mid 90′s.

     Why does iphone make the difference? Is it just being ‘cool’? Is it just because there is a generation of fanboys to whom P&S and phone cameras didn’t exist until Apple invented both?

     If he said apps like instagram sure, makes anyone’s boring pics seem fun. New boundaries.

     But the fact that many people have carried cameras since way before iphone, I really don’t know. It’s like me saying Toyota revolutionalised the world by inventing my motorcar, pls ignore all cars made previously.

           Comment by Kent — June 18, 2012 @ 11:07 pm

152. 

     Kent .. here’s my take on the iPhone as the perfect walkabout camera. The answer lies in that it isn’t just a-phone-with-a-camera.

     You know how good the iPhone is? They can strip away the phone part of it – the essential heart of the iPhone – and still sell a bazillion of them as iPods.

     Neil vN

           Comment by Neil vN — June 18, 2012 @ 11:42 pm

153. 

     Neil, the way I see it is that Apple ruined a perfectly good computer/camera.

     Jennifer– shooting with restrictions has always been good photographic practice. My seeing (and artistic vision) has improved greatly, in part because it’s so immediate, and in part because it’s so unforgiving. Working with limited dynamic range, a small sensor and no aperture control forces me to work at it, the see what it sees and not what I want it to see. As a result, when I shoot with my Canon, I have head-space for off exposure or out of range lighting. It’s a lot like the Retina III-a that was my first camera, or the Olympus XA that I wore on my belt for years.

     Kent– I think it was Honda that transformed the car market; sort of like Kodak and the box camera did for photography. Having a photo-lab in my pocket is kind of cool; I didn’t list apps because it’s all developer, film, and paper — I could say as much about Pan-x, Rodinal, and Ilford rc — but that was forty years ago and I’m not done growing.

     It isn’t that the iPhone is a great camera or computer or… it isn’t even a great phone; it’s barely adequate as any of those things. All together, though? Pretty nifty!

           Comment by Erik Halberstadt — June 19, 2012 @ 8:53 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Filed under: contest,general photography — Neil vN @ 12:25 pm