As I mentioned in my previous post, I began to learn about the professional side of photography using an old Canon Rebel T3. That camera is still near and dear to my heart. It was my first "big camera" and could do so many amazing things compared to the point-and-shoot variety I had used up to that point. Once I learned about the Exposure Triangle and got myself a 50mm f/1.8 lens - LOOK OUT. I couldn't believe how much fun it was to take pictures of people using that beautiful blurry background feature you can get with a wide open aperture. *swoon*
For about a year, my old Rebel and my new lens worked wonders together, as far as I was concerned. But then... I began to educate myself further and learned that my beloved camera was... gasp... a crop sensor camera, which meant I wasn't getting the best results out of my 50mm lens, among other things. As I dug into the world of truly professional grade cameras, I was once again filled with amazement and delight. The things the full-frame cameras claimed to do seemed borderline magical, and I wondered how much better a camera could possibly be? Especially for those prices! Take wine, for example. I've always wondered if a $500 bottle of wine could really be that much better than say, a $30 bottle of wine? Is a Canon 5D Mark iii really that much better than a Canon Rebel T3? HAH. The answer is yes times a million.
I did all my reading, I talked to professional photographer friends, I educated myself on the differences until I was convinced that the Canon 5D Mark iii was the camera for me. Now, I completely realize that better and more expensive equipment does not a photographer make. I don't pretend to be out to win awards and I certainly don't believe that this camera will actually be magical, granting me instantaneous success. I still have so much to learn. It can be incredibly intimidating to look at other photographers' work. My instinct is to give up, tell myself I'm not good enough and I never will be. But for my own sake, and quite honestly for my daughter's sake, I have decided to see this through and improve over time, just like everyone else has to. I want my daughter to grow up with a growth mindset rather than the fixed mindset I seem to have acquired. The best way I can show her how to do that is to make myself do it.
I decided to prove to myself that Erin Sutherland Photography could work before I took the plunge and upgraded to the 5D Mark iii. I committed myself to paying for my new camera from money earned doing photography. After about a year and a half of gracious friends entrusting me with their family photos, I had saved enough to buy my new professional camera. The first picture I took on it was of my daughter's toy dragon, and I'm not kidding when I say the result sort of took my breath away. It was the most remarkable picture I'd ever taken. It's possible that the Mark iii is actually magical, after all, and I simply can't wait to use it more this year.