My Equipment
Camera: Nikon d40. I like how easy it is to use. The controls are very intuitive (at least for me). It’s also really light. I can carry it in hand or around my neck for hours and not get tired. Some day, I may think about getting a more advanced body (I really like the D90, D5000, and the D300) but I’ll never get rid of my D40. It’s just so much fun.
Lenses: Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6g and a Nikkor 55-200mm f4-5.6 g. Sometimes, it’s a pain changing between two lenses. But, you get used to it… and fairly fast as well. These two lenses give me all the range I need. I’m able to get landscapes, upclose and personal shots, zoomed in to fine detail, and anything else I can think of. The quality and duribilty of these lense is great. These are the foundation of my photography. Any lenses I may aquire in the future can’t replace these two go to guys.
Other toys: Vivitar 225 flash. I inherited this from my dad. It’s a great little guy, and i’m really excited as I play and learn it more. I also got a few lense filters from him. With digital white balance, they are kind of unnecessary. But still fun.
I picked up a infrared wireless remote for my D40 (really, a must have for anyone), and a tripod to round out my gear.
That’s my equipment. That is all I really need.
And I like it that way. Too often, I hear people getting into photography talking about more and more equipment. They need this lense, that flash, that new camera body… Equipment does not make good pictures. Tools can help you maximise your skills and give you a wider range of shooting options, but they ain’t gonna turn your snapshots into photographs, if you know what I mean.
Keep it simple. Focus on your photography. Learn your camera and the lenses you have. It’s cheaper, and much more enjoyable.
That being said, I do want to pick up a SB-900 AF Speedlight, something along the lines of a SB_R200 Wireless Speedlight, and an 43″-60″umbrella reflector with stand to round out my lighting system. However, it is only after I have used the gear I have (and love) that I can say these things will enhance the photography I am trying to make into my career. If I never aquire these lights, I’ll be ok. I will still make great pictures, and still have a would of photographic options before me.
Get to know and love the gear you have. It will save you money, hassle, and is just another step to becoming a great photographer.
(man that last line sounded cheesy…)
DIvine Commodity blog tour
Skye Jethani has a new book out there: The Divine Commodity.
Today he is on a blog tour (complete list of blogs and radio spots can be found here).
Bob Hyatt has started what looks to be a good conversation with Skye. You should stop by and add your thoughts and questions.
Also be sure to check out a couple of my favorite blogs that Skye is also visitiong today:
- Ragamuffin Soul- Carlos Whittaker
- The Gospel-Driven Church- Jared Wilson
- Shlog- Shaun Groves
- Out of Ur- part of the Christianity Today family
The Coming Evangelical Collapse
The Internet Monk (Michael Spenser) has a great article in the Christian Science Monitor (on-line and in print): The Coming Evangelical Collapse. It’s a great piece, really good food for thought.
His article (actually allot of his blogging) has led me to two conclusions:
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I’m not ready to give up being an evangelical yet. There are some good things about this tradition that I think can and need to be salvaged from the “circus”: Gospel driven, personal experience of faith and conversion, a life transformed by the power of the spirit, being founded in the Bible not tradition. These things need to be celebrated and liberated from all the other crap. Everything else, the individualization of faith, the moralist thinking and culture war, idolizing the Bible, the lack of good kingdom theology (or good theology in general)… these things need to be thrown off and left to die.
- I’m not ready to give up on the emerging church yet. I really think that there has been much methodological reform birthed from the this movement and discussion. But, I think that most of the discussion has become solely about our church methods and our presence in social justice. Good parts of the discussion, but not all of the discussion at all. There needs to be a re-thinking of theology, a theological reform. I believe that the emerging church discussion/movement can and should be the catalyst to that. And I don’t believe it’s too late
More on this later… when I get my brain a bit more ordered.
Father, Husband, Theological Dreamer, Web Designer, Photographer, Coffee Chugger... Jesus obsessed & dreaming of a better Christianity. It's kind of like listening to a cross between guerrilla radio and a street corner prophet with a bad case of tourettes.
