Why I always have a camera on me, and you should too!
Before we start, I have to clarify, YES a camera, separately from my smartphone. "But smartphones these days are sooo advanced, they can take great pictures too!" - you might think. Hear me out though.
Lately, I made it a habit to always have at least my small compact Casio on me, just in case I spot something interesting, or with the potential for a great picture. But isn't the phone not enough, with its quad cameras and bazillion of pixels? Well, not quite, and here is why: Since smartphones can't incorporate a larger image processing sensor in their slim body, cameras will always have the advantage of better contrast, and depth of field.
But aside from the technical aspect, I feel like having a camera on me has a psychological impact on my habit to take more pictures, often of seemingly mundane subjects, which sometimes end up being my favorite shots. I am less likely to take a picture with my cellphone, and edit it later on, than taking pics on a camera, and having the eagerness to see the pictures in Lightroom on my laptop and crafting them to full glory. It just adds an extra layer to it I guess, which makes me always impatient at the end of the day, to finally see the results of the shots taken.
It might not be surprising, but with more practice, you will inevitably get better at what you do. You will see the beauty in every little thing, and look actively for it, even on spots you might not expect.
Will all the shots I take be masterpieces? Hell no. Only 30% of these pictures will see the light of social media maybe, but it's all about the intention, and practicing the craft of photography! You don't have to nail every shot, it's enough if you have one REALLY GOOD image, out of 100. Who cares about your ratio? No one will ever ask how many raw files you had when seeing the finished fee pictures. Trust me, no one cares, especially if the result is mind-blowing.
In these days of digital photography, we are much more spoiled with the chance to take as many pictures as we want, without the fear of wasting a frame or just running out of film. I try to incorporate this mindset into my digital adventures as well, and slow down my process, before pressing the shutter.
One day I met with an old high-school friend of mine to catch up, and we ended up on her sister's beautiful rooftop, from which you can overlook the entire skyline of Vienna, including the Danube, and Prater. It would have been a shame if I didn't have a camera on me to take some pics of her in that gorgeous location, combined with a mind-blowing sunset! Just wow! Best spot in Vienna, no doubt!!
Of course, this doesn't mean that you HAVE to buy a camera, if you are happy with your phone, and enjoy taking pictures with it, GREAT! This was just my opinion, and my experience lately, but I would highly recommend buying a small digital camera, especially because they are fairly cheap on the used market, and have much better image quality with more natural colors than any smartphone out there!
