Keeping Your Photography Simple

From the Best of Mark Toal, photography by Joe Farace

KISS is an acronym for “Keep it simple, stupid” that was associated with aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson. The KISS principle states that systems work best if when they are simple rather than complicated; simplicity should be a goal in design and unnecessary complexity avoided. Nowhere is that more true than in photography and it’s one of biggest reasons why Mark and I love mirrorless cameras—Joe Farace

Do you ever get “gear overload” where you’ve been buying too many photo gadgets and reading too many equipment reviews or visiting photo forums looking for that perfect piece of gear to help you capture the illusive ultimate image?

All of this got me thinking about how my personal photography changed when I started using Micro Four-thirds cameras. In the past, I shot with Nikon film and digital SLR’s and loved them but they were so big and heavy that I never carried them with me. I always needed to have a reason to want to take this big, expensive camera with me when I walked out the door. I started carrying a point and shoot with me all the time but it’s small sensor and low light limitations left me wanting a better image.

When Panasonic sent me a Lumix G1 I found that I had no hesitation having it in the car all the time or carrying it as I walked around town. It truly changed the way I shoot and in some ways the manner in which I see things. I started to notice a lot of things that I would normally pass by because I stopped to photograph them. This is the same way that I shot when I first got interested in photography as a teenager. I could only afford one body and one lens and it went everywhere with me.

Note: Each month in Shutterbug magazine I write a column called Geared Up. Please pick up a copy at your local supermarket, book store and wherever magazines are sold. Better yet, why not subscribe.