Last Updated on 03/25/2015 by Chris Gampat
Editor’s Note: this is a syndicated blog post from Marius Vieth. It and the images in the post are being republished with permission.
GAS, also known as Gear Acquisition Syndrome, is very common among photographers. It simply means that you just can’t get enough new lenses, equipment and upgrade your cam as soon as possible in order to have more options and – according to the seemingly prevalent opinion – become better. But have you ever thought about the opposite side of this imaginary disease – the Gear Avoidance Syndrome? A syndrome that might even be good for you and your photography. And your wallet.
Before we go into any further detail, let’s make something perfectly clear: How valuable catching Gear Avoidance Syndrome is, mostly depends on your genre. If you are a landscape photographer, wedding photographer or working in any other field of photography that demands a lot of equipment to get the job done, the following lines won’t really apply that much. Furthermore, high quality equipment is still awesome and so is talking about it. We love to do that from time to time.
But why should it be bad to have a lot of gear at your disposal? Isn’t it incredible to have all the gear you want and be able to shoot every photo imaginable? The reasoning behind Gear Avoidance Syndrome is simply what psychologists call “Paralysis By Analysis” or “The Paradox of Choice”. Analysis Paralysis in this context means that you’re getting so carried away analyzing every aspect of a photographic situation on a technical level that you oversee what it’s truly about. The great range of technical choices distracts from the even bigger choices on a creative level where the magic happens. To keep it short, but reasonable accurate: The more you have, the harder it gets, because the more gear you own, the more you’re trapped in thoughts about this gear.