Last Updated on 07/05/2016 by Chris Gampat
All images by Anthony James. Used with Permission.
“Eric Clapton can pick up any $200 guitar and blow you the fuck away with it.” says photographer Anthony James Pagliaro about gear and how he thinks it’s really overrated in photography. It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in specs and gear in photography, both as a profession and hobby. There is always some sweet new lens or camera producing results that makes everyone go crazy. But what many of us forget to remember, is that the gear doesn’t make the art, the photographer does, and knowing your gear inside and out is much more important than having the latest gizmos and gadgets.
Anthony sent us this set of images, driving home the point that gear is but a small piece to the puzzle. James says he feels “like EVERYONE is about the gear. So? I am not…A Wall Street trader with a $20,000 battle station makes less money in the market than a housecat.”
Funny enough, James credits his mistakes to the inspiration for his photography. “A mistake. Yup. Nothing makes me want to try new things like seeing the magic of an unintended consequence. You’ll often find me trying to ‘find mistakes’ by swinging like a wild lumberjack at an otherwise-peaceful scene, or doing something moronic, just to see what’ll happen.” James says, “Digital photography allows you to just go and experiment and not worry about your resources, for the most part—always carry a spare battery, kids!”
You can take a look at his inspiring mistakes below…