Jeff Smith's Guide to Head and Shoulders Portrait Photography

there—especially when the economy brand dies right after the warranty expires.

However, I also feel that if you buy the top-of-the-line cameras, lighting, and

other equipment, you aren’t as good of a businessperson as you could be. If you

are the kind of photographer who has a camera that works just fine but still

feels compelled to buy the newest digital camera when it comes out, you are

buyingtoysnottools! We aren’t children, we are businesspeople.

When I hire a new photographer or assistant, the first questions they ask are

usually about equipment. I always reply with the same question: “Do you think

that when two surgeons get together, they ask each other what brand of scalpel

each uses?” Surgeons discuss techniques, not tools, because they are confident

in their skill. Photographers tend to talk about tools, not techniques, because

many people in our profession are not as confident in their skills as they could

be. So as we discuss equipment, remember that it is theskilland not thescalpel

that makes the difference.

Think Creatively.

I have had student photographers e-mail me and exclaim, “You’re successful—

you can afford all this stuff. I’m poor and just starting out!” My response?

TOOLS OF THE TRADE 15

ABOVE AND FACING PAGE—Creating great
portraits isn’t about owning the right
equipment, it’s about knowing (and using)
the right techniques.