We have all heard the phrase ‘it is never the gear, but the photographer’.
To a large extent, that saying definitely holds true. However, in certain situations, gear does matter – albeit not as much as we think – as it plays an important key aspect towards the making of a good photo.
For example, macro lenses and filters allow us to go closer and more intimately to things/objects that we could like to make a closer photo of to capture all the minute details, such as a ladybird on a leaf or the rainbow-coloured compound eyes of a dragonfly at rest. Similarly, a telephoto lens with a great zoom allow us to ‘get closer’ to the action without having to actually walk up to it; be it for practical or safety reasons.
Another example would be the use of a tripod to capture long-exposure shots of a city’s skyline, resulting in stunning and attention-grabbing images of urban scenes. This would not be possible without the stability provided by the tripod accessory.
However at the end of the day, having a wide range of camera gear makes up only a small part of a big picture as no amount of state-of-the-art equipment can replace a solid foundation and knowledge in photography, and camera accessories should be used as an augmentation to your image making.