Originally Published January 23rd, 2019

Just some quick thoughts:

I recently saw a photographer who built a camera out of some a toilet paper rolls, glue, and cardboard. The photos ended up being very eerie and surreal—like nothing I’d ever seen before. Something you couldn’t create with a photoshop filter.

Moral of the story—gear doesen’t matter.

I think if you want to increase your photography skills—limit your gear. Instead of focusing on new stuff, stick with one camera and one lens. Do it for a month or better yet a year. Take 100 photos every day.

“Discipline equals freedom.”—Jocko

Limiting yourself to only 1 camera and 1 lens strips away all the other distractions. The only thing left is making photos.

It will force you to get closer to your subjects. It will allow you to think more about the composition, subject matter, feeling, mood etc.

Don’t make your camera do the thinking—that’s your job. Learn to read your surroundings in order to anticipate future events. Then you’ll be prepared to capture them when they happen.

“Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify.” —Henry David Thoreau

Keep your work simple***

-Tim