Why an Expensive Camera Doesn't Make Your Photos Better (and Why the Best Photos Start for Free)
"Once I buy that new camera, my photos will finally turn out great."
Why an Expensive Camera Doesn't Make Your Photos Better (and What Actually Makes a Difference)
"Marcel, once I buy that new camera, my photos will finally turn out great." It’s probably the comment I hear most often during my Photography Experiences. I hear it from beginners, but also from people who’ve been taking photos for years. And honestly? I totally get that mindset. After all, the photography industry has been telling us the same story for years: more megapixels, a larger sensor, better autofocus, and increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence would automatically lead to better photos. It seems as though the solution is always just one purchase away.
Yet during every workshop , I see exactly the opposite happen. The participant with the newest camera doesn’t always take the best photo. In fact, it’s not uncommon for someone with a simple smartphone to go home with the shot that the whole group is still talking about days later. Not because that phone is technically superior, but because that person saw something the rest completely overlooked. And that’s exactly where photography begins.
A camera can capture images. You are the one who sees. That may seem like a small difference, but it’s perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned over the past thirty years. When I first started taking photos, I thought exactly the same way as many others. I saved up for better equipment, dreamed of professional lenses, and spent hours devouring reviews of the latest cameras. Every purchase felt like a step closer to better photos. Until I discovered that my photos were indeed getting sharper, but not more interesting.
The real change didn't come until I started looking less at my camera and more at my surroundings. I learned to wait for the right light. I discovered that taking a step to the left sometimes made more of a difference than a new two-thousand-euro lens. I started asking myself why I actually wanted to take a photo, rather than how I could make it technically perfect. That changed everything. My photos didn’t get better because my camera changed, but because the way I looked at things changed.
Discover how you can see things differently
During my Photography Experience, learn why it’s not your camera, but your way of seeing that makes the difference.
The Biggest Misconception in Photography
When I was still working in the corporate world, something struck me. We had managers with the most expensive laptops, the latest phones, and the most advanced software. Yet it wasn’t the technology that made the difference. It was the people who asked the right questions, were curious, and saw connections that others missed. Photography works exactly the same way. A camera is a tool, not a guarantee of a good photo.
Yet many photographers keep looking for their next purchase. They read reviews, compare specs, and endlessly watch YouTube videos explaining why the latest camera is even better than last year’s model. Meanwhile, they forget something much more important: going outside and taking pictures.
During my workshops, I sometimes joke that reading a manual won’t make you a better photographer. That usually brings a smile to people’s faces, but there’s a serious message behind it. You learn to take photos by observing, experimenting, making mistakes, and trying again. Not by constantly studying a camera’s technical capabilities.
Would you like to experience this for yourself?
Join me on a walk through the Schoorl Dunes and discover how small changes in light can make a world of difference.
The problem usually isn't with your camera
I see it happen all the time. A participant arrives with a camera that would make many professionals jealous—the latest camera body, an impressive lens, and a backpack full of accessories. Standing next to them is someone with a simple mirrorless camera from a few years ago—or even just a smartphone. At the end of the morning, we review the photos. Almost without fail, the same surprise emerges: it’s not the most expensive camera that captured the most impressive images, but the one whose owner had the patience to wait for the right moment.
You can’t force that perfect moment. It happens when light, composition, and timing come together. A ray of sunlight breaking through the fog at just the right moment. A hiker reaching the top of a dune at the perfect moment. A bird taking flight just as the sky turns golden. These aren’t settings on a menu. They’re moments you only see when you’re fully present.
Perhaps that is the biggest change that photography has brought about in me personally. I’ve started to see things differently—not just through my viewfinder, but also in the world around me. Where I used to see mainly destinations, I now see stories. A weathered door tells a story about the people who have walked through it over the years. An abandoned bench by the sea raises questions. Who sat here yesterday? Who will come here tomorrow? Good photography doesn’t start with answers, but with curiosity.
Why Professionals Take Different Photos
Many people think that professional photographers take better photos because they have better cameras. In reality, it’s usually exactly the opposite. They don’t choose a particular shot because the camera is capable of it, but because they already know what they want to show.
You notice that difference the moment you walk alongside an experienced photographer. While most people immediately reach for their camera as soon as they see a beautiful spot, a professional often does something completely different. First, he looks around. He walks around the area. He observes how the light falls, where the lines lead, and what happens when he takes a few meters to the left or right. Only then does he raise his camera.
During my Photography Experiences, I notice that participants are often surprised by how little I photograph at the beginning. Sometimes we walk for ten minutes without me taking a single photo. Not because there’s nothing to photograph, but because I haven’t yet found what I want to convey. I’m not looking for a beautiful location. I’m looking for an image that sticks with you.
That might sound strange, but try it for yourself. Tomorrow, go to a place you’ve been to dozens of times. Don’t take a photo right away. First, take a leisurely walk around. Look up, look down, and turn around. Ask yourself why you want to take a photo right there. Chances are you’ll discover a scene you would otherwise have completely overlooked.
Professional photographers don't necessarily have better eyes than you. They've trained themselves to look more closely. They know that a slight change in angle, a different time of day, or a few minutes of patience can sometimes make more of a difference than a camera that costs twice as much.
It’s precisely that patience that I see less and less around me. We live in a world where everything has to happen quickly. We take dozens of photos, glance briefly at the screen, and keep walking. But photography actually rewards those who pause for a moment. Those who wait until the wind blows in the right direction, until the clouds part, or until that one hiker appears in exactly the right spot. Sometimes the best photo isn’t the one you take right away, but the one you’ve waited five minutes for.
And perhaps that is the most important quality of a good photographer: not technical knowledge, but curiosity. The willingness to keep asking yourself, “Is this really the best photo I can take here?”
The best photos start with attention
Maybe one day you'll buy that camera you've been dreaming about for so long. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Good equipment can help you, give you more options, and really make a difference in certain situations. But don't expect a new camera to automatically make you a better photographer.
You don't take the biggest step in the store.
You make that choice the moment you decide to look more closely.
Take a moment to pause. Don’t just keep walking. Ask yourself why you want to take that particular photo. Notice where the light is coming from. Try changing your angle. Wait another minute. Or five. You’ll find that the world is suddenly full of stories you didn’t see before.
That’s exactly why I love photography so much. It hasn’t just taught me how to take better photos. It’s taught me to look at the world with more attention—at people, at details, at moments that most people overlook.
And perhaps that is the greatest benefit of photography.
It's not like you'll come home with an impressive picture.
But that you started seeing things differently along the way.
Ready to take better photos?
So the next time you spend hours reading reviews about the latest camera or wondering which lens you're still missing, ask yourself one simple question first.
Did I really watch it today?
Because the best photos don’t start with a new camera. They don’t start with more megapixels. They don’t start with a more expensive lens. They start the moment you decide to look more closely—at the light, at the story, at the details that others overlook.
That is the power of photography. And perhaps the power of seeing things differently.
Ready to learn to see things differently?
During a BAKKM Photography Experience, you’ll discover how to take better photos right away using the same camera or smartphone. It’s not a technical course full of complicated settings, but a hands-on experience where you’ll learn to see the world through a photographer’s eyes. You’ll learn to see things differently, shoot more mindfully, and take photos that not only show where you were, but—most importantly—convey what you felt.
Whether you're taking photos with a smartphone, a mirrorless camera, or an SLR, the best photos don't start with your equipment. They start with you.
Are you ready to see things differently? Then check out the next BAKKM Photography Experience and discover just how much more beautiful your photos can become.
