The Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS)
If you're here, it's very likely that you or a loved one has GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).
My name is Marcos Barbero, and I too, suffer from GAS. I just cannot help myself with so many new lenses, tripods, cameras, and drones. Well, you get my point.
But worry you not! The first step to healing is acknowledging the problem. In this blog post, you'll find some tips to control the urge to get a new piece of gear all the time.
The scenario
You're new (or not) to photography, and everything about it is very engaging for you. You like portraits, landscape, macro, street, drone footage, and everything else out there. Of course, you want lenses that cover from 8mm all the way up to 1200mm! You also want studio lighting, speedlight, tripods, and the newest full-frame camera because the more pixels, the better, and all professionals use it! Or you're just buying things for the sake of buying them. A new set of camera filters, a new action camera, because why not?
Do you see yourself in the description above? I surely do see myself!
Talk to someone
I know it sounds silly, but having someone to talk to will always keep you in check. Whether it's someone more experienced with photography or just a close person to you, having someone to talk to about the next "purchase" can make you think twice about whether or not you should buy a new piece of gear.
Know your gear and its limitation
Here is a killer tip, or at least it was for me. Know your gear. Know its limitation.
Why are we often buying new gear? Sometimes we just believe we need something else, but we just don't know well enough the equipment we already have. Identify why you want another piece of gear and what it would bring to you that your current gear cannot.
You'll often find that your current gear is more than enough for your goals.
Invest in knowledge
Having better gear is not always linked to taking better photos. It's better to invest in things that might get you to the next level, and often it's learning about composition, exposure, colors, and post-editing. The list is endless. Of course, better gear will help you get better quality files, does not mean it will help you take better photos.
Shoot away!
Get your camera and do what we believe we should be doing, photographing! It can be any type of photography, macro, landscape, portrait, whatever you like the most. Use your gear, and get to know it instead of overthinking what you're missing. Eventually, you'll find out what's missing.
Less is more
I know this one can sound cliche, but it's not. I'll give you my personal example. I had everything in my backpack, which made it super heavy for any landscape/hiking type of photography.
Is it good to have all kinds of gear available? Of course! Is it practical? No!
Having limited gear made it easier for me to go around and shoot and made me learn better about my equipment and what I could achieve with it.
In conclusion
No, I do not mean you should stop buying new gear. My point is that we should think twice about whether or not we need this new gear or if we can achieve the same result with the equipment we already have.
