--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the equipment you use has a real…" description: "\"I think the equipment you use has a real, visible influence on the character of your photography. You're going to work differently, and make different ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/keith-carter-23741_camera_i-think-the-equipment-you-use-has-a-real_3213502.jpg" --- # I think the equipment you use has a real, visible… ![“I think the equipment you use has a real, visible influence on the character of your photography. You're going to work differently, and make different kinds of pictures, if you have to set up a view camera on a tripod than if you're Lee Friedlander with handheld 35 mm rangefinder. But…” quote by Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/keith-carter-23741_camera_i-think-the-equipment-you-use-has-a-real_3213502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/keith-carter-23741_camera_i-think-the-equipment-you-use-has-a-real_3213502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/keith-carter-23741_camera_i-think-the-equipment-you-use-has-a-real_3213502.jpg) > “I think the equipment you use has a real, visible influence on the character of your photography. You're going to work differently, and make different kinds of pictures, if you have to set up a view camera on a tripod than if you're Lee Friedlander with handheld 35 mm rangefinder. But fundamentally, vision is not about which camera or how many megapixels you have, it's about what you find important. It's all about ideas.” [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The tools you use shape your process, but the core of photography is the ideas you prioritize, not the gear. **In simple terms:** Gear influences method; ideas drive art. Key Takeaway Focus on ideas, not equipment. Themes photography creativity tools process ideas Mood inspired thoughtful Type artistic practical When to use this quote - portrait sessions - landscape shoots - conceptual projects - educational workshops Key Concepts visual storytelling intentionality medium choice Questions to Reflect On - What ideas matter most in your work? - How can you innovate with limited equipment? A Different Perspective Expensive gear can create barriers for beginners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tripods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tripods/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [There's this way that photography is always about going out searching. 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However, I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pfahl/it-would-have-been-possible-to-structure-my-photographs-in-such-a-way/) [John Pfahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pfahl/) > [“Teach your students not to be tripods, then.  Show them the difference between truly supporting someone and merely propping them up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debora-geary/teach-your-students-not-to-be-tripods-then-show-them-the-difference/) [Debora Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debora-geary/) > [ To be sure the landscape can't run away, and yet I always fear that it may. \[Sometimes\] I must set up my tripod, so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-giacomelli/to-be-sure-the-landscape-can-t-run-away-and-yet-i-always-fear-that-it/) [Mario Giacomelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-giacomelli/) > [For suppose that every tool we had could perform its task, either at our bidding or itself perceiving the need, and if-like the statues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/for-suppose-that-every-tool-we-had-could-perform-its-task-either-at/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Africa - You can see a sunset and believe you have witnessed the Hand of God. You watch the slope lope of a lioness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/africa-you-can-see-a-sunset-and-believe-you-have-witnessed-the-hand/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some cameras are heavier and need to be on tripods. Others are small enough to hide in your pocket. 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They call me 'the tripod' because I'm kind of short and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-besson/when-i-got-the-camera-on-the-shoulder-they-give-me-a-nickname-they/) [Luc Besson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-besson/) > [ I once recommended \[in a San Francisco Chronicle column\] that a third arm - a plastic arm - be sewn at the base of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/i-once-recommended-in-a-san-francisco-chronicle-column-that-a-third/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-now-was-acknowledged-the-presence-of-the-red-death-he-had-come/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [But my heart is always propped up in a field on its tripod, ready for the next arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/but-my-heart-is-always-propped-up-in-a-field-on-its-tripod-ready-for/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) ## More by Keith Carter > [I like small things, I like small moments that are almost elliptical, that are not necessarily linear; they're natural things that happen in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-like-small-things-i-like-small-moments-that-are-almost-elliptical/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [I don't just look at the thing itself or at the reality itself; I look around the edges for those little askew moments-kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-don-t-just-look-at-the-thing-itself-or-at-the-reality-itself-i-look/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [In the history of photography, one process has always replaced another. The tumultuous realignment that's going on in the photography now is really just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/in-the-history-of-photography-one-process-has-always-replaced-another/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [Poetry at least in my own life, is really about your own mortality. Everything in poetry makes me think of my mortality. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/poetry-at-least-in-my-own-life-is-really-about-your-own-mortality/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [You are lucky if you have one or two epiphanies in your life, particularly a creative one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/you-are-lucky-if-you-have-one-or-two-epiphanies-in-your-life/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [Your ideas come out of the way you conduct your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/your-ideas-come-out-of-the-way-you-conduct-your-life/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [I don't think science is necessarily incompatible with mystical or spiritual sensibilities. I often weigh them equally in my thinking, which sometimes finds itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-don-t-think-science-is-necessarily-incompatible-with-mystical-or/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [Love holds no regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/love-holds-no-regrets/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [At a fundamental level photography is much like pointing, and all of us occasionally point at things: look at that, look at that sailboat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/at-a-fundamental-level-photography-is-much-like-pointing-and-all-of/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [I think there is an element of magic in photography - light, chemistry, precious metals - a certain alchemy. You can wield a camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-think-there-is-an-element-of-magic-in-photography-light-chemistry/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [How do you find a way to say what an extraordinary experience it is to be alive in this world? That is the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/how-do-you-find-a-way-to-say-what-an-extraordinary-experience-it-is/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [I like what Wallace Stevens said: "Poetry must almost successfully resist intelligence." I just change the word "poetry" to "my photographs".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-like-what-wallace-stevens-said-poetry-must-almost-successfully/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [I want to be made better personally. That is the gig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-want-to-be-made-better-personally-that-is-the-gig/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [Making these photographs has often seemed to me like a kind of dance. Often I have danced badly and the world has fallen apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/making-these-photographs-has-often-seemed-to-me-like-a-kind-of-dance/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [The full weight and mystery of your art rests upon your relationship to your subject matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/the-full-weight-and-mystery-of-your-art-rests-upon-your-relationship/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) [Explore all 25 Keith Carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) ## More Camera quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [When I made my debut as an actor in 'Rock On!' I was confident to get in front of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/when-i-made-my-debut-as-an-actor-in-rock-on-i-was-confident-to-get-in/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) Mitra Farahani > [To be honest, I don't know... something about the camera like turns me into such a diva. Like when it's on and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bretman-rock/to-be-honest-i-don-t-know-something-about-the-camera-like-turns-me/) [Bretman Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bretman-rock/) > [When the camera is on, I am an actor; otherwise, I am an ordinary person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/when-the-camera-is-on-i-am-an-actor-otherwise-i-am-an-ordinary-person/) [Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/) > [“A camera is an opening in a box: that is the best emblem of the fact that a camera holding an object is holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-cavell/a-camera-is-an-opening-in-a-box-that-is-the-best-emblem-of-the-fact/) [Stanley Cavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-cavell/) > [It's such a weird thing, because you have a whole crew of people standing over there, on the other side. There's a camera pointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/it-s-such-a-weird-thing-because-you-have-a-whole-crew-of-people/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [“The camera lets me see things in a different way. It's like I finally have perspective. I can't always say stuff right in words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/the-camera-lets-me-see-things-in-a-different-way-it-s-like-i-finally/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) > [I was so green, and my background was mostly in theater. The only thing I'd done in front of a camera, besides an infomercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-britton/i-was-so-green-and-my-background-was-mostly-in-theater-the-only-thing/) [Connie Britton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-britton/) > [As far as lighting and blocking, camera angles and facial expressions, all that stuff that has to be very specific in film, as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-torres/as-far-as-lighting-and-blocking-camera-angles-and-facial-expressions/) [Eve Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-torres/) > [It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-photographer-not-the-camera-that-is-the-instrument/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like to move the camera that much anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-don-t-like-to-move-the-camera-that-much-anyway/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [I feel like 'Preacher's Daughter' was my Trojan horse, in a way. I'm excited to pull back, be behind the camera instead of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-feel-like-preacher-s-daughter-was-my-trojan-horse-in-a-way-i-m/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) [Browse all 2,026 Camera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the equipment you use has a real, visible influence on the character of your photography. You're going to work differently, and make different kinds of pictures, if you have to set up a view camera on a tripod than if you're Lee Friedlander with handheld 35 mm rangefinder. But fundamentally, vision is not about which camera or how many megapixels you have, it's about what you find important. 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