I love small cameras.
A small camera changes the way you shoot and the way you look at things. There’s some kind of innate attribute they have that empowers you to just take pictures without complicating everything or being a pretentious asshole about your “art”.

When I use a larger camera, it slows everything down. This may be a good thing within context, but I think it’s important to be less deliberate and go with the flow to break up some of the ultra-well-planned-and-composed nature of more formal work. It’s just another way to connect with photography when you’re shooting an old, cheap, super compact camera. The camera regains it’s status as a pencil or paintbrush. There’s nothing precious about it. It’s just a tool. It’s not some expensive artist’s status symbol or some analog to a dude pulling up to a coffee shop in a Ferrari to make sure all the women see how cool he is. It’s just a stupid camera and it makes you worry less about the things that don’t matter.

There’s a certain insufferable and immature nature to brand loyalist gear psychos. You know who I’m talking about. The typical street photographer with the stupid hat and the $8,000 Leica setup (nothing against Leica, I’m talking about The Brand and it’s flunkies) or the cringe athlesiure wearing landscape dad with the Patagonia jacket and a huge fucking Pentax medium format rig. I could go on about the Canon/Nikon/Fuji dick measuring contest people but I think you get the point already. None of it matters. It’s just a fucking camera, dude. Usually the gear is of higher quality than the photos with these people and it just further validates the point.


All stereotypes aside, I think there is a lot to learn from using the smallest, cheapest camera you can get away with. It helped me understand that the equipment has very little to do with the results. Or at least, less than those with less experience may think at least.
I hate to rehash these dead horse sort of statements but they’re heard so often because they’re true. I think Daido said it best:
