Does the gear ACTUALLY matter?

Years ago when my band was on tour, we made a pitstop in Illinois to do a photoshoot.

It was almost winter, but my band mates and I were submerged up to our necks in a murky creek holding colorful umbrellas over our heads. (we were a pop punk band iykyk)

Because of our reflections in the water, the photo was a perfect half and half split.

The pictures turned out amazing; well worth shivering for the next couple of hours as we warmed up.

I wish I still had them.

Our photographer had all the toys:

• A Canon 5D (a high end professional portrait camera at the time),

• A bunch of lighting and softboxes

• Portable batteries, the works.

This photoshoot is what gave me the photography bug. I wanted to create images like that.

So I saved all my money, and bought my first camera ever. A Canon 5D. The exact model we used in our photoshoot.

I flipped the setting to auto, went out with my friend and snapped my first photo.

It looked..... like shit!

I remember staring at the screen frustrated. How was this the same camera from our photoshoot just a few weeks earlier?

It was in that moment that I realized that there was more to taking excellent photos than buying the best camera and pulling the trigger.

Does Gear Matter?

It's the age old argument.. does having better gear actually matter?

The answer? Yes and no.

Is gear going to make the heart and soul of your content and storytelling better? (which is most important)

No.

No amount of Sony FX3's or Canon R5's or RED Komodos is going to make you a better storyteller.

No amount of those things is going to make you better at connecting with your audience.

Will better gear help you elevate the visual quality of your work? Absolutely.

But here's the thing. You have to know how to use it.

Someone with an iPhone and a knowledge of lighting and composition will easily out perform someone with the latest and greatest with none of that knowledge.

I'm proof of that. I thought if I spent the big bucks I'd get big results.

But that what a tool is capable of, and what the operator of that tool is capable of are two completely different things.

That's why I created Short Form Filmmaker.

In this live online workshop, I'm going to give you my entire process for creating cinematic videos. From storytelling fundamental and lighting, composition and camera techniques.

No more endless hours of piecing together tutorials online. I’ll give you the tools, tips, and confidence to create scroll-stopping, cinematic content.

I'll see you there.

Caleb