"...the one you have with you." I recently came across this quote as I was preparing for a guest-speaking presentation at a local high school film photography class. I was a bit puzzled by this quote at first, because sometimes my "best camera" that I currently have at a specific moment is my iPhone camera, and I am never really the kind of guy to try to create something beautiful with an iPhone (for example, those infamous "iPhone photographers" you come across on Instagram asking for a #followforfollow or #likeforlike). I might snap a picture with my phone to capture the memory, but never to express myself artistically. But as of late, I came to understand a key truth from this quote about photography - and this lesson didn't come very easily.

One thing I love about film photography is the affordable prices you can find vintage cameras for - and I don't just love film photography because I'm cheap, but because I can create just as beautiful photographs as high-end digital cameras can if I use this inexpensive, vintage camera gear effectively. Novices and misinformed photographers often pursue great lengths to obtain state-of-the-art camera gear that can well exceed the cost of five grand due to the common delusion that the camera makes the photographer. But, to briefly refute, sometimes certain photographs require different equipment that lower-end equipment can't handle. For example, when I take star exposures I use my Nikon D750 & 24-70mm f2.8 combo, a price far beyond anything I've spent on film photography. Getting back to my point, I use film photography most often because it tailors well to my artistic vision and voice. The camera does not make the photographer; the vision makes the photographer. And that vision sometimes requires different equipment to make it come into reality.

I recently sold my Canon AE-1 film camera a few weeks ago, the only 35mm film camera I had for the past 2 and a half years. I had an idea to sell my camera and start saving my money to invest in medium-format film photography and purchase a Pentax 6x7, which are currently trending around $500 for the camera body alone. Suffice it to say, my situation became a little bit complicated. Since I am leaving to be a Christian missionary in 3 months, by the time I have enough money for a Pentax 6x7 full camera set I would probably have around 2 or 3 weeks at the most to use it. I came to the conclusion that I would rather just keep shooting 35mm film until I leave for my mission instead of having no means to shoot film and saving all my money towards a camera that I can purchase any other time in my life. And, honestly, the Pentax 6x7 wouldn't make me that much of a better photographer. What makes a photographer better is pushing the limits of creativity and becoming as familiar as possible with the current camera being used.

So, subsequently, I've found another vintage 35mm camera to shoot with so I can keep shooting film, even though it's not necessarily my "dream camera". I'm making the best out of what I've got - and that's what the headlining quote of this post means. What makes the photographer is not the camera, but what's right behind the camera - the imagination.

Is there a more iconic duo than Paolo Adorablé and his love for bread bowls? 

I had a super fun time with this shoot. It's definitely atypical relative to other shoots I usually do for fun, but it was quite refreshing trying something new by shooting portraits in a natural-lighting studio. I got to express my quirky personality through this shoot ​that only my close friends and family know of, thanks to Paolo's willingness and cooperation. I definitely want to try more expressive studio work in the future - but probably not involved with food.