Readers' Showcase: Steven James Martin

I know these are slightly better than the average snapshot, but let's not get carried away. Photographers receive too much credit for simply pointing a tool and pressing a button. I will be arguing until the end of my days that documentary photography is not art. Real art involves skills formed over decades, fertile imagination, and hours, days or months spent on a single work.

Very nice compositions. When I view images I never think "what camera did they use". Such an inane question. Yet, when asked that very question about one of my images, I usually reply "one with a lens"...going on to explain the challenges of compelling composition and what was involved to make that particular image a unique extension of my creative ability.

Thanks for all the nice comments! Really nice to be featured.

Everybody, it's time to downgrade to the D5100!

There was a full page image from a D200 in a popular photo magazine this month.
Gear good enough for getting good images was made a long time ago.
It has always been about the photographer.
I love fun new gear.
I also like nice images, no matter what device took them.
Nice images in this article.
BC

True. Great photos. This shows it the technique and eye for detail that come first. Once you have crossed that threshhold of better photos one can always buy better and more expensive gear ! And that means my D5200/Nikkor 18-140 is a good place to start !!!

Well this should end some debates on how older gear is no slouch, and that we really have not made as may strides as we are lead to believe.

D5100 is MID-RANGE!!! Not entry-Level.

I'm not really a gear snob, but I do like my primes because of the clarity. I think that if he carried around an entry level FF camera and a 35 f2 IS, or 35 1.4 or whatever, I think he'd get much better results. You can't tell here, because you're just judging the kit lens without something to compare it to. But if you put the two side by side, the difference, to me, would be well worth it.

So what you're saying is: if I buy a Nikon 5100, it will make me a better photographer?

12 comments before the misery shows up.

Nice portfolio steven. Love the oranges against the grey and the balloon sillouettes.

And while his imagery looks very polished and certainly premium stock agency material, i wouldn't say that i could detect a personal style, anything quirky or character-revealing. (Talking about the 9 pictures in here only.)

"Oh, wow..."

A7R II? A6300? X-Pro 2? D7200? 80D? K-1? D810? 5DS R? D5? Nah...

Great work, Steve!
Before someone say that a photographer can take great pictures even with an entry level camera(which is true), let me remind you that D5100 is an entry level body but only in Nikon's world :)
Do not underestimate it because of it's age and price... it's a Nikon :)

Nikon D5100 (2011): $365
- Color Depth: 23.5 bits
- Dynamic Range: 13.6 ev
- Low Light SNR: 1183 ISO

Canon 7D II (2014): $1500
- Color Depth: 22.4 bits
- Dynamic Range: 11.8 ev
- Low Light SNR: 1082 ISO

;-P

Don't show this article to my wife. I don't want her knowing that all I really need is a kit lens... Could you please post more articles about how important having good glass is?

Really nice work. It is more inspiring being reminded that great shots are within our ability without expensive gear.

I cannot acknowledge how brilliant his work is until he try's another ten copies of his lenses to get an acceptable copy because at 1000% crop I may see a hint of chromatic aberration on one grain of sand.

Wise choice of lenses for those who don't like weight.

Nice down to earth statements.

Entry-level camera dslr and kit lens are nice!

Another lesson for those of us who think their photography would improve proportional to what they spend for it...