We are all guilty of it. I have done it and I am sure at one time or another you have too. We mean well but the words just come out wrong. Then we stumble and mutter and try to correct ourselves but its too late. We have just taken another taste of our foot.

On the receiving end for some reason, some of us are more subject to hearing it than others. We photographers hear it a lot. “That’s a great photograph! You must have a great camera.” Yes, in fact I have a few, but that’s not what took the photograph. I took the photo. My eye saw the image before it was captured with the camera, I framed the shot, I set the exposure, often I set the lighting, set the stage, and many other things before a camera was even involved.

When presented with that wonderful, “nice camera, I bet it takes great pictures.” I have two responses. The first quick reply is, “Nope. I do.” But if I have a moment I relate a little story…

A friend of mine and I went out to dinner to catch up as we hadn’t seen each other in a long time. We talked and had a fantastic meal. My friend complimented me on some of the images I was showing him on my iPad after we finished eating and said, “you must have a really great camera.” Just as he said that the chef stopped by our table and asked if we had enjoyed the food. My friend poured over how wonderful it was and how talented the chef was. At that point the chef noticed my images on the iPad and to change the topic mentioned how much he liked photography and the images. He then said exactly what my friend said, “you must have a great camera.”

I turned to the chef and said, “The food was fantastic! You must have a really great stove.”

Both turned and looked at me somewhat stunned. After a moment the chef started to grin and said that the images were wonderful and that I was very talented. He thanked us for coming and then smiling, moved on to the next table.

My friend turned to me and said, “I can’t believe you said that to him.” I then pointed out that if the chef is talented it shouldn’t matter what stove he has. In that regard, if an artist of any kind is talented, their equipment is of very little consequence, so in the same vain it doesn’t matter if I am using a professional camera or a mobile phone. I should be able to capture the image with either tool. I then proceeded to take out my mobile phone and show my friend the images I have captured with it.

Just then the chef walked past and said, “You have a great stove.”

The images below are just a few of the images I have captured recently using just a mobile phone. I invite you to see the entire gallery I just created Mobile Photography that shows, I do in fact have a really great stove.