How to Use a "Pretty" Camera to Your Advantage - guest post by Guilio Sciorio

Intro by Skip Cohen

A big portion of my life, growing up in professional photography, started at Hasselblad. There was never a question whether you were a professional photographer as long as a Hasselblad was over your shoulder. Today, all that's changed and so often I hear stories, especially from wedding photographers, who were at a wedding and had people all around them with what was perceived as better gear.

In this new guest post, Guilio Sciorio hits on a challenge many of you have faced when shooting with smaller cameras. Looking to find out more about Guilio?  Check out his site and his recent guest post.

" I outfitted my GX7 with a red Lance Strap (LanceCameraStraps.com) and a MeFoto Road Trip (mefoto.com)"

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When I switched over to a small camera there were some fears I had to address. One of the bigger fears that filled my head was about the looks. With their retro styling many small cameras look beautiful. The old-school photographer in me didn’t think it was a “serious” enough camera, but the artist in me just wanted to take my pretty small camera everywhere I went.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that the camera became more than a tool. It became a fashion accessory and one that I proudly wore around my neck. The little pretty camera was fun just to have, people would stop me and ask what it was and they wanted to try it out. The looks of the camera transcended the photography world and little did I know it would be a factor in transforming my photography.


The Pretty Camera, A Trojan Horse 

Once I realized what was happening with my camera I started to use its pretty looks to my advantage. People just gravitate to a good looking camera while on the flip side people often get intimidated with a “paparazzi” style camera AKA the DSLR. As a portrait photographer I want my subjects to be at ease, natural, honest. If my subjects are tight and nervous I have to spend time to help them relax but if I don’t have to? Well then I can spend more time making the image I need to get for my clients and most times my shoots are finished fast.

At my shoots I don’t rarely have conversations about the tech of my camera anymore. My conversations are about how pretty my camera looks. The subjects want to have their photo taken and that helps me take better photos than any amount of pixels, sensor size or any new gizmo could offer. The fact that my pretty camera has loads of tech working behind the scenes is icing on the cake.

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I met "Jimmy J" on the Lumix GX7 Road Trip last year. He was quite intrigued about the camera and allowed me to make his portrait. After I got the shot I emailed the photo to Jimmy using the built in WiFi capability of the GX7.

Giulio, Jimmy J, one big truck and one very pretty camera!