If I give you Shakespeare’s pen

I was in Niagara-on-the-lake this weekend for a two-day trip. I met a photographer photographing a spider flower on the crowded street.

His name is Tom King, a photographer from Niagara Falls.

I started the conversation and introduced myself as a a beginner into photography and what camera he was using?

Tom introduced his camera — a Canon EOS 5D — and showed me the spider flower he had just photographed. He told me he’s been using this camera since 2018.

He shared a technique with me - when shooting flowers up close, turn on metering. It helps focus the subject and find the proper exposure.

Then he took a shot to show me how metering works and let me look through his viewfinder.

He also showed me the battery grip, explaining that it allows him to hold the camera more steadily and switch quickly between vertical and horizontal orientations.

He mentioned that he used to photograph hockey players in Montreal— with the battery grip, he could easily shoot vertical portraits and then switch to horizontal shots of them playing.

When I asked if he thought equipment was important, he smiled and said:

If I give you Shakespeare’s pen, can you write like him?

Practice the art of seeing, and know your camera.

Tom doesn’t have a website or social media. He prints his photographs and give out to friends and family.

Replying to my question of how you edit your photos? He said he used basic editing software and there’s no necessary to over-edit photographs.

I learned a lot from Tom that day.

As we parted, he said to me:

Enjoy the hobby!