I may have invented a term; “anti-minimalism.” The big ol’ internet you and I are currently partaking of to facilitate this exchange of ideas has a few word suggestions. Maximalism. Cluttercore. And then (of course), our venerable friend Materialism.
I’m not sure what I’m talking about (specifically within the pursuit/craft/hobby of photography) can be boiled down to a single snappy label (though I rather like “cluttercore”), so let me describe it for you. It’s the trend when gear acquisition syndrome (affectionately known as “G.A.S.”) gets the better of us. When the camera we use could be just that much better with a new lens. When we need more than one (or two, or three) options for a camera bag or backpack. When the feature-set on a different camera complements the camera(s) we already have, and it gets added to the stable. There are innumerable accessories which can be added to this list. Heck, as I shoot a monochrome sensor camera, something as simple as color filters to put in front of lenses for different contrast effects can lead to a pile of extra gear, and a dent in the pocketbook if we’re convinced by the higher-end filter-manufacturers into shelling out century-notes for a bit of colored glass.
I’m framing this concept of anti-minimalism along with the known concept of minimalism as a way to further illustrate it. Minimalism as it relates to photography deserves a note as well. To be a minimalist photographer usually (but not always) means owning a limited amount of gear, often one camera and only a few lenses serving very distinct usage. The longtime practice “one camera, one lens” springs to mind. It can have positive effects beyond just being uncluttered, or saving money by being anti-materialistic. The biggest benefit is doubtlessly the ability to really, really learn your chosen gear. If all you have is (say, traditionally,) a single camera with a 50mm (full frame equivalent) normal lens, you get really good at knowing what your gear can do, and framing the world (mentally, and through the viewfinder) in a way that the lens can capture it. It might lead you to focus on only the type of subject matter that fits into a normal lens, or it might not. You might have to innovate in the way you see things to capture it effectively with your chosen weapon.
So, for the contrast, what about anti-minimalism? As we photographers progress, learn more about the craft, and get familiar with our gear, we find ourselves asking the what-ifs around the other equipment that’s out there: what could I do with an ultra-wide-angle lens? What would such-and-such camera give me? What if I shot and developed my own film at home? And on it goes. And often we find ourselves buying another thing, and another. Assembling a new kit, accessorizing the existing one, until one day we realize that we have, well, clutter.
Clutter may look like a cabinet with a lot of cameras in it. I currently own five, which sometimes feels like a lot, but I’ve seen cabinets with dozens – even hundreds – of cameras, classic and otherwise. It may be boxes of accessories, or a closet piled with camera bags. Of course, everyone has a different sense of what constitutes clutter. Just so, as it relates to what we spend on the hobby, everyone’s financial picture is a bit different (except maybe that we should all save a bit more than we do). Clutter may be completely forgotten about, or it may be front-and-center on the bookshelf or in a display cabinet, and frequently viewed or handled with a strong sense of pride of ownership. For myself, I’ve gone through different periods of varying amounts of gear. But sooner or later there starts to creep up a sense that the stuff I’ve accumulated is weighing me down, that there may be something to this minimalism thing.
I wish to present what has been, for me, an ebb and flow of ownership. A bit of a tug-of-war at times. My equipment levels “breathe,” in that they go through periods of acquisition and de-acquisition. Sometimes it’s new technology, sometimes it’s the result of a deep dive into alternative types of cameras or lenses from what I’m currently using. Often, it’s just gradual accumulation. Perhaps I have a touch of guilt around owning too many possessions. For me, there’s a lot to like about the minimalist idea of one camera, one (or two or three) lens(es). Sometimes it’s nice to survey the shelf with cameras and lenses on it and decide what I feel like shooting today. Other times, I resent having to make the choice. Oh, the fickleness of being human! What must my cameras think of me?
What do you think of these concepts? Do you go all-in on one or the other? Split the difference? Do you teeter-totter like I do? Where would you like to see yourself on this spectrum, and does your current ideal differ from what it might have been in the past?
The Sprocket Docket 