Don't blow your budget!

Making a Peach Pie
Photo by Elaine31

"The strength of an image lies within the photographer and not with the equipment."
-- Bruce Percy

How do you know if you can afford your camera gear? It's simple -- if you can pay cash and still pay your rent, then you can most likely afford your gear. If you have to charge it to your credit card, then you can't afford it. Once you buy a camera on credit, you'll have to pay sky-high interest rates on your credit card balance and you'll have even less money in the future.

You still can take good photos even if all you can afford is a basic point-and-shoot camera. Some people make great pics with cell phone cameras! If you take a look at Elaine31's photos that she took with her used point-and-shoot camera, you'll agree with me that imagination and creativity rather than technical perfection make a good photo.

Read Bruce Percy's thoughts on this topic.