Date Joined: 8 August 2002 Hello My name is Daniel O'Byrne,   
The belief that a good photograph is the result of a good camera places the importance upon the equipment rather than upon the photographer.  It emphasizes the machine rather than the man, the tool rather than the artist, the technology rather than the artistic intent.  It is as if Monet had been told that the reason  why his paintings were so beautiful was because he had such good paintbrushes.  Or as if Paul Bocuse’s culinary excellence was explained away by his use of superlative pots and pans.  Or again if Yo-Yo Ma had been informed that his Stradivarius was solely responsible for the stunning quality of his music. 
One can be inspired and have an idea, be very creative in making this idea into a work of art, have developed the required level of craftsmanship, without the outcome of one’s efforts being motivated by the desire to follow a vision for one’s entire body of work.  Vision is an overriding envelope that encompasses both inspiration and creativity.  It is a blanket that covers the entire artist’s work, a blanket that often comes later in the life of an artist, after one has perfected one’s art and moved beyond the commonplace outcome that most artists have to go through.  For this reason I placed vision as the third step of this process.  I placed it there not because it comes necessarily at the end of the process but because in life it is often something that artists discover later on.
 
Certainly, a master needs a masterful instrument, be it a camera, paintbrushes, pots and pans or a violin, as in my examples, or other tool, since this list can be expanded to include many other professions.  But to say that the quality of the art is caused solely by the quality of the instrument is to miss the point altogether about the importance of the artist.  It is missing the point about the human factor, about the man or the woman that actually made use of this instrument.  After all, art is made by artists and not by tools.  Tools are inanimate objects that need someone to set them in motion.  And to set a tool in motion so that art is created through the use of this tool, an artist is needed.
I am now retired from working as a Mental Health professional having worked in the Royal Air Force and National Health Service, giving me more time to persue my photography and artwork. I am a Semi Professional Photoghrapher. Here you will find a collection of my photographs and a selection of Digital Art, Traditional Painting and Sketches that I have also used the digital medium to enhance. Please feel free to pass on any comments. My Camera Gear
http://www.renderosity.com/news.php?viewStory=13527 Here you can find my personal website: DIGITALARTZONE Contact me: E-Mail Artwork for sale: My work Tips and tricks: Nature and wildlife Photography Tips and tricks: Bird Photography