Randomness - The Right Tool For The Right Job

The Right Tool For The Right Job

I've always been a big proponent of using the right tool for the right job. For example, sometimes you can get away with using a hacksaw, which is made for cutting metal, to saw through a piece of wood. It's going to take you longer and make you work harder, but you can do it. If you decide to cut a bunch of wood, though, you're going to be wishing you had the right saw to do it.

Recently, I was reminded of this phrase by not following it. I finally got around to painting our front door. I made a quick check of the supplies I had, figured out what I needed, headed to Home Depot and came home with a gallon of paint. I already had rollers, paint trays, drop cloths... pretty much everything else I needed. Unfortunately, painting a smooth fiberglass door is a lot different from painting a textured wall. The rollers I had gave the door an interesting texture. Unfortunately, we didn't want a textured door, so I grabbed a brush to smooth out the texture. That gave me some nice brush marks. Since I'd already started, I figured I'd finish the first coat and then go get the right tools for the next coat.

A few days later I picked up some foam rollers that are made specifically for doors. They lay down a nice smooth coat of paint, they fit all the little nooks and crannies of the door and they make the job so much easier. As I was painting, I wondered how much easier it would have been to start with one of those rollers. Instead of the 3-4 coats I'm looking at now (to get rid of the brush marks), I could have been done in two.

It's the same with photography. Photographing sports is a lot different from photographing a wedding which is a lot different from creating a portrait. They all need different lenses, different lighting and maybe even different camera bodies. They use different techniques and different skill sets. Who do you think is going to be a more successful football photographer: The person who has a knowledge of football, knows where the action is going to take place and brings just the necessary equipment or the person with the most expensive camera and 10 lenses who doesn't know much about football?

Every time I try something new, I'm painfully reminded of how much practice goes into mastering one particular area of photography. Whether it's sports, food, people or a wedding, every job is different. My toolbox is nowhere near full, which means that from time to time I have to do things the hard way. Just like cutting wood with a hacksaw, I get the job done, but I wouldn't want to do it that way every time. Fortunately, each new job seems to be getting a little easier. Anyone have a door that needs painted?