08/30/2026
Ｅｙｅｓ Ａｒｅ
ｔｈｅ Ｌｅｎｓ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ Ｓｏｕｌ
In 1982, standing at the threshold of art, the poverty of student life couldn't suppress my passion for playing with light. During those early years in a foreign land as a poor student, I scraped together every penny day by day just to buy my very first camera: a Pentax K1000.
It was entirely mechanical, rough, and heavy, yet it was a true treasure. With no automatic mode, I had to learn photography by manually turning the focus ring, aligning every exposure bar, and devouring classic photography books by world masters. Every page opened up a new depth of composition, shadow, and contrast.
By 1984, after much saving and sacrifice, I finally got my hands on a Canon A-1 paired with a 50mm f/1.2 lens. At that time, it cost $600—a massive sum that would equal thousands of dollars today. It was an investment worth a fortune for a young photography enthusiast. With that Canon A-1, hundreds of thousands of film exposures meant hundreds of thousands of heartbeats synced to the shutter button. Back then, there was no convenience like digital formats or today's smartphones, where you just point and shoot for an instant photo. Every shot meant spending money on film and paying for 60-minute photo kiosks to develop it. Yet, the high price of every single frame forced the photographer to think, empathize, and mature before pressing the button. Professional technique didn't come from luck; it was forged through countless moments of reflection, trial and error, and learning from every print developed under the darkroom lights.
Today, many of my friends willingly drop $20,000 to own the most state-of-the-art camera setups, only to struggle and ask me daily, "Why did my photo turn out like this? Why are the colors and light like that?" That anxiety exposes a truth I have heard for years. Many people look at my photographs and automatically assume I must be using a very expensive camera. But does a better camera truly make you a better photographer? Will your work instantly become magnificent on its own?
I began my journey with the most modest Pentax K1000, and it was from that basic equipment that I set out on this challenging path. To me, gear has never been the metric that defines a photographer. You can absolute create top-tier, highly professional images with a simple point-and-shoot, a budget DSLR, or even the smartphone in your hand right now. Someone who truly understands photography can capture the soul of a space using any tool, because they have mastered the core principles: angles, the reflection of light, and the rhythm of emotion.
Modern technology can automate every parameter from aperture and shutter speed to focus. But there is one thing no advanced machine—from a multi-thousand-dollar camera to the smartest AI—can ever do for you: tell you where to stand, where to point your lens, and which precise moment captures the soul of the image. You, and only you, are the one who decides the perspective and composition to breathe life into a photograph.
Through all the years of holding a camera and observing the world through a lens, I have realized the most fundamental truth: "There is no camera in this world as wonderful and authentic as your own eyes."
"NHÌN" by Christopher Lê Xuân Trường
