There are two key points I’m trying to illustrate here:

Forget about gear! While gear can provide sharper detail and more convenient capture, you are the one that produces the end result. Whether you’re photographing on a cell phone, or a professional grade mirrorless camera, you have the ability to produce impactful images. Just like in baseball, keep your focus on the ball, not the bat.

Give it time! Nobody picks up a camera for the first time and produces stunning magazine quality images on every capture. Like any skills, good composition and color grading take practice. It’s very easy to look at where you are comparing to your idols and get discouraged, but always focus on how far you’ve come, not just how far ahead you want to be.