craigslist

[cameraclicker]

As dstone81 said, uploading the photo to Flickr first is easiest.  Click on the photo in Flickr; click on Share; copy the link; paste the link into the Reply To box here.  I just paste it into the Visual tab, and in the editor it looks like text but after clicking submit, you see the image.  Hope this helps, would love to see your photo.

Here is one of mine

I put the unpowered bulb in another thread here, so this is the bulb with power.  Yes, it is really lit with 120VAC, 60Hz.

 

I will say, I have a 24-70 f/2.8, which lives on a shelf.  It is not my favourite lens and it is not an extremely useful range of focal lengths for an APS-C sensor body.  If I start shooting things more suited to it, then I might use it more but I have 24, 50, 85 and 100 mm primes so there are ways around it.  It all depends on what you shoot.  When traveling I like to take a Rebel T2i, with Sigma 10-20, Sigma 18-250, Canon 50 mm f/1.8, a 2X teleconverter, set of extension tubes and a 430 EX II flash.  That all fits into a StealthReporter 300 bag and I can carry it all day.  With that collection, I can shoot almost anything and get a reasonable photo.  Everything in my Beijing-Shanghai gallery (I think you can get the link from my profile, or the thread where many of us posted our sites) was shot with that combination, you are welcome to have a peek.  Those lenses would be better choices for you than any 24-70, unless and until you move to full frame.  If you are doing portraits, one or two really fast prime lenses, like an 85 mm f/1.4, or f/1.2, would serve you better.

 

[Thomas]

I just created a Flickr account to get this working so lets pray….

Canon 18-55mm Kit Lens

Canon 50mm f1.8.  I have actually been noticing that this lens isn’t as sharp as I used to think it was. I focused on the eyes for every shot but looking back through these again they all look soft. I thought it was probably a combination of a focus issue with the lens plus the older body I’m using. And no, I’m not making excuses, I’m stating facts. I’ve been shooting for long enough to know how to focus. I found exactly the same problem doing a portrait shoot in September last year where nearly all the shots taken at any distance had some SERIOUS focusing issues. (I know it was a long time ago but all shall be revealed)

 

Here’s an example with EXIF on the shot. It’s OOC so don’t judge. I was cutting ambient and shooting with 3 flashes at 1/250th sec,  so not much chance of the problem being camera shake. View the larger image and look at the eyes etc. This happened on about 90% of my shots and it knocked me for 6 at the time as I knew it was happening after reviewing on the back of camera.

 

I thought this problem was me going nuts as I started a project earlier this year and took shots like this below which are pin sharp. And these are all pre-focused self portraits so you know there is room for error when focusing (you know how many times you have to take try and get it right with these things).

Anyway, it turns out that f1.8 is the culprit here with this lens. The “pin sharp” image above is f5.6 at 1/200th sec.

 

Fuck my life….

 

 

 

[Thomas]

Oh what the shit!!!

Balls to the wall, here’s the damn links!

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94383905@N05/8592883231/in/photostream  –  Kit lens

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94383905@N05/8593986046/in/photostream – 50mm 1.8 natural light

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94383905@N05/8594040160/in/photostream – Focus issues!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/94383905@N05/8592963563/in/photostream – Pin sharp me because I’m super awesome!

[Thomas]

Oh and thanks CameraClicker, awesome post. I love that shot, didn’t David Hobby do a version of that once? Not sure if it was him but I saw the same shot done where the bulb was held by a hidden clamp and the person actually soldered wires to the electrical contacts so power it. At least that’s what my memory tells me, haha.

 

I am a fan of primes, but I do intend to upgrade to a 5D MkII (if I can find one brand new at that point which is unlikely), a MkIII or whatever is available at the time. I like the sound of the newish 6D but I want a weightier body, the one I have looks too small in my hands and I fear that the 6D wouldn’t fare much better. That and the fact that I have a “More is More” kinda mentality when it comes to Cams and Lenses, lol. Maybe the 6D with a grip wouldn’t be too bad….something to consider. It amazes me how you guys afford all your gear. I work full time, so does the Mrs, both in decent jobs (civil servants) but the cost of running the house just means it’s damn near impossible to save for anything. I remember thinking I was poor when I lived with the parents, but looking back I was bloody minted! Should have wasted less and invested more, hindsight really is a bitch!

[Loke]

I guess I violate some of the “rules” of professional lol. As I understand it, professional just means that you depend on photography as your sole source of income. I do not, so I guess that means I’m “semi-pro” as I only offer a part of it for my services. Now, whether or not the photographer has “professional quality” work, that’s up for debate. Unfortunately, whether we like to admit it or not, if these “fauxtographers” are supporting themselves with shoddy photography…well they are still “professional”  if people are willing to pay it.

I’m self taught….books (like Better Photo), Digital Photography school.com……other sites…….but I do have an art background and diploma from an art school, as well as work experience as a graphic and web designer. I was a late bloomer with photography and I am not done learning.   I also don’t think you need to know EVERYTHING to start charging money…as I think you can never be “ready”, since you are your own worst critic, but if people are willing to pay and you are confident in your abilities then IMO you are ready to start charging if you get the basics down and lots of practice…. …I admit, I do not have much experience with flash photography…well mostly because I don’t like carrying a bunch of crap. I hate bulk..the most I had was a TTL unit (I can’t remember the name) with my dSLR…. I’m not a studio photog, so  I don’t feel the need to have all the extra stuff…..I may carry a reflector though (if someone is with me) …..though I have taken workshops doing studio photography..I would like to learn more, but not necessarily for business…just for myself….. I just enjoy location photography and ambient light.

Unlike others, I have gotten rid of my dSLR and not planning to upgrade to any dSLR….if anything larger, I’ll go medium format Pentax 645D (and if someone handed me a Hasselblad or a Mamiya, hell I’d take them no complaints! 🙂 …but I will use a dSLR (rent) if I need to do an assignment with sports…which in that case, I use Canon gear….

My style is photojournalism (also have a degree in journalism so that’s why I was drawn to that) so I think compact is best for capturing “moments” and I prefer being the fly on the wall. I worry more about telling a story than if I have the proper equipment. However, have I done weddings and portraits with point and shoot cameras? YUP.  Only one client has asked me if my little camera was enough.

Of course, what I use isn’t exactly what you’ll find at Best Buy or Walmart…..I’ve shot portraits and events with my Leica X1, Panasonic FZ150 bridge camera, Sony’s NEX System, Leica dLux 5 , and other compacts..The next camera I’m drooling over  and planning on getting is the Sony RX1. Do  I think I could use a powershot whatever? Sure…..if  I learn how to work within its constraints….I just love small cameras……so I guess to each his/her own…..I guess my point is, if you enjoy what you do, and people like what you do, and you’re “pretty good” at it then heck an iPhone will work too!

[Loke]

and what I mean by dSLR (is your standard Crop or FF) …haha since Medium Format is still a dSLR

[dont.care]

TJH, generally speaking — I was trying to make my argument short.. But never the less, a ‘good’ photographer knows how to use any light that’s available.. However, there are times and places where you absolutely need ‘artificial light’, and technically you only need 1 popup flash to “light” a subject.. However, this being ill advised.. You can also use a flash and a bounce card, or flash and a reflector.. Technically you can use 3 reflectors and 1 flash.. The idea behind that wasn’t to say ALL YOU EVER NEED is this, but rather you should AT LEAST have this.. an ya, using flash to add a splash of dynamic with ambient light is always nice, but as previously aforementioned–ambient light aint always there..

And those lovely kit lenses on consumer dslrs, you’re right.. They are bargain bin items. Although the 24-105 f/4L is a nice lens (as a kit)

 

Don’t get me wrong, i’m not bashing anybody–but the idea is, if you’re a professional you know exactly what you need and what you should have :\

[Thomas]

dont.care

Your original post is there for all to see. I’ll break it down a bit. I must say that I agree with you on MOST of the points made but I’m merely pointing out some things which are a bit of a generlisation.

A ‘professional photographer’ as the title implies, offers a product of quality from start to finish.. It goes without saying;

This above: Although I agree that professional should mean “offers a product of quality” that isn’t entirely what it means, as Loke pointed out. Professional simply implies that you do something as a profession. Defined on Wikipedia as:
A professional is a person who is engaged in a certain activity, or occupation, for gain or compensation as means of livelihood; such as a permanent career, not as an amateur or pastime.

Generally, if something seems to good to be true, it usually is.. – Totally agree with that one.

$25-$50 photo sessions are usually low quality, and not something you’d generally be proud to display on your wall.. – Again this implies…well what is says basically which is a generalisation. BUT, I agree with you in as much that a line needs to be drawn to display a general characteristic of someone who carries out crappy work. How else can we hope to explain to customers that they get what they pay for? So I’m 50/50 on this as I have charged £20 for doing 10 hours worth of work on product photography in the past for a work colleague. And they were pretty damn good (if I do say so myself). I will admit I was pissed at earning £2 and hour after doing it mind but the experience made up for it.

 

1)  Fastest lens is a: f/5.6-f/6.3 (typical kit lens), or god forbid a Point and Shoot. – We covered this bit already.

 

2)  Doesn’t know lighting ratios – I don’t “know” specific ratios but I know what they are and how to use different light intensities when taking photos (is this what you mean). But I see where you are coming from.

 

3)  Doesn’t know how to stop up/down a lens. – You’d have to be stuck on auto, or using a point and shoot or an iphone to not know this. I totally agree with this point.

 

4)  Doesn’t know how to use RC-Sync, or know what ‘flash sync’ is at all – I really don’t know what RC sync is but I know what high speed sync is if that’s what your talking about? I half agree with you about this again. If you don’t use flash then maybe you wont know,. BUT, if you are at a professional level (whereby you love photography, or at least should) you should probably know these things regardless.

 

5)  Doesn’t have a bare minimum of 2 hot shoe flash guns that can be used off camera. – Again I have to say I disagree with this entirely. Not everyone needs a flash for their photography, and certainly not 2. Yes there are “times and places where you absolutely need ‘artificial light” but that depends on what you plan on shooting. This is the equivalent of a landscape photographer making the sweeping statement that you aren’t professional if you don’t own a tripod! If you have one, how often do you use it? I have a Manfrotto tripod which I generally only use to take self portraits or for night photography, and for the night photography I do, I don’t use a flash. Both of these things are rare occurances so I don’t really NEED a tripod.

 

6)  Doesn’t know how to expose for ambient light; adjust ambient light to bring up/down highlights/background over/underexposure and use fill flash. – Lets just change this to “Doesn’t know how to control exposure” and I’ll say I totally agree with this statement.

 

7) Offers a cheap CD off a spool with sharpie written all over it. – This has nothing to do with photography skills and everything to do with how you present yourself to your clients.

 

8)  Doesn’t know how to color correct/post produce a photo and sharpen/crop for print. – I agree with the first bit, not the second because again it implies that the photos WILL be printed. But as per most of the others I see where you are coming from.

 

 9) Offers print products from a chain photo printer, i.e. Walmart, CVS, WalGreens, etc. – Partly to do with photography and partly how you present yourself but I will agree with this, it’s cheap and nasty.

 

10) has a camera that is stuck on auto. – No choice but to agree whole heartedly. I’m not saying that a good photographer couldn’t take a good picture on an auto mode, but having no creative input is plain stupid.

 

 
I hope you understand what I mean by this. I’m all for laughing at true fauxtogs who advertise incredibly poor work and charge for it. It makes me wonder whose photos they look at for inspiration? Must be no one if they can’t look at their pictures and think “fair play, these are utter shit!”.

But making sweeping generalisations and catergorising people as fauxtogs based on personal preference of gear…no. Take a look at digital revs cheap camera challenges. All the equipment does is make our lives easier. I’ve learnt everything I know by practicing and using the internet. I took one set of classes for Photoshop because I have only ever used GIMP. I didn’t attend them all because I realised very soon on that I already knew more than they were teaching at the basic level I attended. I’ve seen hundreds of posts by people talking about getting prosumer DSLRs as their first camera thinking they can take great photos, we all know the story. Doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t get one (as much as it makes me jealous), at least they wont need to upgrade for a long time! I’m still using an entry level Canon EOS 400D (Rebel XTi for those in the US) and feel like I’m producing some great work in what I do. Damn right I want a new body and lenses, not because I think I will instantly become god like, but because it will open up more shot opportunities and will make things easier (low light performance, faster focusing, faster processors etc”. I want a new PC too, not because I think I’ll become an editing genius, but because mine is so old that Lightroom 3 barely runs on it, and god forbid I try to open GIMP at the same time, I have to wait 10 minutes for it to calm down.

So anyways, that’s my personal opinions made clear, hope you enjoyed reading that. I’m off to bed as it’s past 2am and I have to be up for work at 6….shit

[cameraclicker]

Loke, that’s a great video.  Digital REV did a whole set of “Cheap cam challenge” videos which involved giving a number of pro photographers a point & shoot (at least one got a cell phone) and they were told to go take some good photos.

I love the YouTube videos.  Sometimes the comments are even better than the video.  These were at the top:

“Moral of the video: with a professional model, professional MUA, and $4,000+ worth of lighting equipment? you can make a decent image. Good to know.”
followed by…
“Wow, you totally missed the point? of this video. This video was to prove that an iphone can do what a professional camera can. The point wouldn’t have worked if he used no lighting equipment or a model…”

This was shot with my Galaxy s II phone, and ambient light.

I can shoot in the local grocery store with my phone and no one even notices.  If I walk in with my dSLR out of the bag I have some guy following me around after 10 seconds, even when I have just come in looking for my wife who is shopping!

I shot these with dSLR’s but I think my Galaxy s II with its 4 mm lens could have done a reasonable job of this first one

and there is no way it would ever have managed this second one

I was too far away and since I only walk on water in the winter time, I could not get closer.  And, timing was critical.

[cameraclicker]

TJH091085, I like your photos.  The focus problem girl looks better with extra sharpening.  I think you got her bracelet in the plain of focus and at f/1.8 and distance to subject, your depth of field is probably not  deep enough to have her eyes sharp too.

 

I’ve said before, the “amateur” and “professional” titles drive me crazy because they are not about quality, they are about motivation/income, and a good amateur can take a much better photo than a bad professional.  Also, it’s not about the equipment, but that said, I have pro level equipment because I want the best quality, lowest noise, images I can get and I tend to push hardware pretty hard.  But I still love my Rebel T2i, I was out shooting with it this evening.  For a lot of what I take the SLR format is best, medium format is too large and bulky and long lenses are really expensive for medium format.  Smaller sensor bridge cameras have too much noise.

[Loke]

great pics! and I love Dig Rev…Kai cracks me up…. lol yes just like this website, the titles and comments are what make it even more entertaining…. you should check out http://www.iphoneography.com …there’s some crazy stuff there…I went to MacWorld and saw some of the artwork submitted by people…..amazing….but yeah the camera is just a tool…I’m actually interested in the samsung galaxy cam that I saw at CES, it was pretty neat to play with and I could see myself using it for some of my “newsy” type of assignments (instant upload)…but yes,  it is nice to have a good cam and good glass whether you are using a mirrorless or some big camera hog! lol…this is what I took with my Samsung Note….

.not a landscape photog by a long shot….but was jogging one day and it just looked like a great moment….I used snapseed to play with the photo a little As phone cameras continue to  get  better I actually see a decline in the entry-level dSLRs at some point..they already have detachable lenses already for iPhones and such….and when I was walking around at the conventions, I saw many media types streaming live video from their mobile phones and not some video cam setup. So,  therefore I think we will see (hopefully) even better photography out there.

[Loke]

I don’t know it didn’t show up lol.

[Loke]

k one last time I’m gonna try…IMO Samsung doesn’t look as good as the iPhone but takes some cool shots sometimes.

……

OK I give up  HTML code not showing up grrrr..so here’s the link: Day by the Beach

[cameraclicker]

I like Day by the Beach.  Are those sea lions on the rock?  They are vertically further from the water than I imagined they would get!

I got the Samsung to be a good phone, PDA and mini-tablet to display photos taken with my Canons.  Mostly I use its camera to take photos of price stickers in stores and “scenic” photos of my car in the parking lot so I can find my way back to it.  Not very demanding tasks for the camera.  It fits in my pocket and can take really good close-up photos but it can’t compete with with Canon for anything I shoot day to day.  It works well, I am completely happy with the phone, it works exactly as I expected.

[dont.care]

I love DRTV, and I hate stereotyping.. Although I guess I should clarify at this point..

When I said kit lens, I meant ONLY a kit lens.. I’m not really only pointing out photography skills TJH.. I’m merely stating that most of the guys that undercut professionals don’t have a clue, i.e. the spool of cd’s and a sharpie. The cost of doing business is outrageous, and whilst it costs us 10’s of thousands or more a year to operate; these guys operate with a single ‘kit lens’ that is relatively cheap in quality on its own with no other overhead other than gas they require in their agreement..Honestly, I don’t really think most people would know the difference on paper, but it’s there. I doubt joe-blow Grandpa is going to know a 5.6 from a 2.8, but I promise he’ll notice a bit of quality problems if they’ve requested a photographer who’s only lens has a slow aperture and it’s a dark venue and no flash is allowed, as this is a hypothetical situation for the sake of argument.. I’m sure most of you would agree that taking photos at night with a tiny aperture would require you to jack up your iso so high you’d create a different image entirely composed of noise.. However, if you can make people freeze and stop down your shutter speed and not get motion blur or camera shake.. More power to ya.

I don’t think I’ve ever met another professional without an arsenal of flash guns, maybe this is just merely from my experience and opinion.. I understand what your saying about landscape and all, which is true. I’ve seen flash used in landscape photography as well.. Guess it’s not required tho by a long shot.. Reckon, you could always put your camera on bulb and run around with a torch 😛 I’m a night person.. My forte is night photography and landscape, love doing it.. Hardly get paid for it though.. I find flash extremely useful photographing houses too. I’ve got 8 600’s and can do grouping on an STE3.. I can put them outside a house on corners in shadowy areas and make the house pop.. I did a photo at the beach with flash under a pier.. Set up flashes going all the way out into the water and setup the camera and the damn thing looked haunted.. I think that qualifies as a landscape shot.. I’ve also placed ’em in a field at dusk and created streaks of light with slight motion blur, made the photo look alive.. Don’t know, guess it’s to say you don’t have to have flash guns, but they are nice to have 🙂  What I’d like to get is profoto strobes and packs that can handle high speed sync and rapid recharge.. That’d be sick, but ultimately I’d end up giving someone epilepsy 😛

Normal everyday people will not spend a boku amount of money on photos they do not intend to print.. If you’re in the professional industry, you may be using them for website, etc etc.. But Nancy and Bob want photos of their kids to hang up on their wall.. If someone is reaching out to hire and spend money on a professional photog’, I highly doubt, they want photos just for facebook.

all the other stuff your just nitpicking 😛 But really though, a self respecting photographer be it amateur, professional, freelancer, dude with a camera.. The reality is, if you’re going to charge for something you should appear to be and be knowledgeable as a professional..

I guess it doesn’t really matter.. I suppose you can use anything you want.

I posted it on Craigslist for potential buyers to be wary of their sellers.. I live in a town where an art school resides, 2 military bases, 2 colleges and all within 50 miles of each other.. If there ever was a place to consider an analogy for photography hell, this is it.

But honestly, if you know enough to nitpick my post, I’m almost certain it doesn’t apply to you.. 😉 You a re right about the professional part though, I don’t suppose having the title alone makes a pro..I go to subway, these guys get paid to make sandwiches and call themselves ‘artists’.. They make some sloppy shit these days ;\.. My definition of a professional who is acutely aware of his/her product strives to push for the best they can.. I make money with photos, therefore I am a professional. Fo’togs charge for photos, therefore they are too, indeed professionals. I draw a line in the sand at quality and professionalism. “Aint” wasn’t always in the dictionary, until everyone started using it. A word being defined as something doesn’t always necessarily make it true when it’s so loosely worded..

A woman, 1dx and every lens imaginable, pays insurance, taxes, has a business license and all.. Takes god awful horrible atrocities that makes baby jesus cry. Now, she’s a professional.

A man, 60D, a 24-105 and a 50 1.4, doesn’t pay insurance, taxes, no business license. Takes the sweetest fucking photos you’ve ever seen.. Not a professional, even though he charges people.

This is in effect one definition ^

However, both are professionals by definition because both charge.. Then again, one or the other may or may not be professionals because they don’t make a majority of income from photography..

This definition is biased and slaughtered.. Which is why I draw the line in the sand at quality.. You can charge ten thousand dollars for a piece of shit, but that’s all it will ever be is shit..

 

Liked your 1, 2, 4th photo btw 😛

[Author]

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