Powerage5 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I do mostly concert photography. Would like to go into it as a career possibly - I've been published several times. I also take pictures everywhere I go, here's a few of my favorites from this Summer in Europe (I'm too lazy to uploaded them anywhere besides Facebook, so you can do with the low res versions )About 1 AM in StockholmKazan Cathedral - St. PetersburgUspenski Cathedral - Helsinki1 AM in Helsinki - I didn't take a tripod to Europe, so any long exposures I took were all by hand. This one was half a second.Blue Mosque in Istanbul at duskSt. Mark's Church - ZagrebSunset over the Thames - LondonEvery time I post pictures her from Facebook, I'm reminded how terrible they resample when you upload them there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 Nice shots Powerage. Particularly like your pic of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. What kind of camera/lens setup did you use to take these shots? I noticed that on some shots you have some vignetting. Is that added by you or are you using a lens for that? I agree with linking pictures from Facebook. It's why I use Flickr. A lot of other sites like 500px and Viewbug don't even allow direct links (at least I haven't had any success doing so). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1989 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Flickr is my preferred image host as well, mainly because I can alter my copyright etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake-Pit Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I want a darkroom.I guess I want a lot of things but I wouldn't mind having a darkroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerage5 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Nice shots Powerage. Particularly like your pic of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. What kind of camera/lens setup did you use to take these shots? I noticed that on some shots you have some vignetting. Is that added by you or are you using a lens for that? I agree with linking pictures from Facebook. It's why I use Flickr. A lot of other sites like 500px and Viewbug don't even allow direct links (at least I haven't had any success doing so). Canon T3i - looking to upgrade when I can though. The shots with the vignetting are from a very subtle fisheye conversion lens. Getting an actual fisheye lens in the coming weeks though, I've read that Rokinon makes a really great fisheye lens, and it's a fraction of the price of a Canon lens.I only use Flickr for my concert photography, trying to keep it professional. And since I stpuidly linked it to my Facebook account, I can't log out and make another account for everything else. When, you compare them side-by-side, they look truly awful on Facebook: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake-Pit Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Nice shots Powerage. Particularly like your pic of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. What kind of camera/lens setup did you use to take these shots? I noticed that on some shots you have some vignetting. Is that added by you or are you using a lens for that? I agree with linking pictures from Facebook. It's why I use Flickr. A lot of other sites like 500px and Viewbug don't even allow direct links (at least I haven't had any success doing so). Canon T3i - looking to upgrade when I can though. The shots with the vignetting are from a very subtle fisheye conversion lens. Getting an actual fisheye lens in the coming weeks though, I've read that Rokinon makes a really great fisheye lens, and it's a fraction of the price of a Canon lens.I only use Flickr for my concert photography, trying to keep it professional. And since I stpuidly linked it to my Facebook account, I can't log out and make another account for everything else. When, you compare them side-by-side, they look truly awful on Facebook:It's still cool the pictures you upload and the shots you can get nonetheless, it's all good.But yeah, those shows look great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 Nice shots Powerage. Particularly like your pic of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. What kind of camera/lens setup did you use to take these shots? I noticed that on some shots you have some vignetting. Is that added by you or are you using a lens for that? I agree with linking pictures from Facebook. It's why I use Flickr. A lot of other sites like 500px and Viewbug don't even allow direct links (at least I haven't had any success doing so). Canon T3i - looking to upgrade when I can though. The shots with the vignetting are from a very subtle fisheye conversion lens. Getting an actual fisheye lens in the coming weeks though, I've read that Rokinon makes a really great fisheye lens, and it's a fraction of the price of a Canon lens.I only use Flickr for my concert photography, trying to keep it professional. And since I stpuidly linked it to my Facebook account, I can't log out and make another account for everything else. When, you compare them side-by-side, they look truly awful on Facebook:Nice shots. What camera are you looking to upgrade to? Full frame or stick with a cropped sensor? The Canon 6D looks like a good choice if you want full-frame performance without blowing the bank.I would be careful about getting the Rokinon lens if you are planning on upgrading to a full frame. Apparently it doesn't work well on full-framed cameras. Also, how are you using your DSLR at concerts? Do you get clearance beforehand or are these concerts where the venue/performer doesn't put limitations on what camera you're allowed to use (like GNR)? And what kind of settings do you use? I'm very curious what your ISO and shutter speed setting is on the guitarist picture you posted above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerage5 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Nice shots Powerage. Particularly like your pic of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. What kind of camera/lens setup did you use to take these shots? I noticed that on some shots you have some vignetting. Is that added by you or are you using a lens for that? I agree with linking pictures from Facebook. It's why I use Flickr. A lot of other sites like 500px and Viewbug don't even allow direct links (at least I haven't had any success doing so). Canon T3i - looking to upgrade when I can though. The shots with the vignetting are from a very subtle fisheye conversion lens. Getting an actual fisheye lens in the coming weeks though, I've read that Rokinon makes a really great fisheye lens, and it's a fraction of the price of a Canon lens.I only use Flickr for my concert photography, trying to keep it professional. And since I stpuidly linked it to my Facebook account, I can't log out and make another account for everything else. When, you compare them side-by-side, they look truly awful on Facebook:Nice shots. What camera are you looking to upgrade to? Full frame or stick with a cropped sensor? The Canon 6D looks like a good choice if you want full-frame performance without blowing the bank.I would be careful about getting the Rokinon lens if you are planning on upgrading to a full frame. Apparently it doesn't work well on full-framed cameras. Also, how are you using your DSLR at concerts? Do you get clearance beforehand or are these concerts where the venue/performer doesn't put limitations on what camera you're allowed to use (like GNR)? And what kind of settings do you use? I'm very curious what your ISO and shutter speed setting is on the guitarist picture you posted above. 6D is what I was thinking, but not in the near future. The Rokinon will be worth the investment for a few years I think As for my concert stuff - I'm a freelance which means no photo passes or clearance ever, since I'm not working for a publication (i.e. no D-SLR unless it's permitted). Usually it's the venues that impose camera rules, the artists rarely care. One such example is GN'R - venues which impose a camera policies always blame it on the band, but if that were the case those restrictions would be imposed at every gig. For gigs when I can't take my D-SLR, I use a Canon S95 which does quite nice when you're at the front - the pictures Bumblefoot bought off of me were even from the S95!The picture that I posted for the comparison is from Zagreb - security is so lax in Eastern Europe that if you can get it in, you'll be fine using it. I was on the barrier with my T3i and a 50-300mm lens for that one, no one ever said a word! The settings for that one were f/5, 1/200, ISO 3200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 Cool, thanks for the info. Even at 3200 ISO the picture still looks great. Too bad about venues being a pain in the ass when it comes to bringing in DSLRs. I was always under the assumption that it was mandated by the band since more professional cameras could be used to take commercially viable pictures that they themselves would not be paid for or have control over. Are you sure it's the venue and not a stipulation found in most performance contracts between band and the venue? It might just be a standard requirement that venues include regardless of how much the band values control over its imaging. I'm a Nikon guy so when I step up to full-frame I'm looking at the D800. The only problem with these newer DSLRs is the massive file sizes due to bigger resolutions. The D610 is a more reasonable 24mp (as opposed to the D800's 36mp), but I'm not thrilled with a 39 point autofocus (should be around 50-55). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerage5 Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I mean, just thinking logically - any band I've snuck my D-SLR in for, I've never really been hassled over once I get it in. There's a big difference between an artist being indifferent (Which is the scenario with most artists I believe), and an artist explicitly having an open camera policy. An example of the former would be Alice Cooper - I take my D-SLR to his gigs a lot since he plays smaller places that have lax security. Any time I've been told to put my camera away it's because they say it's the house rules. An example of the latter would be Van Halen - they had an official all cameras allowed policy on last year's tour, and 3 times I openly took my D-SLR with all of my lenses into arenas, two of which have the strictest camera policies I know of. I could be totally wrong about this, but I think it's mostly venue rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR_GR Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 The quality of the cameras in the new mobile phones is becoming quite good.In this new one I have the flash control is much better than in the previous onesI have had (when you turn it off it stays off even when it is dark) and some ofthe macro photos are pretty nice. Here are a few examples: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 Yeah, I have an iPhone 4S and the camera is pretty decent. It is actually responsible for the two photos that people seem to like the most (posted below), proving it's more about the photographer than the camera. Hopefully one day we won't need big bulky cameras to get all the shots we want, but I still love my Nikon DSLR for the things my iPhone can't do (wide-angle, mega-telephoto, macro, external lighting, proper HDR - HDR on most cameras is a joke - creamy bokeh, better low-light photography). This is Nick, my girlfriend's cat. Normally when I wake up and he's drinking my water I push him away and go get a new glass of water. But this time I had my iPhone near me so I took these. People are surprised and often doubt that I took these with my phone: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerage5 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Really nice for a 4S! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FCBarcelona Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Does anyone here do photography for outdoors/journalism/portrait/art? I've been wanting to take up the hobby but not sure I want to spend a thousand dollars when I'll probably just be an amateur going on hikes. I'm just afraid the next iPhone and Instagram will be more advanced than the clunky equipment I buy. Is anyone here a professional and have tips and equipment recommendations? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1989 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I'm a qualified media journalist, but it's just a hobby for me and I do the odd freelance work.Current kit is:Canon 7D70-200 F2.8 100-400 F4.5-F5.6EF-S 10-22 Wide Angle24-74 F2.8That has me covered for everything except Portrait photography where I would really like a 35 or 50mm F1.4 Lens.Still a few years yet before a phone produces anything of the quality that a professional camera will, there is a limit to how much digital zoom can do - it's all about optical.Plus, expensive glass lens in a pocket device? Not likely, especially when you consider that most pro-am lenses weigh 750g - 1kg.Older one with my crappy Lens from the top tier at Wembley: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash Diet Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I'm a qualified media journalist, but it's just a hobby for me and I do the odd freelance work.Current kit is:Canon 7D70-200 F2.8 100-400 F4.5-F5.6EF-S 10-22 Wide Angle24-74 F2.8That has me covered for everything except Portrait photography where I would really like a 35 or 50mm F1.4 Lens.Still a few years yet before a phone produces anything of the quality that a professional camera will, there is a limit to how much digital zoom can do - it's all about optical.Plus, expensive glass lens in a pocket device? Not likely, especially when you consider that most pro-am lenses weigh 750g - 1kg.Older one with my crappy Lens from the top tier at Wembley:Lol at that last picture... Hungary against England i remember that match Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not An FSB Agent Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) I'm a qualified media journalist, but it's just a hobby for me and I do the odd freelance work.Still a few years yet before a phone produces anything of the quality that a professional camera will, there is a limit to how much digital zoom can do - it's all about optical.Plus, expensive glass lens in a pocket device? Not likely, especially when you consider that most pro-am lenses weigh 750g - 1kg.What he said. I know little of photography, but I know a little bit about optics. A decent apochromatic lens cell- just one cell- will cost as much as an Iphone, or more. A good low dispersion triplet cell can run into the thousands. Edited August 23, 2014 by Not An FSB Agent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FCBarcelona Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Thanks for the tips Chris1989. I've been look at the Canon 7D based on your thoughts. Looks like this might be an expensive hobby but I may as well start now. Just a follow up dumb question: From my observation, are professional camera lenses standardized so that they are interchangeable with bodies from other brands like Nikon etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1989 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 When you go for a DSLR you will probably pick either Canon or Nikon - they're the two most popular and therefore give you the widest choice.Each brand has their own lens mount, and you'll need to buy canon-specific or Nikon specific lenses.Obviously that doesn't mean you're tied in to only buying Canon kit - there are plenty of brands who make lenses for each mount.Generally you'll find Tamron and Sigma will make lenses for both, and they'll be cheaper that the full on Canon/Nikon, but this will usually be at a cost: Lens flare, more noise, f4 instead of f2.8 etc.The Canon 7d is an expensive camera, if you're starting out and want to go for a Canon then the 650 will get you a quality body and also an 18-55 lens which would be a nice starter for portrait photography and is also wide angle for a full capture of outdoor landscape scenery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FCBarcelona Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Thanks for the tips. I'm seriously considering the 7D or 70D or Rebel T5i. I think for the quality and breadth of lenses to use it may be worth it to pay more, especially for nature photography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1989 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 The main thing though, is that you can have all the kit in the world, and that means nothing if you don't know the technique and controls of getting the most from your camera.I consider my shots to be pretty good, particularly shooting 150mph F1 cars, but I've still got a lot to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) HI FCB,I was mostly a photo enthusiast up until this year, but now I'm starting to book photo gigs. You'll find that at some point, assuming you continue the hobby long enough, you'll wonder whether you can start making money from taking photos. The answer is obviously yes, but you first need a hell of a lot of practice, a lot of education, and some expensive gear (though this isn't a necessity, there are people who do make a living just from their iPhones - but they are in the very small minority).I've been shooting corporate events for the past 10 months. From that, I'm developing a portrait/maternity/wedding photography (otherwise known as lifestyle photography) business. Best bet is to start off with a cropped-sensor camera. I'm partial to Nikon, so I'd highly recommend the Nikon D7100. It has everything you'll ever need and doesn't cost as much as the Canon 7D. If you're serious about making this your hobby, best to start with the best camera you can afford. Better to do that than buy an entry-level DSLR and find out six months to a year later it doesn't have all the features you'll need once you figure things out (features like bracketing, larger buffers, higher frame per second, time laps).The iPhone and other camera phones will never be able to do what DLSRs can do. Their sensors are way too small. The smaller the sensor, the less photons hit the sensor, which means you're pictures will greatly suffer in low-light situations. Moreover, small sensor cameras have a lot of depth of field to them, which means if you want to take those portrait shots with the blurry background (known as bokeh in photography terms), you'll need a DSLR. When you get the the higher levels of photography study, you'll know that manipulation of light is key to portrait and lifestyle photography, something really not done with anything other than DSLRs and medium-format cameras. Another tip is to read everything you can about not just digital cameras but photography in general. I'm constantly buying photography books (own around 20 now) and have a subscription to N-Photo magazine. You can also download a lot of great photography courses from various tutorial sites (though a quick torrent search can save you a lot of money). There's a lot of amazing photographers who have made video tutorials on how they shoot. In terms of what lenses to get, you really have to decide first what kind of photography you want to focus on. Because Chis1989 is interested in fast moving sports he needs a long telephoto lens. But if you're interested in landscape/street/people photography, you likely don't need anything over 200 mm. They are expensive, but if you can spring for either (or both) the 24-70mm or the 70-200mm F2.8 lenses, you'll have your bases covered. If you're looking to save money on lenses (but trust me, if you take the hobby far enough, you'll end up wanting both those lenses), you can buy cheaper prime lenses (prime lenses do not zoom). A 50mm 1.8 (or 1.4) and a 35mm 1.8 (or 1.4) won't set you back too much and they both take top-notch pictures. A really great third-party super-wide angle lens is the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8. There is both a Nikon and Canon version, and it fits a cropped camera. It is one of my favourite lenses when I'm using my Nikon D7000 (a cropped-sensor camera, I now own a Nikon D610, which is a full-framed camera).If you're going to be taking pictures of people, you absolutely need an external flash. The on-camera flash is fine if you need a little fill flash but are generally terrible. External flashes will enable you to bounce the flash off the ceiling or walls, key to making people look good. Again, this is an absolute necessity if you're going to be taking pictures of people indoors. Eventually you'll want to get wireless triggers for off-camera lighting, but first learn the basics of flash photography with an external flash that sits on your camera.Finally, it isn't necessary to purchase all the lenses you want. I currently rent a lot of the lenses I use for photoshoots as I haven't yet generated the revenue to justify their purchase. A couple of weeks ago I rented the 85mm 1.4 for a very specific purpose. It's a beautiful piece of glass that takes amazing pictures. But it costs $1700 (plus tax) to buy brand new. So I rented it for the weekend and it only cost me $40. Best of luck! Edited September 6, 2014 by downzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FCBarcelona Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 (edited) If you really recommend the Nikon D7100 then I'll go with that. I can't believe I just read $1700 being the price for a camera lens. I'm just afraid of possible buyers' remorse if I spend to much or to little.I was surprised to see you expand on Chris's comment about learning. I thought this would be easy (and originally inexpensive). The boat, hummingbird, and Chris's F1 photo look amazingly professional to me, and I'd like to do something professional like that. I'll be saving up for a Nikon D1700 then, and will probably get it in the next month or so. I guess I have a lot to learn.I can't thank you both enough.MOD EDIT: I merged the two photography threads and edited your post to reflect the change. Edited September 6, 2014 by downzy Merging threads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downzy Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 If you really recommend the Nikon D7100 then I'll go with that. I can't believe I just read $1700 being the price for a camera lens. I'm just afraid of possible buyers' remorse if I spend to much or to little.I was surprised to see you expand on Chris's comment about learning. I thought this would be easy (and originally inexpensive). The boat, hummingbird, and Chris's F1 photo look amazingly professional to me, and I'd like to do something professional like that. I'll be saving up for a Nikon D1700 then, and will probably get it in the next month or so. I guess I have a lot to learn.I can't thank you both enough.I'm a Nikon guy so obviously I'm going to recommend Nikon. Chris, a Canon guy, would likely argue for Canon. Both are great cameras. Best bet is to try both at a local electronic/photography shop. There's also rumours that Canon is going to release an updated 7D in the next month or two, so you may want to wait. In the end, it really doesn't matter whether you get Canon or Nikon. They'll both be able to take the pictures you want to take so long as you know what you're doing with them. Most people would argue that the best place to put your money is in lenses. A great lens today is going to be a great lens ten to twenty years from now. Moreover, it's been common practice for photo enthusiast to upgrade their bodies every two to three years (professionals will upgrade every time a new version of the camera they currently own is released). Camera bodies dramatically diminish in value with age whereas lenses depreciate at a much lower rate (some actually appreciate in value with time due to their rarity). I don't disagree with that thought process, however, I'm beginning to feel like we're getting to the point where advancements in camera bodies is incremental. If you buy a Nikon D7100 or a new Canon 7D, you'll likely only upgrade when you want to go to a full-frame camera, and not to another cropped-sensor body because in three years there's been major advancements in camera technology. I made the jump this year as I could justify the cost due to the money I would bring in. But the jump in performance from my D7000 that I bought in 2011 to a newer D7100 would not be dramatic. My D610 gets me only an extra stop or two or of performance versus my D7000 despite being a full-frame camera (by full frame I mean the sensor is a 35mm equivalent) and three years newer. Prosumer and pro bodies are now at a point that they deliver great results, all the way to ISO 6400, which is more than enough to take pictures in any conditions. So I say you should get the most expensive camera you can afford (you can buy grey-market D610s for $1400) and rent the lenses until you can either justify buying the lenses because you're making money off the pictures your taking or make enough money from another job that spending $2000 on a lens isn't a big deal. To save money, you can get an older model of the current model (so a D7000 instead of a D7100) or buy a grey-market version off of ebay (grey-market cameras are generally brand new, but they do not come with a warrantee). You can also buy a refurbished camera body, which usually come with a 30 or 60 day warrantee and are sold through an intermediary for either Nikon or Canon. You could also go with either Fuji, Sony, or another camera maker, but the reason why most go with either Nikon or Canon is because they have the deepest lens rosters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highvoltage Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 There are actually a number of photographers that inhabit this forum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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