Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by vjack on July 19, 2008 at 2:18pm

I've always had some interest in photography, but the few previous times I tried to get into it, I felt so clueless that it wasn't much fun. I never really took the time to learn, and I found it too frustrating. After messing around with hand-me-down film cameras and cheap point-and-shoot digitals, I finally decided to take the plunge and invest in some decent gear a couple years ago. I picked up a Canon 20D SLR and several lenses. It is still difficult for me to find the time I'd like to spend on this hobby, but I'm hooked now.

My favorite subject is nature, mostly wild birds. I'd like to get better with landscapes but still find them difficult for some reason. Actually, there are too many areas where I need improvement to count. One subject that fascinates me for some reason but that I've never really had the opportunity to shoot is abandoned buildings.

Permalink Reply by Kate Holden on July 19, 2008 at 5:08pm

I suppose I should introduce myself, as well, hmm? I'm an art photographer living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. So far I haven't tried to sell any prints though I've had offers (I don't know what's stopping me, to be honest). I became interested in photography last year when a nasty bout of reactive arthritis took away my ability to sketch and paint - so I picked up a camera! I just had a canon point-and-shoot but I learned how to shoot in manual mode and taught myself the basics through trial and error. My next acquisition was a Holga 120N which is a plastic medium format toy camera. They're fascinating things for those of you who don't know about them. Plastic bodies, plastic lenses, you have to put electric tape over the seams to prevent light leaks (or leave them off and see what happens!). I highly recommend everyone pick one of these bad boys up to play with. They're only about $20 and they teach you a lot about yourself as a photographer in a very stripped-down sense. My next purchase was a vintage Diana (ca 1960) plastic medium format toy camera. It's great how these two cameras sound the same but lend a completely different feel to their photos. I then bit the bullet and bought a Canon XTi. I have a 55-200 USM telephoto lens that does very nicely and a Lensbaby that is fun to play with. The stock lens, however, leaves much to be desired and I'm looking to replace it. I've just ordered another medium format camera, though this one is 'the real thing' and is being custom made in the Ukraine (for those of you in the know, it's a Kiev model camera refurbished and spruced up wonderfully and sold as Arax). I'm very excited about it and hope the 30 days it will take to get here will fly by.

As you can see, I like film. Yes, digital is easier and more convenient and has all sorts of things going for it but there's just something very special about film to me. Any other film enthusiasts out there?

Permalink Reply by Doug on July 20, 2008 at 1:40am

I LOVE film it has a totally different feel to it compared to digital and I love working in the isolation of a darkroom it is just magical and nothing like a computer and photoshop.

Sadly when making a living from photography digital is an economic necessity. We save about $35 to $40K per year using digital so it helps the profit margin a lot.

Given unlimited money I would be back shooting large format black and white and never touch digital again.

Permalink Reply by Dawn K on July 19, 2008 at 7:48pm

I am awed by a beautiful photograph. At this point shooting is purely a hobby for me. I have never joined a photo club before because they are so intimidating. I have two small children and a husband with a very demanding schedule so it's difficult to get out and shoot much but as they get older I'm hoping I can devote more time to it. What I need to focus on is getting better shots right from the camera. I have a tendency to rely too much on Photoshop. Most of my photos are of my kids because, well the are acessable. ;) But I prefer landscapes, flowers and really want to do macro and grunge/abstracts.

I didn't really take an interest in photography until my mid 20's, purchased an inexpensive Pentax which was stolen. Took me years to be able to buy another, finally got a Nikon N80, then that got stolen. Great luck I have 'eh? Now I'm shooting Nikon D70 and managed to keep that one for a few years now.

Kate, I'm totally curious about the camera's you mentioned. I didn't know such a thing existed. Where can you buy them?

Permalink Reply by Tony on July 19, 2008 at 8:01pm

Thank you Kate for starting this group!

I'm a hobbyist and amateur, no doubt, but I've been lucky enough to be in the position (see also: "it's who you know") to be paid for a couple gigs (the last one being for a D.C. event at the Library of Congress, which was a blast). As a hobbyist I dabble and steal time away whenever possible. My intentions to steal that time away, though, are outweighed too often by my real job, so I've made sure to become the defacto, go-to photographer whenever family and friends ask just to make sure I keep my chops--and equipment--up. And I never come home from a vacation without, like, a thousand shots. (The ol' shotgun method; something's gotta stick.)

I learned photography old-school (though not as old school as you, Kate!) with a fully-manual Pentax K1000 while on my college newspaper staff. I even won a California college photojournalism award (though it was in a small-newspaper category, which is one of those big-fish/small-pond awards). I fell away from photography for a good long while after college, but digital revived my interest. Since getting my 480x640 off-brand hunk-o'-junk back in '97, I've been through several digital cameras. I broke a few. I gave a couple away. Earlier this year, I finally settled on my Pentax (good ol' Pentax!) K20D DSLR. This purchase allowed me to make use of every Pentax lens I've ever owned that I hadn't broken or lost (which is how I justified the expense) and yet I find myself mostly using the best walk-around lens I ever owned, a 18-250 mm jobber.

I don't have a particular area of interest when shooting (see also: "the shotgun method"), but I think I do best at candids and portraits. I've been experimenting with Photoshop since I could afford it (Dawnee, I believe I started with v5 also), but I'm to the point now where I only use it to fix small blemishes in otherwise good shots.

I'm definitely glad to back on the photographic horse.

Permalink Reply by Sarah on July 20, 2008 at 12:03am

Honestly, my love for photography started when I was 16, taking pictures of the local hockey team. I wasn't any good at it but my parents got me a nice SLR, a Rebel, and I was hooked. I eventually bought an Elan 7e and then my (awesome) mother-in-law bought me a Canon 20D for Christmas several years ago. Unfortunately, it was stolen at Disneyworld. I was able to get it covered by our insurance and I upgraded to the 30D, which is what I use now. I actually preferred the 20D but it doesn't matter much now. I have a bunch of different lenses, most of them the kit lenses, but I do have a couple of telephoto.

For a very long time I wanted to go to school and then try to get into sports photography, but kids and a dislike for the business behind shooting sports has pretty much ended that. Now I just take pictures of the kids or the places we go. I'm not really more than a hobbyist. Maybe someday I can take it a bit more seriously.

If I had more time to devote to it, I would always prefer to shoot in natural lighting. I'd love to really understand how to process RAW images, and I'd like to be able to learn to use Aperture and Photoshop more proficiently. I really like certain features of each but can't afford either at the moment. (Shhh, I have a pirated copy of CS3 that I use now.)

Permalink Reply by dGolden on July 20, 2008 at 12:55am

I became somewhat interested in photography in college, mainly as a means of building my theatre design portfolio and for the same reasons I love lighting design. When my wife died, it became an important means to cope and communicate what I was going through. I like to dabble in a variety of subject matter, anything that I find easier to say in pictures than with words.

Permalink Reply by Doug on July 20, 2008 at 1:34am

Hi Im doug and I am a photography addict.

I actually suffer withdrawal symptoms if I cannot get a fix every few days at least. ( I try to have a hit every day :)

Some of my work is at http://www.silverimagephotos.com.au/

more recent work and stuff is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/76729200@N00/

I use NIKON NIKON NIKON NIKON NIKON NIKON NIKON NIKON NIKON NIKON !

And I am ever so slightly biased about Nikon gear.

I have used most cameras and systems over the last 35 years from 10"x10" aerial camera to a $2 Diana.

I became a photographer after being thrown out of school for not being able to read or write. I was told I was being deliberately stupid! I am still badly dyslexic but have learned to cope and to use cameras to express a lot of stuff I cannot put into words.

Cheers Doug

Permalink Reply by RTH on July 20, 2008 at 5:06am

I've enjoyed photography since I was a little boy.

I've posted some of my photos here: http://eyeofraha.blogspot.com

I'm gradually adding more.

Permalink Reply by Samu on July 20, 2008 at 1:27pm

How did I become interested? My mom bought a digital camera when I was a pre-teen, and I pretty much appropriated it for myself. I'm still a total newbie at this, and only use a point-and-shoot camera because I'm cheaper than dirt and it almost literally hurts to spend money, even when it comes to cameras.

Equipment- I have a nikon coolpix, which I use together with magnifying glasses, my microscope, or whatever I have handy to take pictures. Of course, I also use things like photoshop and autopano pro to modify my pictures (if I'm not feeling lazy).

Fav. subject- Easy, nature. I love macros, panoramas, and micrographs.

I'll probably post some pictures later today.

Permalink Reply by toomanytribbles on July 20, 2008 at 4:21pm

i'm new to photography but i need to take as many pictures of beijing as possible before i leave! i've got a couple of canons and several lenses and the bag's getting way too heavy for me. i post on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/toomanytribbles/sets/

Permalink Reply by Tony on July 21, 2008 at 8:33pm

Those are some stunning photographs, tribbles. The lightings, the compositions, the places-and-times, the angles, the "feels" ... all just wonderful. I really wish I had your eye.

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