john_sevigny2
-
Posts
105 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Photographs and Memories
john_sevigny2 replied to Mark Z's topic in The History & Philosophy of Photography
Related: I am the least nostalgic person on earth. Maybe. I never take photographs thinking about their historical value and I take almost no personal photos (subject for another discussion?). That said, after 48 years of life on this planet, most of it taking pictures, I find myself amazed at a) how much the world has changed since, say, 2001, and b) how deeply I value photographs of people who have passed away. When I look at photographs of my father, I can absolutely hear the depth of his voice, its particular inflections, and even remember specific things he said. In brief, I used to think I could make photographs that were only about the here and now but they inevitably become about a past that no longer exists. Attached: portrait of me, maybe aged 10, with a Pentax K1000.
-
People come to their own conclusions about what medium is best for them and they usually do so with good reasons, the OP being no exception. I'm shooting a 6x9 rangefinder now because a) I can still focus using a rangefinder but not an slr focusing screen, b) I live in a place where there are still labs and processing is cheap, and c) I find digital photography to be about instant satisfaction as Moving On said. And I still shoot a lot of digital but my heart is with film. The point is, debating the two is silly. People do what they do in the way it suits them to do it.
-
-
Random thoughts on a rather strange post: You have one very nice Canon lens. If I had that lens I would plan on keeping it. If you're interested in investing, there are plenty of stocks that pay dividends. All digital cameras are disposable. They bleed value. They are replaced every year at most by something better. Lenses are forever. I have heard no rumors of Canon discontinuing the L mount. Camera brands, models and styles come in and out of style. When I started in journalism Nikon F5s were the standard. Then everyone ditched their Nikon gear for Canon's big, white lenses. Trying to guess what's going to happen "next" in photography is a waste of time. If there are any photojournalists left (sarcasm) I suspect they're using big Nikon and Canon dslrs. It doesn't matter. Cameras are tools. I have owned Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Mamiya cameras in a mix of film, digital, with mirrors and withough. Right now I'm using a Fuji 6x9, totally manual, no-meter film camera made in 1969. You've got good gear. Stop sweating over whether it was a good investment. If you use it, it was the right thing to buy. If you don't, it probably wasn't.
-
-
-
-
Understanding street photography
john_sevigny2 replied to Andrew Garrard's topic in Street & Documentary
I don't like the term "street photography" but I accept it as a description of work made in urban environments normally involving people. Here's the thing: walking around your city, or any city, with a camera is fascinating. You look at things in ways you never looked at them before. You see things in new ways. It's very much an art of failure. Unlike anything you do in the studio you'll come home with mostly bad photographs. Which is what makes it so interesting. The hunt for anything moving, unique or new is like no other kind of photography. Beyond that, the creative process, which in other genres can develop over weeks, happens in milliseconds. My advice is to put a wide or moderately wide angle lens on your camera and go out and take pictures. It may be for you. It may not. Only one way to find out :D -
If I'm comparatively not even microscopic the same goes for the challenges I face. This is comforting to me.
-
-
Thanks for all the answers so far. I'll see how the histogram lines up with WB set correctly and go from there.
-
I second that suggestion. They're cheap. Avoid the awful 16mm lens and get the 20mm, which is more than good enough. I've been carrying that setup for years now.
-
I inherited a D7100 from my brother. I've been doing some portrait and documentary work with it but whether I shoot raw or jpg, and no matter how careful I am with white balance, my colors are all over the map. This picture shows a good example. Skin tone sucks. Sharp, warm greens. And the overall color balance is too cool. In nearly every other case, orange is way oversaturated. Is my machine dead or did I accidentally turn on the "sucky color" function?
-
For a general camera/lens combo that will make great photographs I'd get a Nikon 3400 (about $500 with a kit lens) and Nikon's stellar 35mm DX prime ($166 brand new). You'll have a very usable camera and you will have started collecting lenses with one of the best primes out there for the money. You'll still have cash left for memory cards and other stuff. But as everyone else said, there are a zillion cameras out there. Most of them are pretty good.
