READY TO UPGRADE, ANY SUGGESTONS?

[picsbycrystal]

I am an amatuer, ready to turn pro-photographer. I've done parties, funerals,

portraits for little to no fee. I'm ready to invest in and start my

photography business. I am shooting with a Canon Rebel Digital XT now and I

get a pretty good average with it. By average I mean that about 85% of what I

shoot is "sellable" as I call it. However, I think I'm ready to upgrade to a

more professional camera. Do you have any ideas for me?

[dan_hall4]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=518207&is=REG

[dan_hall4]

Or maybe this...

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=518207&is=REG

[mark u]

http://www.photo.net/learn/wedding/equipment

[colinsouthern]

Hi CRYSTAL,

 

This is very probably one of those "How long is a piece of string" questions. Many will say the XT is just fine because it's the photographer that makes the biggest difference. Some will suggest moving up to the 400D - Some will suggest the 40D - and some of us who work with 1D3/1Ds3 equipment will tell you how nice it is to work with as well (which I can sure vouch for).

 

Unfortunately, there's a lot more to it - you're going to need lenses - flashes - and quite probably a (eventually?) host of other bits of equipment strobes / tripods / stands / tripod head / umbrellas / backdrops / diffusers / reflectors / filters etc - the list is practically endless - and that's just the photography side of things.

 

I'd suggest taking a step back and mapping out more of a business plan - surprisingly enough, running a SUCCESSFUL photography business actually has surprisingly little to do with the ability to take good photographs - you also have to consider accounting / taxation & compliance / sales & advertising / marketing and a few other areas as well.

 

It's very much "sink or swim". Most sink.

 

Bill, back me up here!

 

Cheers,

 

Colin

[picsbycrystal]

Colin,

 

You know, you're correct. I forgot to mention that I have suitable tripods, umbrellas, backdrops, diffusers, reflectors and I have the Canon Speedlite 430EX. I have not invested in strobes however, because I'm not sure what they contribute. I think (hope) I'm past the sink part of the photography business, I started with the Canon Rebel 35mm about 7 years ago, shooting sports. I went digital a few years ago and stuck with basically the same camera, as far as locations of features but now, I think I'm ready to upgrade.

 

PS I'm booked through May.

[StuartMoxham]

Crystal do you have any pictures you could upload so we could get an idea of where you at as far a basic photography goes.

[colin carron]

If we confine ourselves to the question of 'which cameras and lenses' rather than the broader questions posed above then the question becomes simpler.

 

The link that Mark U posted discusses the subject of whether to go for crop factor bodies or full frame. If you have a big investment in EF-S lenses it might be best to go for the 40D but I think full frame does have an advantage particularly with wide angles and big apertures. So the 5D and ID Mk III seem to be the obvious contenders with cost being perhaps the biggest deciding factor. For lenses at the wide end the Canon 16-35 L f2.8 and the 24-70 L f 2.8 make the best of low light situations. I suggest you need at least f2.8 to make the best of low light and also to drop backgrounds as much as possible.

 

Good Luck!

[colin carron]

Reduce the image size to no a width of 500 pixels and include a title. Then the image will not need to be opened.

[picsbycrystal]

One last try: this photo was taken at a welcome home ceremony for our Military. This man was patiently waiting for his son to return from the war.<div></div>

[colinsouthern]

Crystal,

 

Thanks for that. Where are you at with lenses? What budget are you working towards?

 

Cheers,

 

Colin

[picsbycrystal]

LENSES? HMMM I HAVEN'T REALLY PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO LENSES. I HAVE THE STOCK 18-55MM LENS THAT CAME WITH THE CAMERA AND I HAVE A SIGMA, 28-300 1/3.5-6.3. I SHOOT PRIMARILY WITH THE LATTER, PARTICULARLY AT EVENTS LIKE THE ONE ABOVE.

[colinsouthern]

My ears are hurting!

 

(Typing in ALL CAPS is considered to be shouting) :)

 

12:50am here - I think others will probably have more to offer in terms of camera and possible lenses at this time of day!

[StuartMoxham]

I ask about seeing other images because lighting and posing are far more important in portraits than upgrading a camera body.

[picsbycrystal]

I'm very sorry, I'm blind in one eye and all caps makes it easier for me to read.

 

Yeah, It's 6am here.

[picsbycrystal]

Stuart,

 

Are you able to check out my portfolio? I just joined this site and am not sure of the capabilities as of yet.

[StuartMoxham]

As I only have the 3 portraits that you have uploaded to judge I would say that you would gain a lot by finding a decent lighting and portrature course. Learning to light properly and learning posing skills will do far more for you as a photographer than any camera body upgrade. A good place to start is to begin by assisting a working photographer who's work you like that way you will learn what is required and how to deal with problems that may arrise.

[steve_crist]

I shoot weddings and use the Canon 5D and basically 2 L lenses - the 24-70 and 70-200IS. I also bring a 50 F1.4 for low light situations and the 100 F2 for formals. Additional lens is the 17-40L used rarely for REALLY wide shots. The 24-70 is plenty wide when used on a full sensor body. Flash equipment is 2 580's, a 430 and the ST-E2 remote transmitter. Usually simply practicing your photo technique and getting lots of practice with Photoshop gives improved images.

[gdanmitchell]

Crystal, without making this too complicated or trying to make the subjective judgment about whether you

"have it" or not, let's try this.

 

You have taken a lot of photographs with your current gear. As you have done so you have likely encountered

situations in which it limited you in some way - you needed wider/longer, IS, larger aperture, faster burst,

better resolution to make a very large print, etc., etc.

 

A good starting place for considering upgrades is to first think carefully about this. In this way you can

identify specific things that will let you be more effective and flexible in your chosen type of photographic

work, and than plan your equipment acquisitions accordingly. Heck, it might even turn out that for the

particular niches you work in your current gear or something very similar might be OK for now.

 

It is great to consider the equipment lists that other photographers provide. You can learn a lot about what

works for them, and consider why many use certain pieces of gear and few use others - and compare their

circumstances to your own.

 

Good luck,

 

Dan

[tommyinca]

Canon 5D, Tamron 28-75/2.8, EF70-200/4L (non IS), EF100/2.8 macro (used non-USM version is cheaper and has good brokh) .

 

IMO, Best bang for your dollar, until more come in :-)

[phoneguy]

Crystal, take this with a grain of salt. Based on what you have shown in your portfolio, your

money would be better spent on some learning material. You are not ready to turn "pro". If

you do anything, get yourself a low cost prime like the 50 f/1.8, f/1.4, or the 85 f/1.8, and

continue on with the camera body you have. Any piece of equipment you buy isn't going to

fix the technical problems with your photos. Just because we get paid to shoot doesn't give

us the right to call ourselves a "pro"<p><a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-

flash/">Here</a> is my first recommendation for you, and it's free. Good Luck...

[geoff_foale]

If you intend to turn professional, producing good your work is only part of the requirement. You have to look professional and inspire confidence in potential customers. For that reason alone I would say that a 40D was the bare minimum.

 

After all you wouldn't let a mechanic with just a couple of bent and rusty tools work on your engine! Having said that I have an engineer friend who used to turn up wearing an old oil soaked ex army coat with his tools in an old battered tin box marked bread. But he only did agricultural work.

[picsbycrystal]

WOW Brutal honesty. I guess I knew that when I signed on to this forum. I do have to say (some-what in my defense) the photos with the red background that you are calling portraits, those were my first practice shoot. No light, no umbrellas, not even a speedlite. I purchased the other items because of the way those portraits turned out. I do appreciate the feedback! Technical Problems? Please help!

[phoneguy]

It's not really brutal. I've had some critiques on photos that I loved, and thought were great. I

was biased, it was my photo, a subject that I had an attachment to. You need to remove the

emotional attachment you have to your photos, and look at them with an unbiased eye.

Really look at them from a technical view. Lighting, Shadow, Composition. What separates

them from a snap shot. I am able to look back at some of the photos I got paid for, and

think, wow!, I can't believe someone paid for that crap. As you develop your skill, you will do

the same. You have to be your own worst critic IMHO.

[picsbycrystal]

Mike, Is there a course or workshop that you'd recommend. As stated above, I'm blind in one eye, so a lot of reading doesn't work for me.

 

You know, now that you mention it, some of those shots are basically snapshots, The ones under the "Ceremony" heading in my portfolio, they are done outside, people sitting close together (like at a movie theatre) some in the shade, some not. So, it's just me, my DSLR and my speedlite for equipment. Thanks for the advise.