ratface1

How was the other photog muscling you around?

 

It's normal in a press scrum for a bit of jockying for position. TV is the worse, as they can't afford to be artist like photogs can.

 

Was the guy actually pushing/shoving you? In that case, you push back! You've got as much right to that photo as he does. Press scrums can be a lot of fun sometimes!

Michael - nope, nobody can make you erase on public or private for that matter. Trust me on that, as I studied journalism laws.

 

On public property everything is fair game. If you go onto private property (an sports arena, store, etc), they can't make you erase, but can tell you to leave. Or, they can attempt to detain you until the police arrive, but not even police can tell you to erase...

 

Although it's your rights, it's kinda your call how much hassel the photo is worth...if you like the photo and had an afternoon to kill..well...

 

Now, if somebody is threatening violence, perhaps it is in your best interest to leave or erase....but honestly, if a guy threatened to smash my gear, the last thing I'd let him do is get close enough to see the back of my camera for proof I erased....I'd walk away, run away, call for help, and as a last resort, let him taste the long end of the monopod...That's your gear and your livlihood on the line!

 

Eitherway, find a system that gives you hte confidence to approach people and get the shot you want. Don't worry about making a goof of yourself, you'll just be a goof with a sweet looking photograph!!

Be as aggressive as it takes to get the photo that you see and want.

 

For my paper, I often:

-Climb on top of my car, tables, ladders, roof tops. A recent assignment saw me photograph a horse and rider - I sat on the horse to get a good angle.

-Lay in dirty fields, floors, roads, sidewalks.

-Get inside things

-I shoot them ask, almost always. In Canada, we can shoot anybody and anything we want who are in a public place. They can complain, but the only thing stopping you from taking and publishing that photo is politeness. If somebody is against hteir photograph being published, I'll be nice and not do it (barring news worthy accident photo's, etc.)

 

Just constantly think outside the box, move around. Shoot everything from 3 or angles. Get above, below, beside, behind, inside. Whatever.

Set the proper white balance for the situation will imrpove the colour.

Monopod.

Use a flash when the action gets close (unless you're shooting through the glass, in which case, find your way to the players box and shoot from there instead.)

Under expose slightly and bump it in photoshop. Digital photo's can be usually be pushed a stop or 2 without any major quality loss.

Dennis, you may want to edit your last post there - just a friendly tip, as a blog entry in college ended up costing a friend of mine a position with a paper. Just because it detailed some drinking adventures, this person was deemed undesirable. Left her unemployed for a few months...

 

But to your question, nothing wrong with freelancing, even if the pay is poor - it gets your foot in the door, and you'll land a job!

Luckily through work (at my paper) I can use equipment, but my personal camera (10d) is what I use for my sidework. My editor okay'd me to borrow some work gear, but I guess a new camera is in my future.

 

The 10D isn't too shiny, but she did a good job and has paid the bills for the last 3 years. I think it's time to move on!

Haha, Figured as much. I've located a back up. I've just gained some sentimental value with my camera in the 3 years/60 thousand images I've had it.

 

Looks like a new camera may be in my future.

So after a persistent Error 99 on my Canon 10d, I opened the mirror with the

Sensor Clean option, and noticed my shutter curtain is jammed half way open.

 

Please tell me there's a quick fix which doesn't involve sending it to Canon,

since I 100% need a camera this weekend! Anybody have a similar problem and

find a way to correct it?

 

Thanks! :)

+1 on leaving the argument out of this guys post.

 

And it sounds like you have a good arrangement with the paper similar to my start in photo-journalism. Give the paper your best work, but whatever they don't use, you should be free to sell. By appeasing the paper, you've got your foot in the door for a job there, or a job at a paper under the same publisher. My freelance gig at one paper landed me my full-time at a neighbouring paper.

 

Now I'm growing old and fat on my lavish salary. Go me. :)

While digging through a box at one of the paper's I worked at earlier this spring, I found an old A2E sitting there, collecting dust. The editor barely knew it existed, and gave it to me as a present. Our entire chain stopped using film a few years ago.

 

I personally haven't processed a roll of film in almost two years, for personal or work.

Well, in Canada, the basic 'rules' are if it's on public property, you can go as close as you safely can to the action..there's usually barricades, or some sort of line which is obvious not to cross. Don't cross the line, you're fine.

 

If it's private property, get cosy with a fireman/police man, and ask for an escort closer. Has always worked for me so far.

Hey working pro's.

 

Preparing a new resume for my first shot at a daily (been working in weeklies

for a couple years) and wondering what you people put in it.

 

Some of the stuff I've currently got in it seem rather....unnecessary, such as

unrelated experience, volunteering, etc, which we were taught to put in it in

college.

 

Any advice?

Yeah, in Canada that 100 bucks is just fine. If you want a freelance job, meet hte photo editor over lunch or coffee or whatever. If he's (or she) is a nice person, they'll gladly meet you and talk about your career.

Hey

I'd recommend making a new thread - I only randomly thought about this the other day when I posted, so unless people are searching for it they won't see it.

 

As for applying to a daily....not to sure...I think it's about the same process, but make sure it's your absolute best work they see, and get someone else to look at your stuff too, and be ruthless in critiquing it. These guys are the best of the best, and won't waste their time.

 

I'm still waiting for an opening in my area at one of the dailies, so I don't have any tales to tell, just weekly stuff!

So, how did everything turn up Erin?

I work at a newspaper professionally, full time (albeit a small paper) with a Canon 10d, a 50 1.8, and a 70-200 2.8 as my main lenses. I have a flash, a studio kit, and a bunch of other knick-knacks I use.

I've so far taken a couple awards during college, and came close on a couple afterwards.

It's the photographer, not the gear, which will get you the job.

 

That being said, having nice gear will also give you a confidence level in your work which using crap gear may not. BTW, I started with a Pentax K1000, so I feel your pain when it comes to upgrading.

Well, you can try to renegotiate your pay-per-photo, but it probably won't go all that well. If you have a really good publisher, maybe you'll get an increase, but don't forget their are 50 more people who would work for that same 25 bucks or less to get their foot in the door at a news paper.

If it's just for fun, you don't earn income, etc, just for a hobby, sure, go for it.

I earn my entire income each year from a fairly beat-up 10D, so I can't imagine it's predecessor (s.p?) can be that bad. My understanding is it's just a bit slower and the resolution is slightly lower.

A freelancer, yeah, pass out your cards and drum up all the business you can. Before I took my staff job, I always did that.

 

When I freelanced for a smaller paper (30k weekly roughly) I got 25 bucks Canadian per photo, plus mileage. It was a lucrative position for a student, since I had income from a part-time job, but I'm guessing a parent, 20 bucks won't do it.

 

On the other hand, working for less can be lucrative, because when full-time work comes available, you're usually first on their list.

Assuming your cash flow is okay....Keep the XT, still order the 30D, and invest in glass. If cash is an issue, sell the XT at a fair price (not cheap, but don't expect to get what you paid for it) and invest in new glass. Any L series (Red Line) lenses are definitely worth the money. I don't regret the months of eating crap food and living without beer to afford my 70-200 2.8. Looking back, I'm not sure how I lived without it.

Yep, I'll bet it's the custom functions doing that. If it's working fine in auto modes, the lens probably isn't the problem. I've used a number of non-Canon lenses on my 10d over the years and never had a problem, but I guess I'm just lucky!

1) Even if it's just a lenshood, it's still his property. To all of you who said get over it, remember that when somebody takes your property. How mad would you be if somebody put a scratch on your car? Pretty insignificant right, but I bet anyone of you would be pissed and probably shout at the driver who dinged your car in a lot.

2)At least he was standing up for his rights. Jerks who try to remove me from area's I'm photograping don't receive a positive response either. Be they cops, fire fighters or other people who don't like me there. If I'm in an area out of the way where I'm allowed, good luck getting rid of me. Whatever his reason for photographing the rally was, he was allowed to be there and he doesn't need to ask permission from anyone.

3) Replace the hood, and keep on shooting. Good luck with getting yourself off hteir website.

I took my 10D into a BURNING BUILDING while in full-fireman gear, and it works fine. It was in there quite some time and came out with no problems, other than the paint melting off parts of the frame.

 

Unless it's in your car for many hours, and I mean 5+, I can't imagine the heat affecting your camera. Leave the window open a crack, and leave it in a shady area.

Well said Dan

It just really gets to me when people complain about technological advances, as if by being able to control the focus with your eye, photography has somehow become corrupted.

As if auto focus was made for the lazy - I make my living with my camera, and rely on the technology advances of recent years to make that happen.

"Perhaps you're the generation raised on video games, and you don't want to do anything manually."

 

Is the transmission in your car automatic?

Ever used a microwave?

Remote control for a TV?

 

Who cares how the photograph is taken, concentrate on the image the technology yields.