brody

Haha Weinburg that was why i clicked on the thread !

But while I'm here, my thoughts on the subject are confused by your definitions of what

makes a "pure" artist and what makes someone who simply uses art as a means of making

money.

If we lived in a perfect world that didn't involve money, we wouldn't need art, because

expression would be universal...but because our world is imperfect, differences exist, and

capitalism and all other types of government, art is a necessity.

Just because someone's photographs are only seen by the few twenty-somethings that are

"indie" and resist corporate america, that doesn't elevate them above somebody who takes

product shots for Mc Donalds.

It's more about the intent than the result.

This is something I think about quite a lot. If you're talking about "artistic" photography,

such as landscapes, portraits, and cultural pieces, absolutely...although in this sense I feel

that when you use the word "time", you're not just talking about a specific point in space

and place, but rather a total combination of cultural, social, political, religious, and all

other factors that actually compose what we call life.

There's some other types of photography though that don't necessarily reflect an

expression of the current status quo.

Today's front page New York Times photograph is tomorrow's wrapping at the fish market

and the lining for little kara's hamster cage...

The D50's focus capabilities have served me well even for skateboarding work, in which

subjects fly by and the lighting situation changes every second...I think your issue here

might not be as much about the camera, but like most people say, the lens.

Consider getting a wide-angle ASPHERICAL lens, rather than having a flat surface, an

aspherical lens has a uh, well, aspherical (dome) shape, which allows it to capture more

light and also produces great blur when you're going for that depth of field look.

Disadvantages to these types of lenses are cost and weight (there's alot of extra glass

inside) but it may be the solution to your troubles.

Find a reputable local camera store and bring your camera in, talk with your needs with

someone knowledgeable there, and I'm sure they'll let you play around with a few different

lenses.

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<img src="http://brodyblog.com/ImageGallery/Skatography/images/KickFlipKid.jpg">

Sweetness all around. IMO skateboarding and horse racing are the two best situations to have

a high FPS advantage.

I was living in West Los Angeles when I bought my first DSLR (Nikon D50) w/ standard 18-

55mm kit, and I knew nothing of photography and didn't even work in any kind of related

field...at the time I was working as a Pharmacy Technician, but I just kept playing around

with my camera more and more, and the whole purpose of me using it was so I was able

to show what I liked best about LA to my internet friends on messageboards, etc. and not

have to rely on other people for pictures.

Then one day, I was eating lunch at an indian restaurant off Washington Blvd. (for the

locals) and saw a FLEET of police cars race by and turn on a nearby street. Turns out I got

there just after yet another gang related shooting happened, and I broke out my camera

and a telephoto lens I bought a few days before and started shooting, ended up selling the

photos to a paper and even giving them to the police department for use in the

investigation.

By curious quirk of fate, I was also riding a metro train back from long beach to be in the

right place at the right time to see a car get hit by an oncoming tram (light rail) and was

the only photographer there to take pictures and get shots before they removed the car

from the tracks...also able to sell that to a paper and eventually realized that I was

carrying my camera all the time, and decided to pursue it...much more interesting than

putting pills in bottles.

I was financially fortunate to have my 'rents help me buy a D200 and a D2x and basically

just muscled my way into things, learning as I went along teaching myself. I just recently

photographed Obama and Hillary from the press box, and am not sure about getting a

formal education in photography, or just keep on keepin' on...I've been doing pretty good

so far...

Firstly, nothing ever lasts forever.

As a fully-digital photographer (the only time I print something is if its in a newspaper or

for portrait work--I even bring my macbook and exhibit a portfolio digitally, to me film is

a relic and i pay it no mind) my data (images) are extremely valuable, an in some respects,

beyond being priced.

Besides the backup I have stored on my two macs, I have a back-up on an external hard

drive. But what good is all this if your house burns down or is destroyed? In addition to my

backup external HD, I ALSO keep an archive of all my files (music, photos, everything)

backed up on yet another external hard drive, except this one gets stored in a safety

deposit box at the vault in the bank and I update it on about a monthly basis.

This really comes down to a personal preference situation and what sort of equipment you

have and whether or not you're going to completely rely on the autofocus system, which in

most cameras these days are sublime.

However, in low lighting situations, low contrast situations, your camera may fire and get

a blurry shot, which you might've been able to avoid having seen it through the viewfinder.

Having said that, I have some strong near-sightedness and HEAVY astigmatism, so much

to the point where I'm on the very cusp of being able to wear soft contacts and not hard

ones...I find it's much more easy to slide your eye in the viewfinder without glasses, and I

can also tell if the computer is correct in its assumption of what "in focus" is.

Thanks for all the hints...I'll definately check out some of the products/links reccomended. I

do have my equipment insured through a separate policy that will replace it likety spilt, but

that won't help me if I'm in nowhere, kansas.

I also like the pentax idea...I'll have to give it a shot (pun intended.)

Thanks for all the info so far! this forum rawks.

I agree with steve, I shoot a ton of indoor parties, events, etc.

If you're lucky, there will be enough ambient light that you can use your lowest

aperture/focal length settings to get decent exposures using NO flash at 1600, but if you

must use a flash, and don't have an external to do some creative, bounce lighting, definitely consider shooting in RAW, you will have complete control over post editing and

exposure / noise reduction by altering the shadow/highlights.

I personally HATE using pop-up flashes, especially in close up situations or in party

situations (everyone near the camera will be well lit but everyone away will have color

issues, poor exposure, possible extra noise).

Something that you might consider is taking a thin piece of coffee filter and

taping/draping it over the external flash...I've done it a few times and have found it still

produces the desired lighting (they don't call them flashes for nothing, lol) but CAN soften

a direct shot and sometimes even helps with red-eye...play around and see what you can

work out.

Also don't rule out any artistic possibilities of steadying yourself against a sofa or table or

something and taking a semi-long exposure (10s, 5s, etc.) at a lower ISO. A sense of

movement and blur is a great shot to demonstrate the life of a partay.

I use something similar to the lens you're speaking about (w/ macro capabilities) and have

to say I've been absolutely pleased with it... lighter weight means that you'll be able to

hold it and steady it better, and also won't have to worry about it snapping off the

connecting ring.

I would highly recommend a polarizing or other filter for either lens, but I'd suggest a

getting that extra 50mm, sometimes it can make or break a shot if you want to use it as a

telephoto/zoom based purely on the fact of the speed advantage I've seen in my use of it

compared to shorter length lenses. <br>

Here's an example of a shot I took with a 70-200 f/4.

<img src="http://brodyblog.com/ImageGallery/Portraits/images/Walters1.jpg">

I've just signed on with The American Red cross as an event staff photographer and an on-call disaster

response team photographer, which will involve shooting situations in disaster zones, inclement weather,

and no real "clean and calm" place to switch lenses or check equipment.

I know the my D2x has dealt with rain before, but I'm also concerned about the weatherproofing of my

D200 and how to best seal the lens.

I've heard/thought of putting a small bit of masking tape between the gasket on the lens bracket, and

have also heard about people using plastic bags custom-cut to slide over the camera body. Obviously

using a lens hood/bayonet will help reduce stray particles...but does anyone have any advice about how to

keep my equipment in the best condition possible?

Obviously the photos I take for the Red Cross wont' have to be double-magazine-perfect-quality, and will

most likely be used to help insurers, the government, etc., but these are also the same cameras I'll be

using when I come back to shoot my regular stuff...should I consider cleanings? And if so what's an

average/reasonable price for a metro area like Dallas.

Any info would be ultra-super-mega helpful!

-Brodrick