nick_r8

<p>My friend Tim Kaldas is based in Cairo and does weddings. He's great to work with.<br>

www.timothykaldas.com</p>

<p>I like your work, but I would only consider the studio shot in the lower left a headshot. I work as a director, and what I'm looking for is a tightly framed face with eyes directly into the camera that shows the real person I'm about to meet at the audition. Actors also need a standing 3/4 shot for most film work that should be similarly engaging, not posed like a modeling shot. Show personality! I'd also suggest playing around with various portrait length lenses to get a good grasp on how focal length can compress an image and use depth of field more deliberately. <br>

Most actors find photographers by word of mouth. Once they see someone with shots they like they will ask who did them. See if you can't place your cards at showcases, schools, and any place that offers services that actors use.<br>

I would also discourage charging an hourly rate with no minimum as the end goal is to make the person feel as comfortable in front of the camera as possible and nor rushed. </p>

If you want a camera he'll use even if he doesn't get serious about photography, go with the D40. I use my D40 instead of my other cameras at family events or when I'm out with friends on a nice day. Why? Because it's light, compact, and makes great pictures- especially if he'll be shooting jpegs he won't need a higher pixel camera.

Lenswise, I like my old D40 kit lens for casual stuff, and the new VR is supposed to be good as well. D40 is good at high iso, so sports shouldn't be a problem (it's probably better than the d200 noisewise). You can always MF the 135mm, which would be a good thing to do if you want to learn about DOF, focus anticipation for sports, etc.

Even if he does get into photography, he'll still be happy with the camera, as well as having something smaller and less obtrusive to take wherever.

Didn't know this was made. How's the weight and the feel?

The D40s battery life is so good why the grip? I put armor on mine and that bulked it up enough for my big hands.

Hunts camera seems to be hiring salespeople. It's not ideal, but decent pay, big employee discount, in a top of

the line chain NE chain, not your run of the mill camera shops. Plus, the guys there always rave about the crazy

deals they get from manufacturers on equipment. I've never had a bad experience at their locations.

http://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/content/employment/index.cfm

Oh, and, welcome to Boston!

Lighting, lighting, lighting!

It's not sharpness that's your real problem (though your DOF is a bit narrow), it's that your subjects are poorly lit with very diffuse light. Textures need to be brought out with directional light- that will give you the 3d depth you're lacking.

I'm certainly not saying you should set up some kind of flash or light rig around these flowers. Something as simple as a piece of white paper acting as a reflector perpendicular to the camera plane would be a tremendous help. Experiment with controlling the angle of light across the surfaces you are photographing and you will certainly see an improvement.

I recently bought a lightly used D200 and am very pleased with the results I got with my Nikon glass- especially late 70s manual primes, which also feel great on the body.

If you buy used digital, check how many shutter clicks the camera has. Digital sensors wear out with use. Something like a D200 is rated for 100,00+ exposures by Nikon (but good for many more).

You should be able to get a used D200 with >15,000 clicks for about $800-$850 if you shop around.