aschwinghammer

<p>Hello, I am traveling home for christmas and I am bring my camera body, 3 lenses, extra batteries and cards. I was wondering if brining my camera as my carry on is a bad idea...I always hear of the x-rays doing terrible things to camera equipment (or was this just film days haha??).....Any advice will be great. Thanks.</p>

<p>Thank you.<br>

So is it best to use my 35mm as a close up portrait lens and buy a UWA lens for large groups and landscapes?? I haven't done enough photo shoots to be able to tell which lens I get the best results (still figuring that out) I see that the Sigma 10-20mm Hsm has amazing reviews. I need a lens to ensure that every single face is in focus and I find that hard with my 55-200mm. (i don't really like that lens unless i'm in the small window of about 6-10 ft from the subject, or it is a still subject)<br />I'm thinking maybe my next two purchases should be the Sigma 10-20mm and some type of 17-50 like the Tamron or Sigma as I have also read great things about. Maybe I could sell my other lenses that I am done with. <br>

Thanks again everyone! </p>

<p>This is my 3rd lens post, haha, so sorry everyone if i'm getting annoying:) There is so much to grasp out there for lenses and so many options. <br>

I am ready to upgrade to a new lens for my D5000 and I have been searching, and researching, and asking questions, and visiting unhelpful camera stores, and I just can't come to a conclusion of what the best option for me is. I live no where near a camera shop that rents lenses, so that is out of the question for me. <br>

I have been working with a professional photographer as her intern/assistant and it's time to upgrade. She advises me to get a 16 or 17--XX something lens, but she shoots Canon and can't give me advice on the exact one to choose, but, on the other side she told me that she kind of regrets not buying a wide angle zoom when she got her 17-55mm, so she said I should get what I think I would use more. Every time I have it narrowed down, something else pops up online, and next thing I know I have 12 different pages up on my computer with reviews and prices and I just get so jumbled. It's either between a regular zoom or a wide angle zoom <br>

The photography she does is mostly family portraits (some indoor in a studio but mostly outdoor) real-estate, kids, weddings, and engagement photos. I love doing landscapes and do a lot of candid shots for her clients. I also have been doing family portraits on my own for people for at no charge to gain experience. <br>

As of now I have the kit lens(18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, the 55-200mm and I just got the 35mm f/1.8 which I love and have been using for close up and portrait shots. <br>

Here are a few that I have found online:<br>

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 -this lens is $1000 cheaper than the Nikon 17-55 but I don't want to waste $600 on a lens when I will want the best quality possible in the future<br>

Nikon 16-85mm f/ 3.5-5.6 (but I really want a lower f/stop)<br>

Sigma 17-70mm<br>

I would really LOVE a wide angle lens such as the 14-24mm but again on the expense. Do the Sigma or Tamrons compare?<br>

I guess to narrow down this novel of a post, what is the most important lens I will need for my camera now, and in the future with growing into a professional photographer?.I want something that can grow with me, as well as be compatible with a body upgrade in a few years. <br>

Haha, see, this post even became jumbled...<br>

Thanks in advance for all the advice Photo.net Mentors! </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks everyone for the advice. Photo.net is so helpful. I can't wait to start my internship, I guess I'm just gitty and want to get a good head start on computer processing. I get frustrated when I cant figure it out.<br>

I will try everything you've all advised, and if I still can't get it, I'll wait until I start with my mentor.<br>

Thanks again:)!<br>

Best wishes! </p>

<p>I have a D5000. I tried using the DNG converter, but when I upload my pics into Bridge it says: "your photos have been successfully uploaded however there was an error when converting to DNG"<br>

I finally figured out how to choose all the photos and it actually lets me "save all" if I double click on the group chosen...so that is better than doing each photo individually!<br>

I'm just really confused: So now in my folder I have one of each of a dng file, and the raw file. My question is, when I start to do my edits I do the edits on the dng file, and just leave the RAW file as is for "just incase?" I'm just not sure if any information is lost when I convert the photos to DNG's or JPG's from the raw file. <br>

I did however see a difference in the quality of the photos when taken in RAW and I am very excited about that!<br>

Eek. Thanks for your information!</p>

<p>I start as an intern with a professional photographer next week so i figured it's time to start shooting in RAW format. I was getting so good at processing all my photos through Adobe Bridge and Photoshop elements when shooting in JPEG, but now another hurdle...I didn't realize how frustrating uploading and processing RAW images was going to be...<br>

I want to learn how to process the RAW photos now so that's one less thing she has to teach me. (yes she knows I don't know how) and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. <br>

I've looked a bunch of forums up online, but they only have ones explaining how to convert them from Bridge to CS4 or 5, and it seems to be completely different. I can't quite afford CS5 yet, so I'm hoping there is a way to convert the files with photoshop elements.<br>

I just want to be able to view the RAW photo full screen in bridge, and also be able to do color corrections (which it's not allowing me to do right now with the RAW file) and also be able to burn them to a disc.<br>

Thanks, and sorry I'm clueless but i'm learning! </p>

<p>Thanks everyone. The reason I am taking these photos is for experience/experimenting. Some of you are saying that I should experiment before I experiment? The family is aware of this, they know that I am a beginner. <br>

It sounds like I should just stick with my 18-55 lens, although I have reading things online that say that a portrait should never be taken at less than a 70mm focal length. Here is a copy and paste: It's from digital-photography-school.com</p>

<h3>4) Never, ever, shoot a portrait at less than 50mm; try to stay at 70mm or higher.</h3>

<p>The last thing you want to hear from a client is “Why does my head look swelled?” Any focal length below 70mm can distort your subject, however it doesn’t become very noticeable until you are below 50 MM. The compression effect of a telephoto lens will also increase the blur of bokeh. Most of my portraits are done between 120mm and 200mm.Read more: <a href="http://www.digital-photography-school.com/13-tips-for-improving-outdoor-portraits#ixzz12sGXzH1K">http://www.digital-photography-school.com/13-tips-for-improving-outdoor-portraits#ixzz12sGXzH1K</a><br>

I've read so many different things...I guess I'll just learn when I experiment. Thanks for all the advice.</p>

<p>Hello,<br>

I am trying to advance my experience and portfolio and will be photographing a family for free at the end of this week. I currently have a the Nikon D5000 kit lens (18-55mm) and the 55-200mm lens. <br>

I will be taking some candid shots as well as posed, and was wondering if I am better off using my 200mm lens for the posed shots and the 18-55mm for the candid shots?<br>

I want to be able to take the most amazing pictures i'm capable of for them, even though they know I'm a beginner. Thanks for your time and advice!<br>

Amanda</p>

<p>Goodness, Thank you for all the advice everyone! Sorry I took so long to get back on here, I never received an email telling me that people have responded. Apparently I need to change that setting:) Thank you Shun for personally emailing so I'm aware of all these wonderful suggestions. <br>

Yes I am a BEGINNER, so all this jibber jabber (haha) about lenses is foreign to me, but i'm doing my research. I took college level photography classes back in 2001 in the manual era and I also co-taught a photography class for 2 years in high school so I am used to artistry of shooting, developing, and projecting in the dark room. I have also refreshed my memory of F-stops and ISO settings by reading a book and taking a digital SLR class. I'm getting frustrated with the fact that my pictures aren't as colorful/bright as I'd like, they are turning out almost "dull" looking - maybe Vince's suggestion of changing the white balance with help that. I also would like more depth in my photos and I've be told by friend photographer that I need a "wide-angle" (too bad they all use Canon and can't recommend a specific one.) Here are a few of my photos i've taken as you all requested:<br>

http://picasaweb.google.com/a.schwinghammer/Portfolio#<br>

The first 8 pics (boat thru moss) are pictures that i'm happy with AFTER I photoshop/edit. The last few are semi duplicates of a few of the photos before I edited them. The spoon and cherry is the greatest example of what i mean about the pictures turning out "dull." But you can see by the difference of the raw files compared to the ones I have edited. <br>

I really appreciate all your time! I'm getting there! <br>

Amanda</p>

 

<p>I'm a DSLR beginner! All this technical stuff has me frustrated since i'm switching from a manual SLR. I just got the Nikon D5000 and am frustrated that my pictures aren't looking as "artistic" as I'd like. I am looking into a wide angle lens, and am wondering if anyone can recommend a good beginner Nikon lens that is going to get me greater pictures with more depth of field. I've found a few forums on this subject but they're mostly about Canon lenses. I take mostly landscape photos, but I'm trying to get into portraits as well. Thanks soooo much, any advice will help! </p>