Has anyone held or used a Lytro camera? This sounds interesting because it lets one concentrate on the subject and composition and worry about focus later....
If you are really going to be a dedicated protrait photographer and you got the bucks, look at a Hasselblad. Call B&H and ask them about a lens. You can also look at a Mamiya 4/5 format cameras. I think they all have dig capability. If you go with film which is not a bad idea for protrait, you can get some of these cameras rather cheaply. Look at B&H used as well as KEH and Adorama. Some good prices.
Otherwise go hold a Sony, Nikon and Canon and see which you like best. I would urge you to get one with a 35mm sensor. For protrait work, I would use a fixed focal length lens and have an array that includes 35mm 50mm, 85 or 90 mm. I would look for biggest aperature f2 or no less than f2.8. I say this because you may often want to blur out the background. Thus, you want a lens that can have little depth of field.
just one old guys suggestion.....
Dave:
You sound like Wilson Hicks the founder of Life Magazines photography tradition. His book Words and Pictures or was it Pictures and Words describes photography as you do and as I do. We are just old guys who come from the photojournalist tradition.
I know there are some labs in NYC that do nothing but create prints for the media, especially model shoots. They work with medium format film and larger and they work with both film and digital for 35mm. Boy do they charge!
I guess the crux is: If you like to PP do it if not don't. I do know that PP is very expensive. So, like you, i delete what I don't like and go to the local CVS or the local photo lab for prints of that which I do like.
Have a great one. Do some shooting this weekend....
looks like your focus point is the tree. at what f stop are you shooting try shooting at f11 and get greater depth of field (more of what is in the frame is in focus).
I have the same camera and bought a copy of Canon EOS Rebel T1i published within the Magic Lantern Guides. It has a great quick reference card in the back of the book that I put in my camera bag. The book is a readable and understandable manual.
least expensive canon or nikon dsl with kit lens. make sure she can put the camera to face and look through the view finder.
I strongly believe in a division of labor. It is what modern society is all about. I would not try to build a house yet I know how to saw wood and pound a nail. I generally go to the dealership for servicing my car. They provide a warranty, have the latest tech bulletins, etc. I pay a few bucks more, but I like someone who stands behind their work. I was a professional news photographer, but when it came to weddings and someone asked me to shoot the affair I always said: call a professional wedding photographer.
As the man said to the aspiring artist: Keep your day job!
One day you will retire and then the passion you bring to the young minds you mold - the second most important job in the world after being a good parent - can become an extra source of income.
You buy a non brand battery manufactured by the Chinese company Cumofsumdumbboy and it blows up or ruins your camera because it leaks. Canon says tough. You spend the extra 10 or so dollars and the same thing happens, but canon is on the label. You go to canon and they may hem and haw but will have to do something for you. They want your continued loyalty, good will and business. Spring for the extra bucks.
I use my Canon G10 with the flash off and ISO at 800. I set the aperture at 2.8. I do not try to zoom in. I can crop the photos and blow up what I want to be the main subject of the photo.
I find using my DSLR not practical in the kinds of situations that you are attempting to capture.
If using a DSLR use the viewfinder and not the screen. You can hold the camera steadier when it is at eye level and against your face - your face becomes a support.
In days of film there was a reason that Leica was the camera of choice in the news room. It was small, compact, had good glass, and was easy to hand hold without shake so that one could take a picture at low speeds. You can hand hold a rangefinder camera at about 30th of a sec without any trouble and as low as a 15th with just a little support.
Hire a photographer for them as a gift. I was a combat photographer and a news photographer, but the toughest shot I was ever on was shooting the wedding of a friend.
DON'T DO IT!
You will miss the wedding and that is the reason to be there.
Give them a photographer as a gift!
If not, there are some good books on wedding photography and some good sites. But, please don't do it....
Hire a photographer for them as a gift. I was a combat photographer and a news photographer, but the toughest shot I was ever on was shooting the wedding of a friend.
DON'T DO IT!
You will miss the wedding and that is the reason to be there.
Give them a photographer as a gift!
If not, there are some good books on wedding photography and some good sites. But, please don't do it....
just started to play with my G 10 and have just realized it has a aperture range of only f2.8 to f8. Now understand why they have a built in neutral density filter setting. Thus, if one wants to get good depth of field in a scenery shot on a real sunny day one has to use the wide angle setting and a neutral density filter would you all agree?
I like using film when shooting B&W at night without flash. I like the grain when I push TriX to 800 or more. I especially like the effects when shooting street scenes of people. I seem to be able to better get background motion while focusing and freezing my main subject. Also, I don't have to fiddle with menus. I just know film better in these situations. I shoot with a leica cl.