I have a few questions about getting into photography:
First, I would like to know what's the best starter camera? I'm willing to pay a fair amount for a camera, but I'm looking for a good camera at a reasonable price. Ideas?
Also, I have photoshop CS- is Photoshop Lightroom worth the extra money?
And how would I go about building a portfolio. I don't know many people where I live (recently moved here). I have my children to do portraits of, but not many adults.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks! invest in leasons if you can, its more user than the tool, like any other trade, building, plumbing etc
ok you want to do portraits, get some lights and backgrounds, a decent tripod, a fast portrait lens or two and a DSLR camera
as for photoshops im the wrong person to ask im learning it myself
heres a people shot
http://flickr.com/photos/martini2005/190... - its watermarked and stuff so looks crap on screen, anyway i like it
proberly not your thing but an example i think great portrait portfolios show the diversity of the photographer, if they all look the same style only the first has impact - they being the images
a I was going to email all this to you, but you don't accept email ... so here it is:
You seem to have gone at this backwards.
First you need to get some structured instruction, usually a proper school where you learn all the basics of operating a camera, exposing film, developing it and printing it.
All the basic and advanced techniques you learn in school you will then use as you move over into the digital realm of image making.
While in school, you will be building a portfolio (book) that you will later use to present to potential clients.
While digital imaging dominates editorial, sports, photojournalism and other "deadline" driven enterprises, film is still used in advertising, magazines, scientific and medical fields, so you will have to know how to use both and have the equipment necessary to produce such imagery..
As a photographer, you will be expected to get every thing in the camera (properly cropped and exposed) and not depend upon the darkroom or digital darkroom to "save" the image.
As a pro using Photoshop, I use it (Bridge) to add my copyright notice, my contact information, clients contact information and key words on each project and use Photoshop to convert RAW files to either TIFF or high quality JPEG files depending upon what the client requires. I do NOT use it to "fix" images. It the image is so poor that it needs fixing, then I have not done my job as a professional photographer and will have to offer to reshoot (if possible) the assignment at my own expense.
By the time you finish school, the DSLR's available with be much more sophisticated and probably lower in cost.
Get your education first, the equipment will follow in a logical progression. |
