Photography

It amazes me at times how photographic skills are developed. There are so many aspects of a good photo that come from very basic skills. "Let there be Light" is so important I put it at the top of the list of important. If the light isn't falling correctly on a subject that interests you why squeeze off a shot? When you think about any decent photograph it's all about the light.

There are so many different pieces of the puzzle in the hardware of photography. The camera body, the choice of lenses or the choice of the right tripod & head are just a few. Wildlife photographers need entirely different glass than do landscape photographers. In fact they normally use just the opposite kinds of glass for their subjects.

Choose a camera body with the ability to shoot in low light situations with little grain and another vista opens up. I've acquired a love for available light portraiture, my original draw to photography some 40 years ago. You've got to know a lot about light to make truly wonderful portraits work.

My goal now that I have all the time in the world is to get deeper and deeper into the craft of photography, not to please anyone but myself for those are the photographs you ultimately keep for a very long time. I no longer sell or wish to sell my work. It has become too important a part of my life for that now.

I've also learned that I love to teach. Those who see something that I've done and wish they could produce comparable images need only ask, and be willing to learn. We live in a marvelous beautiful world full of photographic opportunities. I pray you feel the same about my old friend, photography.

I'm lucky Bob.

Unlike wildlife (which I love) or portraits (which I don't really do) - Landscapes are one of those areas that don't really require you to re-mortgage the house for lenses.

In terms of the lenses.......Apertures don't need to be huge as shallow dof isn't favoured nor are they required for fast shutter speeds. A decent tripod is all you need for longer exposures with smaller apertures.

Likewise - super ISO performance isn't really a big deal as you simply keep it to 50 or 100 and use the tripod's stability to lengthen the exposure.

Beginner to 'proficient' landscape photographer requires a little bit of knowledge and that's all.

Birds on the other hand really do improve relative to your wallet size.......

1 - Photograph the bird at the required speed = aperture can't go big enough
2 - Increase ISO to compensate for the lack of aperture = Noise

Options ?

Faster lens or camera with better ISO = £££

I must say that I miss the high ISO capability of my D300 the most - and can't wait to get another camera that has it. Wonder if the D400 or D800 will be out next year?

As Phil says, it is all down to the old ££££s

I like to shoot wildlife and I would love to have lenses that produce the same images that I see professionals get. However, as there is more of a likelihood of my bum healing over than me spending £10,000 on a lens, I will happily continue to produce good (if second rate) photos, for my pleasure.

Incidentally, like Bob, I have turned down commissions as they would turn my hobby into a chore and take all the enjoyment out of what is a very satisfying pastime.

When I started to get interested in photography, it was totally manual everything and I desperately wanted to try motor sport photography. It was nothing like todays trackside craft. You would choose a spot manually focus on the part of the track you expected the bike/car to intersect and then pan & shoot.

Then of course came the wait for the film to be developed to see how many keepers you had. Also the two main slide films I used were rated at 25 or 100 iso :LOL:.

Now we worry about tiny amounts of front/back focus and if the camera is any good at 128,000 iso.

But to go back to your original point Bob, yes the light plays a very big part in making or breaking a shot. Although so many rules are broken now, slanted track side shots being one of them that I hate.

I didn't even touch on the subject of post processing. There are some photographers on forums that claim they never post process. Good for them! You should strive to get it right in the camera if for no other reason than professional photographers, even in the days of film, shot hundtreds of frames to come up with one good enough to sell. Competition if really tough as a pro these days.

I started using Photoshop legally with my purchase of version 4.0. That was a very long time ago. We've come a long way in graphics software. My first computer used DOS 1.0, had no hard drive and sported an RGB monitor.

I've owned some very nice camera gear back when I shot weddings, including two Mamiya 645 medium format film cameras and a Metz 45CT1 flash that could light up a football field. I did all my own film and print processing in my homemade darkrooms.

It has been a fun, thoroughly exciting hobby that I dearly love. I learn something new every day I press the shutter. I'm constantly learning, with powerful graphics software like Photoshop CS5 & OnOne's collection of fantastic add-ons now known as Perfect Photo Suite.

I still get excited and thrilled every time I see a "Kodak Moment" and capture that perfect expression, sunrise/sunset or scenic wonder. Flowers are now my friends. LOL Shoot, some of my favorite images have been taken in my back yard. It's all good.

I'm definitely with Bob re advancing technology - they're all tools to help us achieve things

Gizmos are all well and good. I may sound extremely hypocritical saying this as an owner of a Sony A55, but I served my apprenticeship on a Sony A330. Having an all singing all dancing camera does not make you a good photographer. But; these days, what is a good photographer? Is it someone who is good at Photoshop? or someone who creates fabulous compositions in camera. It is a question of a tool for every job. I wouldn't spend 10k on a lens if I didn't need it, but I would find a way if I did need it ( selling a kidney springs to mind )lol. I think; if you get out of photography what you put in, then you're in a good place.

A good camera doesn't make a good photograph - a good photographer does.

It's what you do with those tools that count, imo - some times you can get by with just a spanner, tho you'll generally find a hammer works better when you need to nail something. And like any tool, using one effectively can be better than using many badly (and conversely, using many effectively can be better than using few)