Good Web Sites for Novices?

[Ben Cochran]

Absolutely they are good lenses Phil ! it all depends on how they are used and the application in which they are to be used. One of the best, for the money, lenses by Nikon is the 18-55 kit lens. It is tact sharp, but as the critiques put it, feels cheap as it is made of plastics. I am not one that places the merit on the cost of equipment as much as I merit the performance on my own and ignore such critiques.

As John stated, you may want a wider lens but I am not sure exactly what you plan on shooting. Some of the old manual lenses are GREAT, due to the fact that you are seasoned on the older film cameras, I would suggest some of the older wide angle used lenses. Make your equipment advances self funded and truth of the matter, the only reason why a knowledgeable photographer upgrades their equipment is simply for efficiency, still they can do just as well in full manual though.

For an artistic approach, purchase some of the older lenses that had certain flaws in them, such as soft on the edges and vignetting, they can deliver some amazing artsy photographs.

Don’t get to caught up into the overly tact sharp approach as ,IMHO, the best photographs are not the overly sharp ones; the essence of the mood is in the softness and blurs…

As you already know, for an extreme shallow DOF, as in Johns photo, you will need a supper fast lens. The 50mm 1.4 is amazing and very inexpensive.

[anonymous]

Hi Phil

I know this probably goes against common logic- but you should be used this to this by now from me:)))

My own thinking would be this

[David Anderson]

If Nikon is your thing (and that’s cool ;)) I would recommend waiting a bit and getting whatever they’re going to call the consumer version of the D3x.
It should cost around 2-3 G’s and will be full frame and 24 MP.

This camera will be very taxing of crappy lenses and only the best will give you the sort of results that you might expect for the money.

Recently I tried the 14-24 and 24 – 70 2.8 G lenses, and they’re both brilliant and as good as anything on the market, if not better.

Add the 105 VR macro to either and you have a good fishing lens kit that’s light and does the job.

OK, all that is very expensive, but let me make a case for that –

First of all, photography at a pro level is VERY competitive and having the best gear is a bankable advantage as is having higher rez then the guy standing next to you.

Second, selling photos as stock well after any initial sale is very important for cash flow and longevity in the business, and while 12MP’s might be ok at the moment, in the near future your shots might be competing with 50 or 60 + and any extra rez will make them more market friendly down the track.

www.dsaphoto.com

A picture is thousand words that takes less than a second while a thousand words is a picture that takes a month.

[Phil Monahan]

Again, thanks for all the advice. I am not really looking to become a pro photographer. (Wouldn’t wanna steal work from all y’all, don’t you know.) Instead, I want to be able to supplement my writing with good photography. As an editor, I know how valuable it is to find a writer who can also shoot. Not only does it ensure that you can get the right photos for a story, but it also cuts a step (or 5) out of the editorial process if you don’t have to chase down specific images, such as a certain river, an angler performing a specialized tactic, or a fish with a specific fly in its mouth.

So, I will not be trying to shoot covers or even spreads. I’m more interested in quality images that will run a page or less. If I find that I’m really into it, then I may start thinking about spending $5k on gear. I’m not there yet.

P

[Ben Cochran]

Phil, have you given any thought to becoming a photog agent for the fly fishing sector? you have all of the contacts, you know how to grade the submissions, you know how the final will appear in publication and you also have contacts on the commercial advertising end. 25% agent fee is the norm and you could actually corner the market for the fly fishing sector. As well, you already have a good data base of qualified photog’s as well.

Sure seems that the publishers would see this as a major plus for them as well, one stop shopping, sort to speak…

[kendal larson]

Thanks a lot, everyone. That’s a ton to digest, and I plan to. The first thing I have to do is get a DSLR; lost mine when I got canned.  :'(

I’ll be back with a million questions in a couple months, I’m sure.

Phil

If there’s anything I can do to help Phil, drop a line.

I made the transition to freelancer myself a year and a half ago – it ain’t easy, but I bet there are mistakes I’ve made and things I’ve learned that might help you, and you’re welcome to pick my brain.

(…and yeah, you’ve a great group here whose brains are ripe for pickin’ too!)

[matt boutet]

Phil,

I’m seeing some good deals on CL right now for used DSLR bodies- it might make sense to get into a decent used camera for short money and upgrade if you decide to stick with the freelance route (I’d wait until video becomes standard, probably the next generation from Nikon).

There’s a D200 in Peterborough for $525 up right now – http://nh.craigslist.org/pho/1081333982.html –

[david king]

I learned the Zone System from a couple of guys that had worked with Ansel at the Yosemite Workshops in the late seventies Bradley Burns, and Ansels assistant Alan Ross. We used a book called Zone VI Workshop by Fred Picker. Its a lot easier to learn the Zone System from this book than from Ansel’s Basic Photo Series. The best way to learn it is at a Workshop.

Its a straightforward system of exposure and developement created for BXW film photography but it translates to color negative, transparency and digital photography as well. Most of the photographers were large and medium format shooters using hand held meters. You could use the system with 35mm film too but the use of custom development was a problem because you would have to develop the entire roll for the same time and temperature.

Whether the Zone System is geeky or not if you use it it will elevate your understanding of light and the range of light and how it is reproduced by any method. I used a small paper form called the exposure record to record the placement of values and exposure and development used. If you do that you can “call” a exposure by experience like Edward Weston. Weston pointed his meter at the sand dunes in California and it said 1 sec at f45 he said “i’ll give 3 seconds”. He knew that if he exposed for 1 second the sand would reproduce like mud but if he gave 3 seconds The sand would print silky white.

The technology that we have as photographers today is impressive but it can be a crutch. The geeky tricked out cameras and computers of today are no substitute for knowledge understanding or artistic sensitivity. They do make mediocrity available to everyone that can afford the latest D-whatever as long as the batteries last.

Good technique should be understood practiced and transparent even if the camera meter system is doing the work most of the time. You may be in situation where you want to override the camera settings just as Edward Weston did with his new hi tech meter in 1938.

[Author]

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