My Photography
>> Sunday, June 26, 2005
Late in 2007, I decided I wanted to learn how to take better pictures. This also coincided with the fact that it was time for us to buy a new camera. Our digital camera at the time was about 4 1/2 years old and, in camera years, that is ancient.
I bought a Fuji S8000FD, a camera with a great zoom, but it took fairly unreliable pictures. I would get some great pictures and some not-so-great.
But, with my new camera in hand, I read anything and everything I could get my hands on regarding photography. I started to make sense of terms like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. I got access to Photoshop and started to try to wade through that incredible program.
I learned a lot during the next few months, but I also learned that I should have made the move toward buying a SLR camera versus another point and shoot.
I was facing serious buyer's remorse.
My interest in photography soon became an obsession and I found myself seriously limited with my Fuji camera. Just for the heck of it, I started researching the possibilities of selling my Fuji. I asked a few questions in a couple forums and, next thing I knew, I had an offer. It was completely out of the blue and unexpected, but the offer was fair and my camera was sold.
And then I entered the SLR world by purchasing my Nikon D40. The D40 is an amazing camera and is the perfect first SLR.
I am pursuing a career in photography, as crazy as that sounds (to me at least). I started out by offering free photo sessions, and, fortunately, I quickly got quite busy with many requests. I now am starting my official "business" by offering low rates while I gain more experience and test the waters a bit.
This is an amazing venture. I can't believe I may actually be able to make a new career out of one of my most favorite hobbies!! I also started a photography blog to document my journey in this new career.
I recently upgraded my SLR to the Nikon D80. The photo quality is quite similar to the D40, but the D80 is a bit more user friendly when you want to shoot in more manual modes. It also is able to autofocus the prime lenses, the D40 often cannot.
My photography blog can be found at:
http://ismithphotography.blogspot.com
My equipment list is as follows:
Nikon D80
Nikkor 50 f/1.8
Nikkor 35 f/2.0
Nikkor 55 - 200VR
Tamrac Velocity7 bag
Photoshop CS3
My wish list includes:
Nikon D90 or D300 or, better yet, the D3 (hey, it is a WISH list, right?)
Nikkor 85 f/1.8
SB600 flash (although I love my natural light)
Macro lens (mostly for play, so it is way down the list)
Great books I read and recommend:
Digital Photography by Scott Kelby
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I love to share what little knowledge I have. I do not profess to be an expert in any way. The world of photography and Photoshop is immense. I know I still have an incredible amount to learn.
