Monthly Archives: May 2010 Welcome to Conquering the Camera. What’s ‘Conquering the Camera’ I hear you say? It’s your opportunity to take the next step in your photographic knowledge. You made the switch to digital, maybe you bought a little point and shoot back in the day. Then maybe you started to get a little frustrated with it –…  I was down in Melbourne over the weekend and an acting student at Victoria College of the Arts approached me for some head shots. The head shot, for what it’s worth, is a bit of a big deal – because this is the entry point that people in the industry have to you, in some… Oh fabulous Emma! that’s awesome, so glad to hear that you finally received them yay! just got the full set of pics beth – they are awesome! i’m really excited. thank you thank you Hey Emma i know how crazy! You did well, and gave me so much look and feel to play with, thanks again so much for your contribution to the image making process. I aways say you get what you give with photography – so the more you give, the more you will get back at the end of the day. xx arggh i had much fun!! it’s surreal that one human being can look so different depending on the shot, no?! Ahhhhh interesting! I know she has the most amazing eyes! I’ll make sure she knows what you said Kathy – hope eveyrone is doing well over there in Toronto – enjoying the spring weather? Love the 6th one from the top – the black and white one where she appears to be looking up (coyly) – her eyes are amazing! Oh thanks Katie, I need to get jiggy with subscribing to blogs so i can keep up on what everyone is doing too. Thanks so much for commenting, emma was pleased with them. It’s fun to go a little crazy and see what happens! Got any shoots coming up? I love the laneway one too. But really, they’re all great portraits Beth. You’re a very clever photographer!  I’m in Melbourne for a few days, namely for a friend’s wedding and to check out Melbourne, (ah it’s been too long!), and I couldn’t resist sorting through some 550 images I took yesterday with Tina (the mamma) and Ella (the blondie). Tina’s giving birth soon – she’s booked in for a caeserian next week. We thought it… sounds amazing, beth! Tina looks absolutely gorgeous and love the colours. I can’t wait for the next chapter with the baby  I’ve just completed a Family Story chapter with Ayesha, Jack, Sam and Josh. Years ago Ayesha had called me asking to photograph her wedding, but alas I was booked already on the said date…fast forward a few years and the winds have brought us together once more… I said to Ayesha that we must think of… Hi Ayesha, thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know what you think, as it’s great to have that feedback from you. It’s one thing for me to get all excited but another for the family in the pictures to do the same! I really hope to be able to capture more of your family story in the years to come. I wonder if Tav will have us back next time?? Hi Beth….love the blog! My friends and family love the story book and I can’t wait to do it again in a few years. I reckon it is a great way to track the family history and to see the boys grow up with quirks and all! I would pay a million dollars to have something similar from my childhood – the pictures are just priceless and you have captured my family beautifully. Thank you!  There’s nothing quite like growing out of your equipment. On the one hand it can be a measure of progress and development. On the other hand can be a source of frustration because you know you’ll now be up for thousands of dollars to upgrade. Digital – it’s amazing… amazing… but so frustraing. So you spend let’s… 
Hi Trish, thanks for stopping by. I’ve let haley richardson know, she has a canon 5D she might be selling, she has your number. Yes you are right we don’t have a classifieds section on the AIPP website but it’s always worth the suggestion! I sold my canon 5d body to someone who had bought a lens from me through all classifieds, it was great actually as i just contacted him again and within a day the old body was gone! Hey Beth – a friend wants to buy a new camera but is short of $, I suggested she look for a second hand one. Do you have any advice for her as to where to look? Where did you sell your 5D? I wondered if the AIPP has a Classified Ads section. Thanks! Hi Bill, We had these discussions for pages and pages in 2001 we all agreed with the thoughts expressed here on the costs of surviving as a photographer! Seems to be more expensive than the days of chemicals in the dark!!!! A camera bought then would still be taking great film today… Thanks Ness, so great to hear from you – yes I’m hearing you loud and clear – the office/back end stuff is a whole other gammet. I hope people read this and the comments to see what i’m on about – it’s not just me many photographers feel the same way! And you are right – improvement of skill is very important regardless of equipment in fact it was just for the very basic consideration – light – that sent me to the next model. I don’t think i could even tell you what half of the added benefits are – i just needed that ISO baby! Looking forward to shooting with it and seeing the difference. I’m glad you said that because just this very night i’m playing around in photoshop to get a look and feel in an image that I can’t do straight out of lightroom. And I feel this weight off knowing actually I can do it after all! OH I hear you LOUD and CLEAR on this one! Everyone’s favourite excuse (or complaint) is that “it’s digital, so you don’t have any COSTS when you shoot.” Well no, unless you consider food a necessity to survive, a roof over your head, a computer, an internet connection etc !!! I got my 30D in 2006, and I’m not in a position to upgrade yet. For the shooting I do now – (which has taken a back seat to my graphic design which is booming) – its more than adequate, and since I have the same clients who generally keep coming back to me, and are always happy with what I shoot, and I make sure that my post processing is always up to date with what is currently in ‘vogue’ plus my shooting style improves then I know it’s okay. My pet peeve, is people who don’t take the time and care to improve their skill – or at least broaden their skill base and shooting style, but constantly keep buying equipment to ‘make themselves better’ and then make out like they’re better than the rest of us because they have the latest equipment. You should also include the cost of a computer, editing software etc etc to really show people the ‘NO COSTS’ scenario! Hi Christine, thanks for dropping by! Yes, you are totally right TIME…I’ve actually started saying the hours count that i put to a job. I did that for the wedding client coming up (said something like 10-14 hours on post production) and she said, ‘we don’t need the pictures the very next day’, it can wait till we get back from honeymoon’. Recently a client was picking up her family story results and we were debriefing on the viewing/ordering session. She said ‘and then you gave us the ‘art’ lecture’….and the eyes rolled a little bit. I politely jumped in instantly on that one… pretty disappointed with that considering she’d walked into it with a $400 credit towards her shoot and prints, and she was still taking this point of view. She did say herself that it was art she bought in the end, but interesting how that battle went on – a tricky concept to navigate and worth its own weight in gold…will have to blog on the art question another time…gets me fired up! But yes, you are totally right, Time, Time, Time, our time is worth as much as any other professionals’ time. Amen sista friend!! Thanks for the blog feedback Katie I’m not always sure if people are reading or not, as feedback rarely comes in, so I really appreciate the comment. may the digital force be with you Oh my goodness Beth! Brilliant post! And I feel your pain. I bought my first DSLR body in 2006 too (but it was a 30D) and have also spent a small fortune since. And I still don’t have the MarkII! I remember once upon a time, many many years ago, a photographer friend of mine telling me how much his mate had just spent on a new kit and I just about passed out. And then thought, thank goodness I don’t have any expensive profession like that! Ha! |
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Thanks Kathy so much! Well you are a world away, but here in spirit, and we’ll see how it pans out, as there may be ways to put the information online or make it available in an ebook, not sure yet…will see what happens.
cheers
B
What a great idea Beth! Once again, I’m bummed that we live a world away. Good luck!