Anyone Else Enjoy Photography?

[stillshadow]

I'm just curious if we have any other photography enthusiast affiliates? My wife and I got a Nikon D40 in 2008 but have gotten a bit more serious with the terminology and actually learning how to accomplish what we want over the past year or so. Photography is a great life-long challenge sort of like poker: it takes a few minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.

We recently upgraded to a D7000 and are using a Nikon 50mm G series 1.4 lens for low light and our Nikon 70-300mm VR for telephoto work. The 1.4 lens makes an incredible difference for available light situations, especially indoors.

It's amazing how fast that lens can go without a flash and the natural look you can get. No-flash indoor photography just isn't possible with kit lenses. The depth-of-field is almost non-existant at that aperture so you can really get a completely different artistic look. Great lens.

The D7000 is a nice upgrade from the D40. It has full 1080p video with 24 frames per second filming. It won't replace your camcorder but it's pretty incredible to get video out of some of those photo lenses. The screen is an extra inch in size and because it has an internal focus motor you can save a bit of money on lenses and get any AF lens.

It's really a fun hobby that we've been enjoying. It really does make a different in your photos if you get a DSLR and learn how to use all the features. We still have a long way to go but it's a lot of fun learning.

[CK]

I love taking pictures. I recently purchased Canon's entry level DSLR. Figured until I learn what all the extra features are for (slightly overwhelmed) there is no point shelling out a few thousand . I'm looking for some additional lenses that perform better. Specifically ones for taking shots in hockey arenas and soon to be soccer photos of the kids.

I've considered taking some classes which def would speed up the learning process.

I would loveeeeeeeeee to do stuff like this. That is just a beautiful shot.

Portrait Lighting Tutorial: Character Study (Professional Photographer Magazine Web Exclusives)

http://www.ppmag.com/web-exclusives/...ter1-thumb.jpg

Nice thread Stillshadow!

[Ridge]

I drive my family crazy with my video cam and regular cam. I don't have anything fancy, but I love taking pics of things. The kids call me the "mom" when it comes to things like this. Pics capture a moment in time you can never get back, for me that is the allure of it all. Especially when it comes to kids. We have 6 and they are all almost teens, 2 graduate next year, and I swear it was just the other day I was teaching them to ride a bike, now I'm worrying if they are wearing seat belts when they leave.

[stillshadow]

C, I used to drive myself crazy trying to learn portrait lighting and never could really seem to get it. A fast low-light lens like the Nikon 1.4 we're using actually does marvels with how the lighting looks in the final shot. You don't think the lighting situation looks good to your eyes but when you set things up right with one of these lenses it really pops with just natural light. I really think a big aperture lens is the most important lens you can get along with a good telephoto.

Thanks for the post, Ridge. My wife is actually 29 weeks pregnant with our first baby (we got the baby girl we wanted) and that's our biggest motivation to get better with photography. I want to be able to take memorable photos before and after her delivery and, of course, of our whole new family life together. As you said, there are so many emotions that can be captured with photos and you'll have them forever to look back on. You can't beat it.

You also can't beat the blessing it is to be a poker affiliate and getting to spend all your time as a family instead of being away for 8 hours every day.

[CK]

J - that is exactly why I started taking pics. My 1st child - we counted on others to take pics for us..so we missed much of the first few hours and the delivery room. The 2nd child - we got pics - but they turned out awful with the terrible lighting in the hospital - so I was determined with the 3rd not to miss out. Dropped a good amount on a camera and damn it - couldn't figure out how to do anything other except to point and shoot lol. The pics turned out ok, but I would have liked some close up shots that weren't so grainy. The little ones change so quickly and it doesn't take very long before their face opens up with little expressions.

btw - congrats J - that's awesome and I wish you all the best and a healthy & happy little girl (momma too!).

Get ready to trade in the guy things for dresses, tiaras and baby dolls

[stillshadow]

Thanks for the congrats and the well-wishes, C. I'll have to share a photo when she's born. We already know how beautiful she'll be but it's exciting to think of actually seeing this girl we've dreamed about. My poor wife has actually had full-time nausea that hasn't stopped at any point. It's really been tough but I've been proud of her for getting through it. She forgets what it feels like to feel normal. I try to help out around the house as much as I can with cooking and cleaning.

Here are a couple of links for photography, too:
Ken Rockwell: I think that he's wrong on some of his subjective advice and he's really pretentious but he does know cameras. The reviews and guides for all sorts of DSLRs and lenses are very thorough. Great for deciding on new equipment.
The Pioneer Woman: This is a blog that my wife likes to read and she's very good with photography. This is a good basic explanation of shutter and aperture concepts that's not too technical and easy to read.