How I rekindled my love affair with photography

Great article. I love photography but I put my camera equipment down a long time ago. Life was the main factor, kids came along, priorities shifted, and my ex-wife hated how she looked in DSLR pictures so there was that.

I tried re-kindling the spark when I started traveling a lot for work but some gate keeping plus the chore of carrying around the equipment on flights and hikes turned me off again. 

Recently, I've been looking for a mirrorless that is compact and easy to shoot. Something that might be a step above phone cameras but not as intense as a full bodied camera. Especially now that my kids are old enough to travel with me and actually enjoy it. 

In reply to DirtyBird222 :

Thank you for the kind words, and check out the Fujifilm X100V. I know that prices are up, but that might be the droid you seek: compact, retro cool and fully modern. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

So this was too much to resist - I purchased both. I've spent a lifetime with point-and-shoot cameras, so this will be an opportunity to learn something new.

Any suggestions for a lens for the 7D that'd be good for backyard wildlife & bird photography?

In reply to PS122 :

Either the 100mm-400m zoom or the 400mm f/5.6.  The zoom obviously is more versatile and will focus closer making it good for larger macro-ish subjects like dragonflies, butterflies and frogs.

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to DirtyBird222 :

Thank you for the kind words, and check out the Fujifilm X100V. I know that prices are up, but that might be the droid you seek: compact, retro cool and fully modern. 

Thanks for the recommendation! You and the rest of the GRM staff were what got me into photography while in college. I started out with a Nikon D60 with an 18-35mm lens and a 55-200mm lens that I got for dirt cheap when Circuit City was shutting down. I still have all of that equipment to this day. 

I'll have to check out that Fujifilm. That looks like the perfect size for traveling.  

DirtyBird222 said:

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to DirtyBird222 :

Thank you for the kind words, and check out the Fujifilm X100V. I know that prices are up, but that might be the droid you seek: compact, retro cool and fully modern. 

Thanks for the recommendation! You and the rest of the GRM staff were what got me into photography while in college. I started out with a Nikon D60 with an 18-35mm lens and a 55-200mm lens that I got for dirt cheap when Circuit City was shutting down. I still have all of that equipment to this day. 

I'll have to check out that Fujifilm. That looks like the perfect size for traveling.  

Cool that we helped nudge you back into photography, and that X100V is way cool. The only bad thing about it is that demand is currently outstripping supply. 

I regret not buying an X-Pro 1 or X100 when the prices were somewhat reasonable for a used one. 

In reply to aw614 :

Speaking of the X-Pro line, I noticed this last night: Fuji shows a refurbished X-Pro3 in stock right now for $1259. I believe I paid a bit more for mine in used condition. I have bought a few refurbished pieces from Fujifilm and have been very happy. 

I love the x100t that I bought to get back into photography. The only downside is the fixed lens. About like a 35mm lens on a 35mm film slr, so excellent for cars, portraits, and street photography, less so for landscapes, racing, sports, etc. So you have to schlep a little closer to the action to get the pic you want.

I toy with the idea of selling it and moving to something like the Panasonic Lumix G micro 4/3 my son has. 

The XPro3 is similar to the X100V in feel but offers changeable lenses. It’s a little bigger, though. 

Yet another guy who came back to photography. Had a few film cameras in my youth, went digital some years back, have been fortunate to get to shoot for work sometimes: mainly park construction projects, so, essentially landscapes, w/some people. 

I got back in the groove when a couple headshot sessions I did just plain sucked. The photos weren't terrible, but I had no lighting control and no idea how to work with and pose my subjects--my lack of experience made my subjects as nervous as I was.

So I dove into off-camera flash. It's a good mix of technical and creative, and it forced me to learn how to pose people and work with them to get a genuine expression. I have zero fear of artificial lighting or shooting portraits now.

I'm no pro, but I can usually get a good portrait in 10 minutes or less. (Some people take longer--they are genuinely anxious in front of the camera. BTW, I already know my subjects, which helps the 5-10 minute sessions go faster.) 

I bought a bunch of Godox (Flashpoint) and Glow gear from Adorama. It's pretty inexpensive and lots of people use it, so getting help is easy.

If anyone is interested, check out The Strobist--prolly the best intro to artificial lighting on the web.

Also, the Sharpen channel on YouTube, but filter by popularity and focus on Rob Hall's videos.

Search YouTube for Peter Hurley. He's not everyone's cup of tea, but he understands that expression is EVERYTHING. 

Neil van Niekirk's blog

DP Review's lighting forum, which has a bunch of pros on it who are helpful, and patient with newbs.

I’ve been doing more with off-camera flash, too, and also recently picked up some Flashpoint gear. So far, so good. 

I’m not saying it’s art, but I shot this the other day–it’s this week’s new car.

There’s a remote flash sitting on the ground about 45 degrees off the left-front headlight. No stand–I just used the little included “foot.”

To illuminate the interior, there’s a red RGB video light sitting on the center console.

My biggest fears: someone running over my speed light and an employee questioning what I was doing.

No one ran over my gear, and the dude sweeping up the parking lot couldn’t care less. 

And I’ll be up at o-dark-30 tomorrow for a shoot. :) 

Gear’s packed and, soon, time for bed. 

Gear’s ready, everyone involved is awake, and rolling out to the shoot....

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I'm digging the red interior. What light are you using? Is it bright enough for continuous lighting for stills? I have messed around with gels on strobes but the LED stuff is intriguing.

Yeah, the red interior light was a happy surprise. Looks like you can still find that light on Amazon–look for a Pixel G1s RGB Video Light. Price is $69.99, and you can change color, intensity and saturation, I believe. It’s about the size of an iPhone but heavier. Definitely bright enough for stills when ambient is dim. (Also useful when plugging in cables behind the TV.) 

I have a smaller one from Neewer, but I don’t see it listed any more. It’s lighter, too, and has a cold shoe so you can mount it. I go back and forth. 

If you look at the lead photo for this thread/news item, I was using one of those lights with Hathim. He just stuck is somewhere in front of him–I forget if he’s balancing it on his knee or it’s like stuck in with the gauges. It’s pretty much whatever works. 

And this morning’s shoot with Bette at the airport went very well. 

The hair light is natural. Then she’s lit from the front with a speed light in a soft box. This is right out of the camera. Yes that’s my 911 and, funnily, my Ray-Bans. 

Wardrobe change. (Actually, this one came first.)

This all came together the evening before: “Hey, wanna do a shoot in my parking lot tomorrow morning?” 

In reply to procainestart :

And, yes, the off-camera flash gives you another element to work with. Totally digging it. 

I’m also using Flashpoint and Glow gear. Scored a good deal on a used Manfrotto stand. My goal was keeping everything portable as I don’t want to be toting around a cart. It all needs to fit in/on my backpack. 

David S. Wallens said:

And, yes, the off-camera flash gives you another element to work with. Totally digging it. 

Off-camera flash is very useful indeed.  I assume you've seen the "strobist" web site?

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

Been there a little but should probably dive deeper.

Late this afternoon, I got a message from a friend I met through photography: Wanna meet us at the beach to make some pictures?

Sure, I said, I’m free.

We met about half an hour north of here, and I’m looking at the photos now: It almost looks like I just went on vacation. (No idea who these people are, by the way, they showed up while were there–part of a group that looked like it was doing some wedding shoot, maybe.)

I'm kinda jealous of how fast your flash sync is on the X100. Having the leaf shutter lets you balance the sun so much easier and lighter.

Beautiful shots too!

the_machina said:

I'm kinda jealous of how fast your flash sync is on the X100. Having the leaf shutter lets you balance the sun so much easier and lighter.

 

Beautiful shots too!

Thank you and these latest photos–the beach, the Ram and Bette with the 911–have been taken with my X-T3. I’m very happy with it. 

I need to try the X100V with the flash. I haven’t done that yet. 

David, I've always wanted to get in to photography. Any tips/suggestions for someone that wouldn't be doing it for work?