What’s Your Preference?

Lindsie Nicole · #1 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 05:28 AM

Hello DPS-ers!

I am new to photography and I was wondering what are some the things all photographers need?

I am planning on buying the Nikon D90 sometime in May, but right now I have my pink Sony Cyber-shot point and shoot camera. I am planning on creating a photography studio in my garage at some point and I want to be all ready for when someone actually wants to pay me to take their pictures (oh happy day!). If you happen to have a list or something that would help me with what I would need to buy and stuff that would be great!!

Thanks!
Lindsie

BryanC · #2 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 07:05 AM

Knowledge.

milosh · #3 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 07:31 AM

For starters, a camera and lots of practice!

junglebear · #4 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 11:53 AM

First of all you need to learn the technique, there's a ton of info in the technique section here. Then a hell of a lot of practice. Someone (it escapes me who exactly) once said "Your first 10,000 photos are your worst 10,000 photos". So of course, you need patience as well, because if you haven't bought your camera yet it's going to be a long time before anyone will want to pay for your images.
When you think you're ready to start charging, check out Jim Bryant's threads about earning with photography. You need business acumen as well as nice photos!

As to what to buy, that depends on what you're going to shoot.

Scatterbrain · #5 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 12:36 PM

You will need to spend some time working out how your camera works inside & out & take lots & lots of photographs to develop your technical understanding & creative style. Do you know what you want to photograph? There's nothing wrong with having dreams, but you will need to refine your ideas along the lines of what you enjoy photographing and what you're good at photographing before anyone will pay you for it. Product/macro/landscape/people/corporate/journalistic photography etc all use different skills & different core equipment. Obviously a good camera is a good basis, but the right lenses are equally if not more important.

Good luck & enjoy learning first before you make any big plans about turning it into a business. I do a little paid portrait work, but am years off setting up a studio & putting all my money/heart & soul into it as I still have so much to learn. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I am.

S

zona5101 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 12:56 PM

Besides following the advice of the previous posters, as far as equipment for doing portraits in the garage...
a background
a background support
lighting
a reflector or two

You can go the DIY route for all of that, at least at first.

Murtasma · #7 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 01:42 PM

The will to learn and do reserach on your own.

As for what gear you must have it totally depends on what type of photography you plan on doing most.

A tripod however is something every photographer should have.

LeeR · #8 (**permalink**) 03-01-2010, 02:17 PM

Why wait? The jump from point and shoot camera to studio is like going from skiing on your Wii at home to skiing the giant slalom in the Olympics. Yes, they are called the same thing and have a few things in common, but the two are light years apart.
One of the biggest differences is the fact that owning a studio is a business and running a business has precious little in common with taking pictures. You could easily invest many thousands of dollars in a studio and end up with nothing to show for it.
On the other hand, you could start a business with your tiny pink sony and a few other tools and learn the business side while you earn the money for your studio equipment. How, you ask? One easy way to get started is with estate photography. My local camera store sells a neat little fold up light tent that would help you take great photos of jewelry and other small items. Add to that some Excel skills to list all of the items along with details, values serial numbers and your photographs and you could actually offer a service people would be willing to pay for. None of them will care that your camera is pink.
This is just one of many things you could do with nothing more than what you have. Dance studios often love to have people who will take photos and give them prints at a reasonable price. Small sports leagues may also talk to you. (Competition for the big leagues can be feirce, but the smaller ones are often ignored.) You could get a lot of experience this way in the business side of photography.
Plus, you may decide you don't really want a studio. Real studio work is not for everyone. As a matter of fact I suspect it takes a special kind of personality, or lack thereof, to spend day after day in a studio. If this is really your passion I don't want to discourage you, its just that most people would rather be out doing something more...well, exciting.
I say all this because I have wasted huge portions of my life waiting until I had this or that piece of equipment, only to buy the peice and find it wasn't nearly as essential as I had thought. You don't wait until all the lights turn green to drive across town and you shouldn't wait until you have a studio to start making people happy with your camera.