What’s Your Preference?

jbphoto · #21 (**permalink**) 07-20-2011, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

I meant to say you can't fix all your camera screw up in Photoshop.

This is something I read everyday on one forum or another. What you need to do is: Take some photography business related courses and charge prices at what the market value is instead of doing it on the cheap (for experience, of course!) and undervalue the market.

There's way too many people out there that don't know what the hell they are doing. So learn photography by taking photography classes. Take some seminars in lighting......and read books about the photography business. It's not all point and shoot.........it's about learning the business.

Instead of wasting all that money making prints yourself, investing in using an online printing service. Find one where your clients order and then pay by credit cards. However, you'll still spend hours editing and post
processing.

The name of the game is ...........spending less time behind the computer and more time shooting to make money.

Good luck!

I don't understand why what I wrote "got to you". I never said that all I do is point and shoot. I actually never specified what I'm doing to become a professional since that really wasn't the purpose of my post. If you must know, I have been searching for photography courses to take and I have read books about photography, too. I actually spend hours online, as well, reading about lighting, using flash, composition, etc. Besides that, I also have an account with MPIX and Album Crafters. I don't expect to be a pro by just simply taking pics after pics with no courses in mind. I obviously need to learn the business, and not just on my own. No one really needed to tell me that...it's common sense. What I had written in my original post was simply so people would know that I am not a professional and would like to become one. Like that people know that I'm just looking for a machine that will work with my current situation, but can be used in the future once I am more experienced. There's nothing wrong with wanting a good computer to edit in, even for starters who are still learning. Sorry if you misunderstood or if it sounded differently than what my intentions were.

Thanks for the advice!

jbphoto · #22 (**permalink**) 07-20-2011, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gturner

To get back to the topic...

I have the new DEll XPS L502X
The 1080 screen is AMAZING, certainly an important upgrade from standard. I went blu-ray i7 2630.

XPS 15 ? Intel Core i7 Laptop for High Octane Entertainment | Dell

Knocks the socks off my old quad core desktop + it has USB 3 and HDMI out.

Thanks for the info!

Jim Bryant · #23 (**permalink**) 07-20-2011, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbphoto

I don't understand why what I wrote "got to you". I never said that all I do is point and shoot. I actually never specified what I'm doing to become a professional since that really wasn't the purpose of my post. If you must know, I have been searching for photography courses to take and I have read books about photography, too. I actually spend hours online, as well, reading about lighting, using flash, composition, etc. Besides that, I also have an account with MPIX and Album Crafters. I don't expect to be a pro by just simply taking pics after pics with no courses in mind. I obviously need to learn the business, and not just on my own. No one really needed to tell me that...it's common sense. What I had written in my original post was simply so people would know that I am not a professional and would like to become one. Like that people know that I'm just looking for a machine that will work with my current situation, but can be used in the future once I am more experienced. There's nothing wrong with wanting a good computer to edit in, even for starters who are still learning. Sorry if you misunderstood or if it sounded differently than what my intentions were.

Thanks for the advice!

You need to develop a workflow, which makes it easy for you to work smarter, not harder.
There's a few books out there that will help: The DAM Book will teach you about photo management. John Harrington's Best Business Practices for Photographers will give you an insight to the photo business. There are others: ASMP's Professional Business Practices in Photography, Richard Weisgrau's The Real Business of Photography and Selina Maiyreya's How to succeed in Commercial Photography.

A new computer will not teach you anything on the business side. A good lab will color correct your images because your monitor is not calibrated for their system, all you have to do is get in the ballpark.

However, I did understand your postings and just telling you something other than "how great your photography is" by your family and friends. There's much more to running a photography business, it's about 90% marketing, designing brochures, making telephone calls, editing, placing orders online, tracking paperwork and maybe 10% shooting.

One of the best editing software programs on the market is PhotoMechanics, however, there'll be others here that swear on Lightroom. Post processing should be done in Adobe's CS (photoshop). For what I do, I find Abode bridge just too damn slow, when you have to edit 7727 images shot in 10 baseball games in five days, with another five more to cover I find that Photomechanics fits my workflow. Normally, when I shoot the Mariners, I'll capture 2,000 to 3,000 a game during a 10 game home stand.

DPS folks will attest to the fact I'm sometimes harsh to folks wanting to turn pro, with little or no photographic/business experience. You need to be prepared as there's someone else in your home town, who's just picked up a camera with the same idea in mind. In my town alone, I've seem 30-40 so call clickers who have bill themselves as pros crash and burn within the first year.

You also need to work on photographic technique and learn the limitations of your camera and lenses, so that working the camera while shooting becomes second nature. You gain that by years of experience, not something gained in 10 months.

The Nikon D3000 is an entry level camera and you probably have the kit 18-55 and 70-300 kit lenses to go with it. If you want to take this seriously, you'll need to upgrade to lenses with faster f-stops and sooner or later, sooner (hopefully) to a more advanced pro camera such the D3 series.

That dinky pop up in camera flash won't work. You're now looking at purchasing Alien Bee light system or some of those fifty Nikon SB 700 or SB 900 and they ain't cheap.

It's takes about $20,000.00 (in cameras, computers, software) upwards to start out. Then again you have to think about printer's inks and papers, CD's external hard drives (to store images on) CD storage and traveling expenses such as gas to purchase as well.

I'm not trying to be a jerk about about all this, as I'm sure you've already figured it out, however, there's more to the business than pointing and shooting with only 10 months experience.

Hopefully, some of the books I mentioned will help ya.

jbphoto · #24 (**permalink**) 07-20-2011, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

You need to develop a workflow, which makes it easy for you to work smarter, not harder....
Hopefully, some of the books I mentioned will help ya.

Thanks for all the info. I will be looking into some of those books. I was not upset with what you said, just wanted to clarify my post because I don't want to offend any professionals out there who have worked hard to get where they are. I will definitely take your advice and eventually get into buying additional lenses and other equipment. I was actually looking into buying the SB900 flash and would like to get other lenses. I have the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm lenses.

Well, I still plan on getting a new computer because the one I have is way too slow and is a bit frustrating. I would also still like to have a good monitor that shows true color. Thank you once again. Now I know to ask you for info since you seem to know a lot!

Jim Bryant · #25 (**permalink**) 07-21-2011, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbphoto

Thanks for all the info. I will be looking into some of those books. I was not upset with what you said, just wanted to clarify my post because I don't want to offend any professionals out there who have worked hard to get where they are. I will definitely take your advice and eventually get into buying additional lenses and other equipment. I was actually looking into buying the SB900 flash and would like to get other lenses. I have the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm lenses.

Well, I still plan on getting a new computer because the one I have is way too slow and is a bit frustrating. I would also still like to have a good monitor that shows true color. Thank you once again. Now I know to ask you for info since you seem to know a lot!

I'm not upset........just concerned. I hate it when folks fail. You can send me an email if you have any other questions. I'll be glad to help.