I have a problem.

[RedGoblinz]

Well, this is my problem.
I've been reading so many articles on the net that i think i have a lot of theoretical knowledge, but very little practice as i'm still schooling. And because i know so much, i know what i can do, theres just one little problem :

I'm limited by my equipment, and I cant afford most of them.
Yes, i know making great images have nothing to do with equipment, but really. What can you do to substitute an ND filter in flash photography outdoors for DOF control? What can you substitute for more flash units or more powerful units? What can you substitute for a lens that has great IQ and larger apertures.

[RedGoblinz]

Forgot to mention that, because i cant get the type of pics that i know is possible + i can, i feel quite unsatisfied most of the time.

+ It feels a little inappropriate to charge anyone for my photos, since im not really a pro.

[Biomech]

I have a feeling you're trolling as part of the "all you need is a basic camera" thread. But that might be because that's the last thread I've read.

From your first post, you can compensate with ISO and shutter speed to give you control over the aperture and, subsequently, light source. Moving back and zooming in with a lens will give you a softer/more blurry background at the same aperture (if, for example, your lens is a 3.5-5.6 like many kit lenses).

When you can't compensate anymore or you're losing things because of compensation (noise with a high ISO etc, fast shutter when trying to blur water), then it's time to spend some more money because, despite what people say, better kit gives you better results. But you still need to know how to use it.

I don't know how uniform it would be, but try holding a flame under a piece of glass and smoke it to create a make shirt ND filter.

[Biomech]

Oh and your second post - if you're anything like the rest of us, you'll never like or be happy with your own work :P

[dlambert]

I'm not sure if this is going to help you or not, but let's just say you upgraded your equipment. What makes you think that the new equipment won't have any limits?

I'm the first to admit that it's frustrating to fight a limitation that you know you could circumvent if only you had "X", but you've also got to balance that with a determination to make the best photos you can with the equipment you've got. I think you'll find that the techniques you develop when you're trying to work around limitations in low-end equipment allow you to be even more successful when you do eventually upgrade.

Your growth as a photographer is a journey. Every time you go out to shoot, you want to try to be a better photographer than you were the last time you shot. Sometimes, you get to upgrade your equipment, and that's a big help, but sometimes, you have to settle for upgrading the photographer (and it's hard to do that without practice).

[RedGoblinz]

Biomech - Damn, totally forgot about the focal length thing.

dlambert - The equipment would definitely reach a limit, but i have no reached that limit yet with what i know. And i'd agree with you that learning with low-end equipment can teach you much more, i started photography with a compact and when i got a dslr, it was just better image quality. Guess i'll just have to practice more and get my mind off equipment, and upgrade myself instead, something that you can't get with money.

[NathanFranke]

What kind of equipment do you have? With a basic body and a kit lens(I used a Canon Rebel for 15+ years [geez that statement makes me feel old]), you can get pretty much everything done, it just might take a bit more creativity. For extremely shallow depth of field, you'll need something f/2.8 or smaller. Most kit lenses go down to f/3.5 or 4 on their widest setting, so just move the subject physically from the background and you'll get a shallow dof.
For flash, outside, with wide aperture--why do you need an ND filter? If you need to cut down the light in order to use a wide aperture, remove the flash. If you need to use a fast shutter to freeze action, use a fast shutter which will require a wide aperture. It seems like you're working against yourself with the ND filter.

Other options: borrow or rent equipment, wait a few months for Santa Claus, or get creative.

[Hill Country Hack]

Originally Posted by dlambert

I'm not sure if this is going to help you or not, but let's just say you upgraded your equipment. What makes you think that the new equipment won't have any limits?

I'm the first to admit that it's frustrating to fight a limitation that you know you could circumvent if only you had "X", but you've also got to balance that with a determination to make the best photos you can with the equipment you've got. I think you'll find that the techniques you develop when you're trying to work around limitations in low-end equipment allow you to be even more successful when you do eventually upgrade.

Your growth as a photographer is a journey. Every time you go out to shoot, you want to try to be a better photographer than you were the last time you shot. Sometimes, you get to upgrade your equipment, and that's a big help, but sometimes, you have to settle for upgrading the photographer (and it's hard to do that without practice).

Outstanding reply.

I too felt limited by my gear. As I continued to practice and improvise, I have improved and learned my starter kit does some pretty good stuff.

I am still falling short/mildly frustrated in sports/action in limited light, but I cannot change that until I upgrade my body for higher ISO or faster glass. Or shoot daytime events.

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by RedGoblinz

Guess i'll just have to practice more and get my mind off equipment, and upgrade myself instead, something that you can't get with money.

David makes some good points above you because I find it really difficult to believe that someone with "very little practice" has already pushed their current kit to the limit.

What you need to do is find those situation, while actually shooting, where you find yourself thinking "man, I really need X to get the most out of this shot".. but you have to be really objective with yourself because we can always blame bad technique on our kit. I took blurry photos for a while when I was beginning because of my camera holding technique.. once I nailed that I realized it wasn't the lens, it was me.

[Mike367]

Originally Posted by RedGoblinz

Well, this is my problem.
I've been reading so many articles on the net that i think i have a lot of theoretical knowledge, but very little practice as i'm still schooling. And because i know so much, i know what i can do, theres just one little problem :

I'm limited by my equipment, and I cant afford most of them.
What can you do to substitute an ND filter in flash photography outdoors for DOF control?

You can hold a scrap of grey window tinting material in front of the lens.

What can you substitute for more flash units or more powerful units? What can you substitute for a lens that has great IQ and larger apertures.

There are many of ways to improvise cheap reflectors: white foam core, crumpled aluminum foil glued to cardboard, silver mylar sheets ("space blankets") stretched with pvc pipe for example.