What I would like to see.....Don't know where to post this..

[sydneysteelers]

Listening to you guys is a big help, the nose part I had to laugh and was wondering do you know some of my past girlfriends. lol

Thanks for the comments and I like this chit chat section a lot. You even get funny answers at the same time but I do understand what you mean. If I was taking pictures of the guys at the Fire Hall they all come in different shapes and sizes as well as their noses.

I do really like the window portraits and the lighting so I guess I will have to try and play with the lens and settings and see what I get. If you guys know of any good sites or videos for taking portraits with window light please pass them a long.

Thanks
Art

[sydneysteelers]

What do think about this light bulb and some clamp light to fool around with it would be the 150w bulbs. If I try them do you think three would be enough and would I need to defuse them.

Just wondering out loud and it would be something to do on a down day in the garage or basement.

Yes I am still playing with the window light part....lol

Thanks
Art

[sydneysteelers]

Sorry here is the link to the bulb.

Light Bulb

[andrewdt]

I do like your idea, but I also think that having a variety of answers gives you the chance to see a majority vote or weed out the opinions that are in a clear minority.

Example - my sister in law went and bought an entry level Nikon that included a free photography course (I am happy to advise her one-on-one but am very wary of imposing my opinions onto her - family issues you understand...). The pro who took this course gave out the following info

1) RAW is bad - never use it.
2) Use the scene modes (landscape, portrait, night mode etc) - the camera is much cleverer than you
3) You will only ever use P if you get advanced - all other modes should never be touched.

So I asked her if he touched on the light meter, or explained the exposure triangle? Not at all. Therefore, getting a bunch of sour old pros here telling you about "how stupid you are and rather do this" can be a very good thing and teach you a lot too.

But as I said, there are times when I would love to get some of these guys and girls in a one on one and pick their brains and opinions apart too.

[JFSanders]

Art, there are no solid written in stone answers for your questions. Photography can be done by recipe but it is like cooking in that respect that even if you followed the recipe to the letter the product may well be different than the recipe predicted.

You have a good kit. Will it produce images that National Geo and Getty images pay thousands of dollars for? Sure will if you do your part.

The camera is a hammer. The key is knowledge of the basics. The Exposure triangle, Composition and post production editing of your base image. All of these are essential in producing quality consistently.

YOU are the over riding factor in whether or not you will be successful. And success will be defined by YOU not the internet or Getty or Nat Geo. If you are happy with your product then so be it. If you aren't then you need to practice the essentials listed above.


P.S. About the light, probably not going to give great results without a lot of finagling by you to get the light even and soft. You can find kits for beginners on the net for around 180 dollars that will make your transition to studio lighting much less painful.