Another noob looking to become a sorta-kinda-semi-pro

[fotomumma09]

Oh and get the best portrait lens you can afford.

 

[banderson]

Welcome!

I've said this a lot lately...

RULE OF THIRDS!

Remember it and use it wisely. (Also, get a better camera body when you can afford it...seriously!)

I think that the photo looks better centered. Rules were made to be broken
Also, I would recommend higher end glass as opposed to going out and getting a new body shortly after getting the first.

 

[onehundredoctane]

Oh and get the best portrait lens you can afford.

Already there!

Welcome!

I've said this a lot lately...

RULE OF THIRDS!

Remember it and use it wisely. (Also, get a better camera body when you can afford it...seriously!)

I think that the photo looks better centered. Rules were made to be broken
Also, I would recommend higher end glass as opposed to going out and getting a new body shortly after getting the first.

Oh I'm not planning on upgrading bodies yet, picked up a new lens this week. Amazing the picture quality difference a "prime" lens makes, but at the cost of being able to zoom. I took this one of my lab mix (she's a rescue), she's the perfect subject since she's so lazy and just lays around all the time!

 

[greenjackson16]

Welcome and good luck! I've found alot of photographers on here are really good but can be generally un-inviting and mean to beginners. Since it isn't their wedding you should go for it. A few weeks ago I did Prom photos as a nice thing for a friend and they turned out great in mine and their opinion. As a photographer you should be able to learn as you go and adapt to your surroundings. Chances are you'll disappoint a few people along the way but it happens. As you get more involved in photography start to carry a few business cards with you so you can show off your best photos. Just a few days ago I was talking to a professional photographer and showed him my business card and he said that he might take me on as a secondary photographer for a wedding or two if I were up to it and I that I could do one of his workshops for free.

I hope my post helped a little bit. Bottom line, you have to learn by doing.

~ Jackson

Picture from the prom photo shoot (shot on a Canon Rebel xti body)

Prom 2012 by greenjackson16, on Flickr

 

[Dom6663]

Hi there, welcome to the forum.

To be honest I'm too lazy to read through the entire thread and see if what I'm about to say has already been said.

The term 'professional' or 'semi-professional', are rather complex to describe. What makes somebody a professional? Is it because you make money doing it? Well by that standard I would be a professional teenager (allowance) or a professional lawn mower, or gardener.

Being a professional at something is so far beyond that of making money. It takes into account how you treat clients, how well you manage your business and time, and of course the extent of knowledge that you have about your product or service.

I just wanted to clarify the difference between and amateur who gets paid, and a professional. In a very very vague simplistic way

To address shooting things like engagement photos, weddings, or anything that you would normally be paid for. Encourage your friends to hire a professional photographer to do the shoot, and ask if you can tag along with your camera. Not only will you be able to observe what this photographer does, but you can get the chance to shoot yourself. Be careful not to be obstructive to the professional though.

 

[onehundredoctane]

To be honest I'm too lazy to read through the entire thread and see if what I'm about to say has already been said.

^Here was your first mistake.

But thanks for your time.

 

[enzodm]

remember to learn also about white balancing, a bride with a yellow cloth is not so usual .

 

[IByte]

Welcome Matt.

Where abouts in NC are you? I'm in Raleigh, but I love the Asheville / Black Mountain area and try to get there at least once a year. I also do a week in October every year on the BRP. This year it will be in the Spruce Pines area.

I was stationed in Camp Legeune, definitely two different worlds.

 

[IByte]

Why is photography the only profession where someone can pick up the tool and be ready to start taking money?

IT field as well my friend

 

[imagemaker46]

Learn as much as you can, keep tinkering with cars and enjoy photography as a hobby, once photography becomes work, you add the stress of "having" to produce images, alot of the fun and enjoyment starts to go away.

 

[cgipson1]

Why is photography the only profession where someone can pick up the tool and be ready to start taking money?

IT field as well my friend

At least in IT, most of them don't last long.. or get relegated to Desktop tech! lol!

 

[IByte]

Ugh been there, done that, neva going back >&hellip;<. Ugh crappy headsets, it's like Office Space all over again lol.

 

[onehundredoctane]

Even worse is working on medical equipment (ventilators, anesthesia machines, patient vitals signs monitors, etc) and every nurse or medical tech thinking they know more about the equipment I work on than I do. Riiiiight. But hey, everyone starts somewhere, no one on this forum was born a photographer. As long as there's a steady progression then that's all that matters.

I've spent the last few Saturdays in a local park making adjustments to settings and learning how to shoot in manual mode. After all shooting in auto mode is for noobs, right? (says the noob) These are all candid pics, nothing staged, just life as it happens.