Changing Gears

[JSPhotographyLLC]

Need a little help finalizing a decision I have been agonizing over the last couple of weeks.

Little bit of background, I started my photography business in Wichita, Kansas back in September of 2011. Like everyone I started out wanting to do Portraits and Weddings with grand dreams of making the big bucks and starting my own studio that I could franchise around the world. This of course is not what happened. What I found out is that Wichita, Ks is just as saturated with Portrait and Wedding photographers as every where else. Getting noticed and building a client base is so extremely difficult. And then I found out that I didn't even enjoy it. Did one wedding and I was a nervous wreck, sweating bullets the entire night. Did three senior's, first one was great, next two were so incredibly hard to work with it wasn't even funny. Shot a little family portrait at the park, a nice young couple with their 2 and 4 year old boys, wanted to strangle them long before the hour session ended. So not only did I not enjoy it, I utterly hated it. And its a saturated market to boot. So I started thinking, why am I putting so much work into something I can't stand.

Then a friend asked me if I would come down to the baseball field and shoot her friend's kid's games. I was free, bored, and figured what the hell. Made sure they understood that I didn't even remotely have the right equipment but I would try my best, to which she responded "We use cell phones from the stands!" Figured I would work for about 45 minutes or an hour and then go home. Instead I spent 4 hours there and shot three other games. I absolutely loved it. But I knew right away my 5D Mark II was not going to cut it.

So now I have decided to completely drop the portraits and weddings and do sports. There are far less photographers in town doing sports. In fact it is a wide open market. To me its like a no brainer. Who wants to buy the tired old poses that photographers have been selling sports teams for the last 50 years. People want action shots. Parents want to see their kid hitting a home run, or scoring the winning touchdown. And they will pay through the nose for it.

Anyway, sorry, got a little off track. I have sold nearly all of my portrait gear, the only thing I have left is the 5D mk ii. I really don't want to sell it, really didn't want to sell the 24-70mm f/2.8, I love doing landscape and scenic work. But its the only way I could afford a 7D and glass to go with it. I soooo wish I could afford the new 1Dx, but thats just going to have to wait.

So here is my dilemma....I can afford to purchase these one of these lenses and the fisheye, wish I could afford another camera so I have two but thats going to have to wait. I have based my needs off Scott Kelby's list: 400mm but 300 f/2.8 minimum, long zoom, and fisheye.

Tamron 300mm f/2.8 - I know absolutely nothing about Tamron, so I know even less about this lens. A local camera store has one used for $1,699.

Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS II USM - Thought about saving money and getting the Mark I but I don't buy used online and no local stores carry it, brand new is still $1,500 and I have heard the AF in the II is faster and more reliable.

Sigma 10mm f/2.8

High School Football season starts in 16 days. And that is when I am relaunching myself. Obviously I have no need to worry about shooting in broad daylight, its indoor sports and Friday Night Lights that I am concerned about. Basketball will start in Nov-Dec and I doubt that I will be able to afford something else by then....maybe, but not holding my breath.

So what I need is a little help figuring out what the best direction is. Sorry for the long post, but if you read it all hopefully you will understand my dilemma and leave a helpful reply.

Thanks,

Jason Schaeffer Photography, LLC
Wichita, Ks

 

[gsgary]

The Tamron 300 is crap compared to the Canon, fisheye is a waste of money you might use it once but to be honest i think you are on a slippery slope if you think you can just buy gear to become a sports photographer

 

[macpro88]

Not that I'm a pro or anything, but I've shot fast moving subjects and the 7D is a pretty good alternative to the hefty priced 1DX. Unless you go pro and work for a major publication, you will have no need for the 1DX and will probably be way too much camera and waste of money.

I agree with gsgary, fisheye is a waste, don't bother unless you'll be shooting those cool kids skateboarding all day at the skate park..... If you want to shoot fast moving subjects, the 70-200 f/2.8 is the way to go. This lens rocks and is super fast and is great for sports. Maybe consider the 1.4 teleconverter as well, this stops you down to be little slower but you get some great reach with the crop and converter that you can't get on the full frame body.

Also take the time to learn the 7D auto focus system, hella awesome and way more robust than the 5DMKII.

To start out: 7D + 70-200 f/2.8 + know how of the AF system = a great place to start out

Grow into it, instead of trying to accumulate things you don't need which will cause you to get overwhelmed fast.

Good luck.

 

[480sparky]

...............So now I have decided to completely drop the portraits and weddings and do sports. There are far less photographers in town doing sports. In fact it is a wide open market. To me its like a no brainer. Who wants to buy the tired old poses that photographers have been selling sports teams for the last 50 years. People want action shots. Parents want to see their kid hitting a home run, or scoring the winning touchdown. And they will pay through the nose for it. ...............

Is this just how you feel, or have you actually performed market research to bear this out?

 

[LShooter]

I'm just starting out with my own part time business. Got my EIN, doing all the legal stuff, have plenty of gear, etc. But the market is crazy. I've looked on CS in my local area and everyone wants to be a photog. I'm willing to work in any aspect. I have a real job so I don't have worries there. I would love to be a full time photog either working for myself or even someone else. I think you just have to be flexible and willing to shoot at whatever subject comes your way. I was told a while ago that the only way a photog makes it is word of mouth. I know guys making a killing and they don't even have business cards! Just market your skills every chance you get!

 

[JSPhotographyLLC]

....... but to be honest i think you are on a slippery slope if you think you can just buy gear to become a sports photographer

I don't think that simply buying gear will make me anything. I make me a photographer. But unlike other specialties gear matters with sports. You can do Portraits, Weddings, Landscape, Nature with ANY camera body and any lens. The same is not true for sports. Not to do it correctly anyway. Speed matters. You need fast focus, and wide open apertures for the dimly lit areas. For most sports you have to shoot at 1/1250, only way your going to pull that off on a Friday night football game is with an f/2.8 and a whole lot of ISO.

.............Also take the time to learn the 7D auto focus system, hella awesome and way more robust than the 5DMKII. To start out: 7D + 70-200 f/2.8 + know how of the AF system = a great place to start out

Thank You macpro88. I have been working non-stop with the 7D since I got it. And I am loving it in comparison to the snail speed of the 5D. But I know it won't take me long to miss the full frame. I've also been practicing the focusing with the back button. Getting there but that is one trippy technique. Gonna take some time to fully master it.

...............So now I have decided to completely drop the portraits and weddings and do sports. There are far less photographers in town doing sports. In fact it is a wide open market. To me its like a no brainer. Who wants to buy the tired old poses that photographers have been selling sports teams for the last 50 years. People want action shots. Parents want to see their kid hitting a home run, or scoring the winning touchdown. And they will pay through the nose for it. ...............

Is this just how you feel, or have you actually performed market research to bear this out?

......... I was told a while ago that the only way a photog makes it is word of mouth. I know guys making a killing and they don't even have business cards! Just market your skills every chance you get!

It is how I felt/feel, but my decision was also based on the amount of business I received. I don't like relying on word of mouth alone. To me that is being lazy. You need a marketing plan. Find ways to get your name out there that doesn't cost you anything. But here there are too many names, its difficult to stand out in the crowd. I also feel that it is better to specialize than to be a jack of trades. Its great if you can pull it off and be successful at it, but most people aren't. Yes all the specialties have things in common, but they have a lot more subtle nuances that you need to master to be truly successful. Spreading yourself out and trying to do anything and everything usually doesn't work out very well.

 

[macpro88]

Nice explanation and general tips for the 7D focus system, I love the custom functions he has you enable in the menu: 7D Focus Squares Tutorial | 7D Training DVD Video - YouTube

This one is a bit longer, but also good, he eventually talks about using the AF system when shooting fast moving subjects: Part 2 of 3: A Look at The Canon Autofocus System - YouTube

 

[orljustin]

Any parent can shoot their kid's 'action shot' from the same place you stand at. It sounds like you're running from one thing to another without even thinking about it. You were a 'business' and the shot your first wedding? I dunno, I wouldn't want to stand at school games shooting anonymous kids over and over and over...

 

[JSPhotographyLLC]

Nice explanation and general tips for the 7D focus system, I love the custom functions he has you enable in the menu: 7D Focus Squares Tutorial | 7D Training DVD Video - YouTube

This one is a bit longer, but also good, he eventually talks about using the AF system when shooting fast moving subjects: Part 2 of 3: A Look at The Canon Autofocus System - YouTube

Excellent man thanks for the share!!!

 

[JSPhotographyLLC]

Any parent can shoot their kid's 'action shot' from the same place you stand at. It sounds like you're running from one thing to another without even thinking about it. You were a 'business' and the shot your first wedding? I dunno, I wouldn't want to stand at school games shooting anonymous kids over and over and over...

Any parent can shoot their kids action shot from the bleachers with their little pocket camera. I have been talking to area school principles getting field access. I never do anything without thinking about it. Just because I haven't gone into full detail here doesn't mean I've put no thought into and running head long with my eyes closed.

 

[amolitor]

It sounds to me like you're pretty much ahead of any advice you're going to get on here. Mostly here you get a mishmash of extremely basic "these are the things you need for a business" with firm admonitions to put together a business plan, and then a healthy does of "assume he doesn't have a plan, and insult him" thrown in for free.

If you already get that it's a business, and have a rough idea what goes in to a business, you don't need any help from these forums.

If you want lens reviews, you might try the brand specific forums here, or go read reviews on the web, if you want to avoid the background noise of "you are an idiot, you shouldn't be in 'business' you 'fauxtographer' you" from the peanut gallery.

 

[gsgary]

....... but to be honest i think you are on a slippery slope if you think you can just buy gear to become a sports photographer

I don't think that simply buying gear will make me anything. I make me a photographer. But unlike other specialties gear matters with sports. You can do Portraits, Weddings, Landscape, Nature with ANY camera body and any lens. The same is not true for sports. Not to do it correctly anyway. Speed matters. You need fast focus, and wide open apertures for the dimly lit areas. For most sports you have to shoot at 1/1250, only way your going to pull that off on a Friday night football game is with an f/2.8 and a whole lot of ISO.

.............Also take the time to learn the 7D auto focus system, hella awesome and way more robust than the 5DMKII. To start out: 7D + 70-200 f/2.8 + know how of the AF system = a great place to start out

Thank You macpro88. I have been working non-stop with the 7D since I got it. And I am loving it in comparison to the snail speed of the 5D. But I know it won't take me long to miss the full frame. I've also been practicing the focusing with the back button. Getting there but that is one trippy technique. Gonna take some time to fully master it.

Is this just how you feel, or have you actually performed market research to bear this out?

......... I was told a while ago that the only way a photog makes it is word of mouth. I know guys making a killing and they don't even have business cards! Just market your skills every chance you get!

It is how I felt/feel, but my decision was also based on the amount of business I received. I don't like relying on word of mouth alone. To me that is being lazy. You need a marketing plan. Find ways to get your name out there that doesn't cost you anything. But here there are too many names, its difficult to stand out in the crowd. I also feel that it is better to specialize than to be a jack of trades. Its great if you can pull it off and be successful at it, but most people aren't. Yes all the specialties have things in common, but they have a lot more subtle nuances that you need to master to be truly successful. Spreading yourself out and trying to do anything and everything usually doesn't work out very well.

Thats bull**** you can shoot sport with any DSLR if you know what you are doing, i used to shoot it with a 10D before i got a 1Dmk1 then Mk2, to do it properly you will need 2 cameras, when i shoot 1 camera will have a 70-200 or 24-70 and the other will have a 300F2.8L
Here's a 10D shot

 

[amolitor]

Can you shoot sports with zone focus? Seems like you ought to be able to..

Of course you can't shoot wide open, then, for the indoor and night games.

 

[gsgary]

Can you shoot sports with zone focus? Seems like you ought to be able to..

Of course you can't shoot wide open, then, for the indoor and night games.

Probably never tried it, shooting night games a total different ball game