Nice to join up

fmw · Sep 30, 2006

Glad to be aboard. I started photography with a Zeiss Contaflex 35mm camera my father bought used for me in 1959.

Since that time, I've done the gamut. I've done portraiture, fortune 500 commercial photography, stock photography, events and about anything else you could name.

I closed my studio in 1999 to pursue e-commerce which has proven to be a successful venture. I sold off most of my equipment and set up a small studio at home to do product photography for the web sites at home. I do it with a Nikon D50, a small collection of lenses and a fairly simple studio flash setup. For a long time, photography was work so I never really pursued it as a hobby. After these years, however, I think I might do just that. Why not? I already know my way around a camera and it can help assuage some of the creative urges that product photography can't.

I attended Ansel Adams workshop in the 1960's. The man was a genius in the darkroom. He was a tough task master but he had a feel for creative printing that few others have approached. I'm afraid not much of it rubbed off. I've studied briefly with other pros and learned from every one of them. I've done my share of teaching as well.

If anybody has questions or needs help with a technical problem, just ask. If I know the subject, I'll share what I know. Good shooting.

oldnavy170 · Sep 30, 2006

Welcome, its nice to have you here. Wow, you really have done alot. Congrats on that. Question...so even though you did photography as a living..umm, you never considered it a hobby? Interesting.

fmw · Sep 30, 2006

oldnavy170 said:
Welcome, its nice to have you here. Wow, you really have done alot. Congrats on that. Question...so even though you did photography as a living..umm, you never considered it a hobby? Interesting.

After I started billing for my photographs it became work. It's pretty hard to make a hobby out of work. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the work. I always enjoyed photography. I just didn't do it as a hobby. If I went on vacation, I didn't even take a camera. I was always afraid I would ruin the vacation by working on stock shots. I'm happy to say I took a camera on my last hunting trip so it appears I'm coming around.

LaFoto · Oct 1, 2006

Heya, fmw, and welcome to ThePhotoForum.
It will be good to have you on board.
There's many around with all sorts of questions and it is just good to have a "pro" around to help giving all the answers

.
For I myself am a pure and all exclusive hobby-ist - no one ever even offers to BUY any of my pics (well, few KNOW about them, I might add, I am too shy to advertise them to anyone).

fmw · Oct 1, 2006

LaFoto said:
Heya, fmw, and welcome to ThePhotoForum.
It will be good to have you on board.
There's many around with all sorts of questions and it is just good to have a "pro" around to help giving all the answers .
For I myself am a pure and all exclusive hobby-ist - no one ever even offers to BUY any of my pics (well, few KNOW about them, I might add, I am too shy to advertise them to anyone).

I remember once I had the honor to be a judge and critic for the annual photo contest of an amateur photo club. Some of the work was fantastic and easily the equal of what a top pro can do. Amateur photography can be excellent. The results are in the eye of the photographer, not in the title on a business card.

The difference between pro and amateur results is usually defined by the amount of time and effort put into an image. An amateur might shoot something appealing. A pro might wait around until the light is perfect before shooting the same subject or might return on another day when lighting conditions are different to shoot it again. An amateur might make a quick portrait of a family member. The pro might manipulate the available light with reflectors or add lighting to improve the image. An amateur can take the time and do the work just like a pro. It is just a matter of motivation. The photographic techniques, of course, are the same for everybody. Good photographs don't result from luck. They result from time, effort and technique.