Taking Photography Seriously

bryanbgw · Apr 4, 2017

Hey guys. Im new to the forum, this is actually my first post!

So an overview. I started getting into photography about 2 years ago. I purchased a Canon EOS Rebel t5i with the 18-55mm kit lens. I have been shooting on a tripod with a fluid/pan head hybrid. Since then I picked up a Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, a tamron 70-200 f/4.0-5.6, and very recently a canon efs 17-55mm f/2.8 is usm.

I want to fully and completely dive into photography, and start doing some freelance work such as realestate photography, and selling prints of landscape/astrophotography. I am CONSTANTLY hiking all over Washington, and feel I have missed out on many spectacular photos by me not having the best gear/knowledge.

About 6 months ago, i've really stepped up my knowledge of photography, to the point where I believe I know "how to take a good photograph". I have also been learning many things on lightroom cs5.

So my questions is basically if I really want to produce the cleanest, most stunning images, and be able to use my work on a professional level, what equipment do you recommend? I am completely willing to sell all of my gear to start over.

I have decided a few things that I would like.
1. A camera with a full frame sensor
2. To upgrade my tripod to one with removable heads. And one light enough that I can take it on a 5 mile to 15 mile overnight trip into the mountains ( not an ultralight, just a reasonable weight)
3. I would like to have a focal range of somewhere around 14mm (f/2.8 for my astrophotography photos) and all the way up to 200mm. ( I was thinking a prime wide angle, a 24-70, and a 70-200?)

This is a lot to ask, but if anyone can just help me piece together a new gear set for me I would appreciate it so very much.. Even if you can recommend 1 piece that would be excellent! I am not on too much of a budget, but I can not also spend a massive amount of money! I can probably sell my t5i with the lenses for around $1,100.

SO. Should I stick with Canon? Move to nikon or Sony?

Would you recommend if I got a 24-70 that it be 2.8 or 4.0? Is a 2.8 necessary for what I want to do?

Any tripod recommendations?

I SERIOUSLY APPRECIATE THIS EVERYONE!

-Bryan

p.s. if you wanted to see some photos that I have taken Bryan Whitemarsh (@bryanbgw) • Instagram photos and videos

Dave442 · Apr 4, 2017

Welcome.

My sister has a full frame body with a 24-70 f/2.8 on it, I know that I would not want to carry that on too many 15 mile hikes, but that is usually the setup she grabs when someone calls with a job.

The newish Manfrotto BeFree carbon fiber is nice looking. I have the larger 190CXPRO4 that I hike with, but this new BeFree is two pounds lighter (it may have a fixed head).

pgriz · Apr 5, 2017

Virtually any camera will give very decent results in the hands of a skilled photographer. Equipment is important, but the reality is that few of us push our equipment to the limits of what it can do. It's a bit like saying that you can only produce great-tasting food if you have a $4,000 pot and a $15,ooo stove.

What makes a stunning image is the subject matter, the use of light, the positioning and perspective, the arrangement within a frame, the timing, and the inclusion of the type of things that catch viewer attention. If you want to be a better photographer, then focus on the enabling the things that help set up a great image. For instance, getting up early to catch the morning golden hour, positioning yourself to take full advantage of the light, going to a location which is visually interesting, engaging with your subjects to create a personal connection, and so on.

My equipment is an ancient T1i, and my LG cell phone. The images I've posted are done with either camera. So I would say that the equipment any photographer needs is not what you hold in your hands, but what you carry between your ears. But that's my opinion.

tirediron · Apr 5, 2017

You've actually got a decent collection of gear already. You don't mention filters (Polarizing, ND, G-ND, etc) which many consider important, especially in landscape work, but honestly, I would keep going with what you've got until it's not meeting your needs, at which point you will KNOW what to buy. Purchasing gear for the sake of purchasing gear rarely results in satisfaction. Drive what you have to the ragged edge; when it won't do what you want, figure out how to make it do it... once you get to the point where there's no figuring, THEN open up the wallet.

KmH · Apr 5, 2017

Yep.
It's about YOU and the skill and knowledge you apply to using your camera gear.

table1349 · Apr 5, 2017

If you truly wish to take is seriously then there are some steps to take.

1. R.T.F.M. more than once. You need to know how every function of your gear works with out thinking.
2. Learn the basics of photography: Digital Photography Tutorials You need to know and understand all of the basics, not just those for one particular thing or another.
3. Learn all about light. Photography IS all about light. How To "Read" Light In Photography - Part 1
How To “Read” Light In Photography – Part 2
4. Practice... every bit of it as you are learning it. Practice and continue to practice.
5. You should continue to learn every day. If you are not learning you are not progressing.

Solarflare · Apr 5, 2017

To get a feel for what a professional landscape photographer does: Thomas Heaton

He uses filters a lot - polarizer, 3 stop ND, 6 stop ND, 10 stop ND, and gradient ND, and some others, as well as a tripod.

I havent watched all these videos yet but the guy is so great he keeps me thinking I should get into landscape photography too, lolz.

And I would recomment only Canon or Nikon for a full frame camera. Pentax if you're cool with what you can get from them, since their lens selection is far less broad than Canikons. Leica M if you have more unlimited finances than most people and are OK with what you get from Leica (primes only, only 16-135mm). Leica of course has the best full frame image quality on the planet thanks to their (expensive) lenses.

greybeard · Apr 5, 2017

Use what you have until you really need something better .

weepete · Apr 5, 2017

Nice shots. looks like you've pretty much got the in camera technicals down.

From the canon side:
If it were me I'd probably buy a 5DSR or a medium format camera. But that may not appeal to you because of the limited ISO range. So that leaves a 5Dmkiv. Lenses wise it's the holy trinity, Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L ii, 24-70 f2.8L and 70-200mm f2.8 L. Of course you may want to drop to the 24-70mm f4 L or the 70-200mm f4 L if you don't shoot the astro stuff with them. If it's purely for landscapes then most of the time you'll be between f8 and f16 anyway so fast glass is not really of an issue. If you're really striving for ultimate sharpness and detail you'll need to go primes and Zeiss do some fantastic lenses as do Schnider (along with some excellent tilt shifts) but I believe most of these are manual focus and cost a lot.

On a budget a 6D (though I feel it's getting a bit old now) and save up for some top drawer lenses.

As mentioned good ND filters (Lee or Singh Ray) and good quality polarisers (Lee, Singh Ray or B+W) are top picks too.

Derrel · Apr 5, 2017

Sounds to me like you have a good APS-C lens kit already; I'm of the opinion that you ought to buy what you think will be the best for you. I personally say Nikon in full-frame, for the sensor performance, but Canon's 5DS R has that alluring 50MP image sensor. I'm split though between the 36MP Nikon D800 or D810 and its killer sensor, or going Sony A7-series to get to 36 or 42 MP. Better pictures would definitely come from better trip planning more than anything else, meaning taking better advantage time-wase on locational/seasonal opportunities. For example, when the wild sunflower is in full bloom along the Columbia River, you'd want to go to the Gorge that weekend, not to say, Hood Canal....one trip could yield GREAT pictures, the other some blah saltwater shots. Same with everything else, subject matter and scene novelty are going to trump 24 vs 36 vs 50 mega-pickles!

fmw · Apr 6, 2017

Sorry, OP, it isn't about the cameras and lenses. It is about the photographers as others have mentioned above. Amateurs tend to like to buy gear so buy what appeals to you. It has nothing to do with making professional images.

greybeard · Apr 7, 2017

I know a few pros of which I am not one but, they are biggest "GEAR SLUTS" and own tons of camera equipment from old roll film stuff to current offerings. I know lots of professional musicians of which I am retired and we like to buy the latest and greatest hoping it will give us that magical edge we have been looking for. I have a converted gun cabinet that is full of expensive bass guitars. Pros crave gear just as much as us amateurs. I met a guy once that was taking pictures of all the marching bands competing at a WV event. He was the official photographer for the state of WV. He was using a D800 and swore that he owned every lens that Nikon ever made!!!!! The shots he took of my band were outstanding by the way. So, don't let anyone make you feel inadequate because you crave the gear, we all do. I'm gassen for a Tamron 150-600 G2 but that is for another post. What you have going for you the most right now is the "RAW DESIRE" to be a better photographer. I'm 66 years old and I still have the bug as much as I did 40 years ago. I have to say that what has helped me improve the most is looking other people's pictures and seeing what I like in there photos and then transferring that into my own photography. Look through the galleries on this forum, if you see something you like, find out how he/she got the shot. The people on this forum are glad to share how they got what they got.

Vtec44 · Apr 8, 2017

I'm a big believer in simple and elegant photography. Simplify your gear so that you can focus more on creativity.

I think the type of photography you want to focus on and the shots you want to get will dictate the type of gear you need.

bryanbgw · Apr 11, 2017

Thanks a ton for all of the replies people, wow!

Reading through the replies, most of you are telling me i'm fine with everything I have and just need to learn more skills. The problem with this is that I do feel my gear that I have now (the t5i) won't allow me to do things that I am going to want to do, such as print 40x60's and take wide angle astrophotography shots. Since i'm on a crop sensor my 14mm turns into basically a 22mm which is in my opinion limiting, and makes my astrophotography shots seem so narrow, when there's many more stars and much more foreground that can be captured! I think a crop sensor with a 70-200mm on it would be awesome, but a crop sensor limits me for landscape photography in the end (in my humble opinion). I do believe that I have the skills to take great photos and I always get myself to the most amazing spots with the best lighting, moodiest weather, or clearest skies! I Just want to be able to take FULL advantage of the landscape while im out there and I think im limited.

And for the people who did look at my instagram portfolio and said I pretty much have the camera technicals down, tell me to purchase $3,000 dslr's. Which I can't afford! I would love to have one, and I know one would cover ALL of my needs and MORE for the time being, but yeah.. I simply cannot afford one at the time. So is there a more affordable option? I was looking into the 5d MK II used. What do you guys think? I have seen people saying printing 40x60's is doable but just takes some technique when processing and printing.

And final question. Should I stay with canon? Switch to Nikon? Or a different system? I do want to keep my gear as simple as possible since I am going to be hiking around the mountains with it, so staying lighter would be great! I have heard of people switching from dslr's to mirrorless fullframes and loving it for the weight reduction! pros/cons of this?

I appreciate every single reply so much. This is really helping me a lot with my decision!

pgriz · Apr 11, 2017

When you get to certain situations (like astrophotography), the specialized gear you need to get truly magnificent shots is quite distant from the generalized photography gear you have. Part of learning your field, is also learning your limits. When you want to go beyond certain limits (say, astrophotography, or macro, or massive prints with super-fine detail), you will need to invest in very specialized (and very expensive) gear. for instance, I know of a superb photographer who wanted amazing detail in his landscapes. He ended up using an 8x10 view camera, complete with movable front and back to be able to adjust his plane of focus to match the scene. Macros will take a very different collection of specialized gear. Same with astrophotography. So if you're trying to get all those exceptional situations covered by one camera system, you're either going to throw a lot of money at it, or you're going to decide that those special situations need very specific combination of equipment. Know your limits. You might be surprised just how much you can achieve with the gear you do have.