What camera do I use?
This is a question I have gotten a few times this past month, and to many times to count over the years.
So, I thought I would finally just address it here. I actually always find it amusing the look on a budding photographers face when they want to know what equipment I use.
Here is the thing.....once you are a more experienced photographer, and have some years under your belt you will learn the same thing. DRUM ROLL PLEASE:
YOUR ANSWER FROM THE HOLY GRAIL.........READY?
It doesn't really matter what camera you use, as long as you have a decent mid-level to pro-slr, or dslr. Who really cares what brand, or size camera you use.
NEWS FLASH!
Comparing Nikon & Canon is about like comparing Ford & Chevy, Toyota vs Nissan....the truth is anyone of them will get you from point A to point B it just depends on which one is really your preference. New inexperienced photographers, or *Newbies*, really think if they go out and spend as much money as they possibly can afford on the latest, and greatest camera they will instantly become a GREAT photographer. Where did this mentality come from?...I don't get it...that's like saying you just turned 18, passed your driving test, and you go out, and buy a Lamborghini as your first car. The scary part is you might find out after the Lambo purchase that it's manual 6 speed gear box, and suspension, and clutch might all be a little much for you. You might actually be better off in like a used Nissan Altima with an automatic transmission, or something to really learn to drive and feel comfortable.
HEAR THIS AN FKING LISTEN.....the camera you hold in your hand, does not make the photographer, good, or bad. It's mearly a tool. So, Nikon, Canon, who cares....I'm loyal to Nikon not because it's a better camera than Canon, because it's what I know, it's what I started with. Nikon right after Kodak was the first company to produce a Digital Single Reflex camera. Kodak did it first with the Kodak DCS-720 & 760 but those camera's were huge, were like 2 megapixels and cost right at 10grand, and were actually built around the Nikon F5 35mm film body. Meaning Kodak put their own guts in a Nikon shell to produce a digital camera.
Don't get down on yourself, or your art because you don't have the budget for the latest, and greatest DSLR that Nikon, or Canon just rolled out. If you are so concerned about keeping up with the Jone's with what gear you have in your bag, than that tells me you're really not that serious about your art, you just like to look cool to other photographers because your camera is newer, bigger, better than his.
Truth is that's one main reason I don't hang out with a lot of photographers, because instead of standing around, and really comparing images, and pictures they have shot. No, they want to stand around, and do the my Di** is bigger than your Di** while comparing how many thousands of dollars they spent on gear, to get the latest, and greatest of what is hot on the market now camera wise.
I'm not going to say having the latest, and greatest camera isn't beneficial in some aspects, but it definitely isn't the most important. A lot of times all the newer camera does though is makes things more difficult with more wasteful bells, and whistles that you really don't need that overloads the menu, and just makes things more complicated.
I don't know about you, but the last thing I want is to be in the middle of a shoot when I push a button on my new awesome camera, and turn on graph, or something that I can't figure out how to turn off, so I have to set down with a manual for 30 minutes to read, and figure out how to turn it off.
With the new explosion of modern technology, and web 2.0 today it actually seems like everyone is either a Photographer, Model, DJ, or Club Promoter. My opinion they have all lost their luster....back in the day to tell someone you were a photographer even a moderately successful one really meant something. Today, in my opinion unless you have a really decent body of work to back it up,...it's a joke.
This day, and time their really isn't anything special about being a photographer, there is a gazillion out there because every kid who can rake up a grand can hit Best Buy, and buy a standard prosumer DSLR, and put a I'm a photographer Facebook page, and bam, their in business, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It just really waters down the market, making it harder to really stand out, so you better have some skill level.
I'm not going to lie, I am a techie dork. I LOVE CAMERA GEAR......I would honestly like to own probably about $20,000 dollars worth of more gear, just because I love gear, and stuff, but do I really need it....umm, no. Most photographers who take out a 2nd mortgage on their home to buy all the top notch gear love to talk down to any other budding photographer who just got into photography by acting like he isn't a really real photographer because he doesn't have a studio, and $1000's of dollars worth of equipment. The truth is if the kid with the new entry prosumer DSLR, has a better creative eye, and vision, he may in a very short time, put the ole pro with all his $1000's of dollars in equipment out to pasture. Doesn't matter how much you spend on gear, it doesn't make for a great photographer.
You want to be a great photographer buy a decent camera, and stick with that camera, and learn it, when that camera becomes an extension of your hand, when you don't even have to think to make it operate, you can just concentrate on the subject in front of you....that's when the magic starts to really happen.
The truth is, if you want to impress me with your photography skills....break out an old full manual Leica, Pentax, Minolta 35mm, set it up, and shoot some film, and come out with some great images. I know I can do it...can you? The truth is compared to today, photography was hard back in the day, but I know because of my skill level I can still take a great image on one of those ole 35mm camera's. So, I know for myself it really doesn't matter what camera I have I can take some decent pictures with it, because I understand the aspect of how a camera really works, and I make it work for me, as a tool not a show, and tell peace to make other pro photographers go ewww and awwww over.
The newer camera's just makes photography easier, but if you have complete confidence in your photography skills, and camera operation.
Any ole camera will do.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Back to Blogging
Hmm,
Looking at the date from my last blog it's been almost a whole friggen year since I have written a blog. Sometimes I don't even know why I even attempt to even have a blog on my website. I say things to myself, like really who the F*** am I that anyone is really gonna be interested in reading one of my blogs, but then I am out searching the net, and come across some person's dope ass blog who lives in the corner of B.F.W which stands for Bum Fuck Egypt definition the middle of fuggen nowhere.
I read their blog and get a major case of blog envy, and I think...way can't I have a cool, interesting blog like that, so any way here I am again. I use to be a very avid reader of A LOT of blogs, from photographers to comedians to just random nobodies who are good blogger's, now, not so much. I just don't have the time, to keep up with a lot of blogs. I can't even keep my own updated, so how do I aspect to read, and keep up with others.
Anyway, I guess the most important thing in my life which I have pretty much kept to myself, and kept quite about is something some of you know. I lost my oldest 21yr old son Jan. 7th, 2010. I'm not going to go into details, it's just to painful, but that day will always be so surreal in my mind. I was setting on my couch so excited waiting on the National Championship Football game to come on with my team the Texas Long Horns playing Alabama, the game had just gotten underway, and Texas was off to a very impressive start. I really didn't have much hope of them winning this game, but their my team, and I would be rooting my ass off, jumping up and down screaming at the TV.......then came the dreaded phone call that turned my world totally upside down.....forever. It's a weird thing, a life changing experience like that, losing one of your kids, is just something incompressible. It's just something that can't really be explained to you in words, so I won't try. What it does to your life, can't be explained so I won't try. What I will say is that it's like one of those snow globes that you pick up and shake, and then watch all the snow settle back down. Well, that's your life shaken up...things that were so important to you yesterday...paying bills on time, your job, your life in general everything just kinda loses that luster especially the good.
Life can be challenging enough as is it...how many of us are stressed about our lives in general, add in the death of one of your kids, and it's just overkill, so in short I will say. I kinda was off kilter, I guess maybe I still am, I just deal with it, you know, and the longer time passes the better I deal, but it never goes away, and it never really gets easier, it just gets easier to deal. So, that January day my passion, my drive for a lot of things died with my son. My creative side went totally dormant, into hibernation. I was actually beginning to think it would never come back. Being a self employed freelance photographer with no motivation, and no creative drive. Well, you might has well forget about it. So, a lot of shit fell apart. I lost my secondary job, I lost my luxury photography studio, and live/work loft. I lost a lot of things, but none of them really compared in general to losing my son.
It's like I didn't even really care. They say time heals all wounds, and I use to be a very strong believer in that saying. Now, not so much. I have a wound embedded in my soul, that I know is there for the rest of my life, and I have to deal with that. Anyway, I've gotten off track, but the moral of this story is I had stopped my photography...everything, all the marketing I had done, all the time setting in front of a computer screen networking, all the time spent came to a screeching halt. I actually thought about just selling off everything, and giving it up entirely. I decided against that, and decided to give myself some time, to see if I could get it back *IT* what ever it was. My drive, my creative nature that's embedded in my soul, it just seemed to have died when my son died. It's been eight months since Patrick passed away, and even though the thought of losing him never leaves my mind a second. My mojo is starting to come back. On top of losing Patrick, add in being in a complicated relationship with a women I now refer to ass the Devil, and I had some major obstacles to overcome, but I'm getting there, getting my swag back, trying to heal myself, and in doing that I am starting to get my motivation back, wanting to line up and book shoots, which a couple months ago to me sounded like trying to climb Mnt. Everest.
I never really let anyone know I wasn't shooting, I just didn't book anything. If someone asked about a shoot, I would just give an excuse of why I couldn't do it. I honestly just didn't have it in me. I just kinda let everything I had built up fall to peaces around me, and putting all those peaces back together was just something I didn't have the energy for. I am back, back in the saddle. I did my first shoot, and head shots which is posted on my fb fan page, and they came pretty good, so now I am actively booking again, and looking forward to really getting some new rocking shoots under my belt. I've been doing this for a minute, so once I was able to flip the switch to on again, it's just kinda like I never missed a beat. There are always people wanting to work with me, if I am available. So, I have already lined up 4 shoots in the next couple weeks. I really am excited to feel that excitement returning about my work, and my passion which is the Art of Photography. I'm really looking forward to the shoots. I know it's what Patrick would want. He wouldn't want me to stop doing what I love, because of him, so for me to quit and give up because of losing him, it would almost be dishonoring his memory. So, I am back at it...I've moved into a new LOT bigger space, but it needs some paint, and a lot of work, but I think it will be a lot better setup then the loft I had once I have it where it needs to be. It's around 2k square foot of open space which is perfect for photography.
Please if you read this blog, acknowledge it and let me know on my fb page, or something. It pretty much feels like you're writing something that no one is gonna read, you never really know if anyone reads it, so you think, hmm, why waste time to write it...no one is gonna read it anyway. So, if you do read my blog, please subscribe or let me know on my fb fan page. In the mean time I am going to start answering, and talking about photography some in general on this blog, something in the beginning I never intended to do, there are tons, and tons of Photographers on the web that specialise their blog, and websites about photography in general, but I get a LOT of messages from everyday friends, and other budding photographers asking this, or that about photography, so I am going to start putting in my 2cents on some subjects, but this blog will never become just a photography tech blog. I will still post events I attend, to you name it. What ever is on my mind that has peaked my interest that I think maybe you might be interested in.
I have a VERY good friend of mine, and if you read this you know who you are, that had told me to write months ago even before I lost my son. She said she wrote all the time, but never let anyone read it. She just threw it away after writing. I ask her...well, whats the point then, she said it's therapy. It's her therapy, and since I'm on the Freelance Photographer Health Plan I can't really afford really, real therapy so I guess this form will have to do.
I dedicate this blog post in memory of my son Patrick Dwain Holly
March 17, 1988 - January 7, 2010 - FOREVER 21
This is a picture I took of Patrick for his Prom
in 2006. It's my favorite picture of him.
Looking at the date from my last blog it's been almost a whole friggen year since I have written a blog. Sometimes I don't even know why I even attempt to even have a blog on my website. I say things to myself, like really who the F*** am I that anyone is really gonna be interested in reading one of my blogs, but then I am out searching the net, and come across some person's dope ass blog who lives in the corner of B.F.W which stands for Bum Fuck Egypt definition the middle of fuggen nowhere.
I read their blog and get a major case of blog envy, and I think...way can't I have a cool, interesting blog like that, so any way here I am again. I use to be a very avid reader of A LOT of blogs, from photographers to comedians to just random nobodies who are good blogger's, now, not so much. I just don't have the time, to keep up with a lot of blogs. I can't even keep my own updated, so how do I aspect to read, and keep up with others.
Anyway, I guess the most important thing in my life which I have pretty much kept to myself, and kept quite about is something some of you know. I lost my oldest 21yr old son Jan. 7th, 2010. I'm not going to go into details, it's just to painful, but that day will always be so surreal in my mind. I was setting on my couch so excited waiting on the National Championship Football game to come on with my team the Texas Long Horns playing Alabama, the game had just gotten underway, and Texas was off to a very impressive start. I really didn't have much hope of them winning this game, but their my team, and I would be rooting my ass off, jumping up and down screaming at the TV.......then came the dreaded phone call that turned my world totally upside down.....forever. It's a weird thing, a life changing experience like that, losing one of your kids, is just something incompressible. It's just something that can't really be explained to you in words, so I won't try. What it does to your life, can't be explained so I won't try. What I will say is that it's like one of those snow globes that you pick up and shake, and then watch all the snow settle back down. Well, that's your life shaken up...things that were so important to you yesterday...paying bills on time, your job, your life in general everything just kinda loses that luster especially the good.
Life can be challenging enough as is it...how many of us are stressed about our lives in general, add in the death of one of your kids, and it's just overkill, so in short I will say. I kinda was off kilter, I guess maybe I still am, I just deal with it, you know, and the longer time passes the better I deal, but it never goes away, and it never really gets easier, it just gets easier to deal. So, that January day my passion, my drive for a lot of things died with my son. My creative side went totally dormant, into hibernation. I was actually beginning to think it would never come back. Being a self employed freelance photographer with no motivation, and no creative drive. Well, you might has well forget about it. So, a lot of shit fell apart. I lost my secondary job, I lost my luxury photography studio, and live/work loft. I lost a lot of things, but none of them really compared in general to losing my son.
It's like I didn't even really care. They say time heals all wounds, and I use to be a very strong believer in that saying. Now, not so much. I have a wound embedded in my soul, that I know is there for the rest of my life, and I have to deal with that. Anyway, I've gotten off track, but the moral of this story is I had stopped my photography...everything, all the marketing I had done, all the time setting in front of a computer screen networking, all the time spent came to a screeching halt. I actually thought about just selling off everything, and giving it up entirely. I decided against that, and decided to give myself some time, to see if I could get it back *IT* what ever it was. My drive, my creative nature that's embedded in my soul, it just seemed to have died when my son died. It's been eight months since Patrick passed away, and even though the thought of losing him never leaves my mind a second. My mojo is starting to come back. On top of losing Patrick, add in being in a complicated relationship with a women I now refer to ass the Devil, and I had some major obstacles to overcome, but I'm getting there, getting my swag back, trying to heal myself, and in doing that I am starting to get my motivation back, wanting to line up and book shoots, which a couple months ago to me sounded like trying to climb Mnt. Everest.
I never really let anyone know I wasn't shooting, I just didn't book anything. If someone asked about a shoot, I would just give an excuse of why I couldn't do it. I honestly just didn't have it in me. I just kinda let everything I had built up fall to peaces around me, and putting all those peaces back together was just something I didn't have the energy for. I am back, back in the saddle. I did my first shoot, and head shots which is posted on my fb fan page, and they came pretty good, so now I am actively booking again, and looking forward to really getting some new rocking shoots under my belt. I've been doing this for a minute, so once I was able to flip the switch to on again, it's just kinda like I never missed a beat. There are always people wanting to work with me, if I am available. So, I have already lined up 4 shoots in the next couple weeks. I really am excited to feel that excitement returning about my work, and my passion which is the Art of Photography. I'm really looking forward to the shoots. I know it's what Patrick would want. He wouldn't want me to stop doing what I love, because of him, so for me to quit and give up because of losing him, it would almost be dishonoring his memory. So, I am back at it...I've moved into a new LOT bigger space, but it needs some paint, and a lot of work, but I think it will be a lot better setup then the loft I had once I have it where it needs to be. It's around 2k square foot of open space which is perfect for photography.
Please if you read this blog, acknowledge it and let me know on my fb page, or something. It pretty much feels like you're writing something that no one is gonna read, you never really know if anyone reads it, so you think, hmm, why waste time to write it...no one is gonna read it anyway. So, if you do read my blog, please subscribe or let me know on my fb fan page. In the mean time I am going to start answering, and talking about photography some in general on this blog, something in the beginning I never intended to do, there are tons, and tons of Photographers on the web that specialise their blog, and websites about photography in general, but I get a LOT of messages from everyday friends, and other budding photographers asking this, or that about photography, so I am going to start putting in my 2cents on some subjects, but this blog will never become just a photography tech blog. I will still post events I attend, to you name it. What ever is on my mind that has peaked my interest that I think maybe you might be interested in.
I have a VERY good friend of mine, and if you read this you know who you are, that had told me to write months ago even before I lost my son. She said she wrote all the time, but never let anyone read it. She just threw it away after writing. I ask her...well, whats the point then, she said it's therapy. It's her therapy, and since I'm on the Freelance Photographer Health Plan I can't really afford really, real therapy so I guess this form will have to do.
I dedicate this blog post in memory of my son Patrick Dwain Holly
March 17, 1988 - January 7, 2010 - FOREVER 21
This is a picture I took of Patrick for his Prom
in 2006. It's my favorite picture of him.
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