I get a lot of requests from friends for recommendations of cameras and camera gear to buy. I understand the questions. I've been using digital SLRs since the Canon DRebel came out in 2003. Many people are confused by all the fancy terms and technical specs. Its wise to search out someone more knowledgable in a topic or someone who's opinion means something to you.
My first question to them is usually what's their budget. My next is what they want to use the equipment for. Are they looking for a pocket camera? Something with more versatility? All the bells and wistles? I can generally come up with a short list of recommendations from there. I always support the purchase of Canon products. That may turn some people off. For those who don't know, there is a brand allegance in cameras similar to Ford vs Chevy with Nikon being Canon's main competitor. You're either one or the other. Over the last couple years the market has got more diverse with competitive models from Olympus and Sony, along with more models offered from Canon and Nikon.
I have a variety of experiences with Canon equipment. Every time I go to a store (like the time I went to B&H) I play with anything on display. And I'm a constant student. I regularly pick up a bevy of different photo gear magazines. I use to subscribe to Outdoor Photographer, but stopped after about 4 years. It was a good publication, but it got too repetitive for me. I also routinely troll the forums at Fred Miranda. The site has nearly every topic covered for 35mm based photography, both film and digital. It also has some discussion on medium and large format. Most of my early technique came from lessons learned from discussion posts. I still learn techniques or find new places to visit from the posts on the boards.
For specifically Canon SLRs, I always recommend visiting The Digital Picture. The author is a Canon-only person. Each product review, whether body or lens, is deep in both the technical and performance aspects.
The bottom line is for anyone that is interested in throwing any considerable amount of money at photography gear, that will most likely only be for hobby related purposes, it is incumbant that they do their homework. A purchase should never be made on recommendation alone. Go to a store. Pick it up. Test out the functions and buttons. Does it fit your style and experience level? No sense in buying too much camera if you're not ready. Be sure to factor in the associated costs. Will the camera need a flash? More memory card due to the sensor size? Special software to get the most out of the files? Does it fit your hand?
A quick example is a friend of mine who I newly getting into DSLR photography. He's previosly owned only point and shoot cameras. I've talked with him about camera stuff before. He's read a lot on his own, so it was refreshing to have a highly technical conversation with him. He did some research and narrowed it down to a Canon 7D and 5D2. Currently the difference between the two models is about $1000. That's a lot for a new hobby. That doesn't include any lenses. We talked about what he planned on using it for and many of the other topics I just went over. Ultimately he decided on the 7D. I look forward to checking it out next time I see him. I haven't been able to find one in store yet and there was a lot of hype with some of its new features.
So if you see me or send a question my way, understand that I'm just one piece of the puzzle. I look into whatever product may seem like the one for you, but I'm subjective like most people, so take it with a grain of salt.
Back to No Quarter business, I've been working on a personal project with a client. She had a couple ideas which we worked on together. One of the ideas we came up with was a silhouette. We tried a bunch of different poses. Some worked, some didn't. This particular photo (seen below) was an outtake which I instantly loved, even on my tiny 2" LCD on the back of the camera. It was my first time doing a silhouette using a flash. The EXIF is a 50mm 1.8 lens, 1/160 sec., F6.3 @ 100 ISO. I used a AB800 at about 1/3 power with a large octobox pointed toward a white sheet pinned to a doorframe. In Photoshop, I adjusted the exposure, cloned out the creases in the sheet, and added a soft glow. Really, it wasn't a lot of adjustment, but it took me a while to find the look that I wanted.
My assistant called it "powerful," which is the most evocative word she's used to describe any of my pictures. I was surprised by her response. This particular shoot gave me some ideas to try out in the future in a different way.
I'll continue to post things when I can. Real life has been busier than I expected. In the tradition of Thanksgiving, a big "Thank You" to all my readers. I'll continue to post and lament as long as just one of you is around.
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