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05-27-2012, 07:39 AM   #16
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1) Never assume.. that the salesperson has your interests solely in mind when they show you gear (hence so many Canons?).
2) Never assume.. that my experience with my copy of something you want means your experience will be the same.
3) Never assume.. that a 'snapshot' will record things just right or can be fixed later in software. Take your time to set up a shot, and reap the rewards.

05-27-2012, 08:02 AM   #17
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1. You're going to have a blast and people will love some of your pictures.
2. You will not be satisfied with the kit lens.
3. Photography is expen$ive.
05-27-2012, 08:34 AM   #18
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Hmmm, good question, and a tough one for me, 'cause I was raised in photography, just about growing up in my dad's little darkroom (after my sisters and I were 'trained' as models) and living with my own cameras since about age 5 or 6. My upbringing makes it hard to isolate stuff I *should* have known from what I just absorbed. I could list three main early lesson-points:

1- Don't drop the camera.
2- Study and practice.
3- Seeing is tricky.

Fast-forward a few geological epochs to about 4 years ago, when I got an inheritance (Thanks for dying, Mom!). After paying for knee surgery (cheaper than paying years of insurance premiums), I had enough left to move from good P&S digicams to a dSLR system. That's when I went on an eBay spree. Three things that would have made the spree more productive:

1- Don't get into bidding wars.
2- Don't bid on multiple copies of the same item -- might win them all!
3- Pinholes suck on APS-C.

But item #2 is/was a mixed bag. Those lenses which I bought too many of and/or that don't fit Pentax (d)SLRs -- I hung onto them awhile, sold them for a very good profit, and became an (intermittent) lens-trader on eBay. But if I were to retroactively boil-down my Wisdom Of The Ancients to three things I wish I'd known before embarking on a life in photography, they might be:

1- A few cameras and lenses may be enough, but LOTS of cameras and lenses are LOTS of fun (and pretty useful too).
2- There is more to learn about photographic gear and technique than any one human can ever know -- it's infinite.
3- What I think I see, what I want to see, what the camera+lens see, and what's really there (if anything), ain't the same.
05-27-2012, 08:35 AM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by kaiserz Quote
1) Photography is expensive.
2) Photography is addictive.
3) While active in "Photography" you have to realize that there's still no known cure for L.B.A.
Oh, I don't know. There's no doubt about 1) and 2) but Pentax's recent lens pricing policy change in the US has pretty much cured my LBA!

05-27-2012, 08:49 AM   #20
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1) Bodies come and go, but good glass lasts forever. So don't buy crappy mediocre lenses just to save money.
2) Quality of image trumps image quality.
3) What matters in photography in order of importance is a) subject matter b) composition c) lighting d) the photographer and e) the gear although I suppose one could argue that c) is more important than b).

Just my opinion, and I reserve the right to be wrong.
05-27-2012, 08:53 AM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
What I think I see, what I want to see, what the camera+lens see, and what's really there (if anything), ain't the same.
Which not only sums up the totality of human experience, but may well explain many auto focus complaints!
05-27-2012, 08:59 AM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by MPrince Quote
3) What matters in photography in order of importance is a) subject matter b) composition c) lighting d) the photographer and e) the gear although I suppose one could argue that c) is more important than b).

Just my opinion, and I reserve the right to be wrong.
Good thing you've exercised that right. The correct order of importance is:

1) Photographer -- if you don't know what you're doing, nothing else matters.
2) Light -- we capture light, not subjects -- without light, is no photography.
3) Subject -- must be interesting -- perfect pix of boring crap are still boring crap.
4) Lens -- even the most perfect lens won't suffice if (1-3) are inadequate.
5) Camera -- a box upon which to hang lenses -- even Holgas produce wonders.

05-27-2012, 09:00 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by klh Quote
3) Frame the shot tight
But I would say not too tight. Leave some room not only for compositional improvement, but to accommodate various printing aspects (8x10, 5x7, 4x6 etc.)
05-27-2012, 09:14 AM   #24
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1. Kit lenses aren't worth much.
2. Fast lenses are worth the money
3. RAW > JPEG, and good RAW editing software is worth buying
05-27-2012, 09:46 AM   #25
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I wish I had known that the quality of the film used and who you got to develop it mattered.
05-27-2012, 09:48 AM   #26
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1) Figure out what your subject is. Then figure out how to take a decent photo of it. Then start using the camera.

2) Quality of light is the biggest influence on the keep/delete ratio. When the light is good, shoot lots.

3) There is no shame in post processing. We see with our minds, not our eyes. The camera and lens are only one stage in recreating that scene.

Bonus extra thing:

4) Take extra care to compose the edges of the frame right, not just the middle.
05-27-2012, 09:54 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
Good thing you've exercised that right. The correct order of importance is:

1) Photographer -- if you don't know what you're doing, nothing else matters.
2) Light -- we capture light, not subjects -- without light, is no photography.
3) Subject -- must be interesting -- perfect pix of boring crap are still boring crap.
4) Lens -- even the most perfect lens won't suffice if (1-3) are inadequate.
5) Camera -- a box upon which to hang lenses -- even Holgas produce wonders.
I also reserve the right to disagree with you.
05-27-2012, 10:26 AM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by MPrince Quote
But I would say not too tight. Leave some room not only for compositional improvement, but to accommodate various printing aspects (8x10, 5x7, 4x6 etc.)
Good clarification.
05-27-2012, 11:09 AM   #29
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#1 The best way to LEARN photography is to take away as many automatics as possible
#2 The best way to have FUN in photography is to use as much automation as will support the image you want to capture
#3 When to trust the automatics and when to trust your own eyes and instincts.

and a 4th item... everyone with limited understanding of photography will assume that when you have a fancy camera that you will get a beautiful photograph every time, and the only brains involved is pointing the camera and pushing the shutter release. (why does it take you so long?)
05-27-2012, 11:25 AM   #30
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I wish I had known why I wanted to take photos and what I wanted to do with them. I still haven't figured that out.
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