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08-23-2018, 07:34 PM   #76
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QuoteOriginally posted by macman24054 Quote
Let's be honest. Portrait photography is some of the least demanding photography when it comes to the demands on equipment.
Yes, i think that portraits as long as you know what you are doing, and as long as you have a good model to shoot, equipment doesn't matter, you can even shoot it with an iphone that you will get some lovely photographs, of course a lens to give you bokeh will be really nice, and the editing plays a big roll too.

08-23-2018, 07:37 PM   #77
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Most portraits I see these days are far overprocessed and look unnatural, to my eyes. All the artificial red, greens, and blues are just ugly to my eye. Give me natural color any day, even if it doesn't pop as loudly.
08-23-2018, 08:00 PM - 4 Likes   #78
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I think the OP is going on Peter Hurleys version of good which is model interaction. He has it down and can repeat it. That's great. Shoot formula and repeat. It's hard to get but great.
I looked at the 500pix. Looked at one and said yep same pic.great for the pic. Well done. What does the next pic give me? The same or tell me different. That's not bad but why look beyond?
Leroyes has every picture unique.
08-23-2018, 08:25 PM - 3 Likes   #79
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Like many others in this forum, this is my hobby(occasionally some pro shooting) and like many others here, I like shiny new things. Will it make my photography any better? No but it makes things easier and sometimes faster due to all the more bells and whistles.
My first DSLR was a KX, it was a sweet little camera with all the basics I needed, my daughter has it now and still uses it almost daily. I "upgraded" to a K5, I felt I needed all the advances that body offered, and I used all of them. The K5 was my workhorse over the next 6 years, I am very in tune with this camera. Just a couple months ago I upgraded to a K3, great camera but I am not used to it yet(getting there though) because I am so used to how my K5 works. The layout of the K3 is just about identical to the K5, so that really helps, but I still use the K5 just as much as the K3. The main reason I got the K3 is I wanted another body to aid in my style of shooting and less lens changing.
I'm not the best photographer out there but I'm improving over time. I take photos of things I like, wether they be "weak" or crappy to other people's eyes. But at least I get out there with my fancy gear and take pictures no matter the results. I would rather see some "crappy" shots in this forum, then know someone has some fancy gear and never uses it.....
All I can say to the OP is....some constructive criticism goes a long way in here. I suggest you don't just come out the gates swinging and saying others people's photos are weak. Try tactfully giving advice on their work. Ya you do nice work but no one likes condescension.......

08-23-2018, 08:36 PM   #80
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QuoteOriginally posted by swanlefitte Quote
I think the OP is going on Peter Hurleys version of good which is model interaction. He has it down and can repeat it. That's great. Shoot formula and repeat. It's hard to get but great.
I looked at the 500pix. Looked at one and said yep same pic.great for the pic. Well done. What does the next pic give me? The same or tell me different. That's not bad but why look beyond?
Leroyes has every picture unique.
That happens a lot with portrait shooters that do beauty, use the same recipe, over and over, same lights, same settings.. just change the faces, but even editing is kind of mechanize, because most of this shots follow the same editing steps.
08-23-2018, 08:45 PM   #81
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QuoteOriginally posted by macman24054 Quote
Let's be honest. Portrait photography is some of the least demanding photography when it comes to the demands on equipment. With controlled lighting, most shots are at base ISO and any DSLR will put out gorgeous images. I shoot weddings and with the lack of light in most wedding venues I need all the high ISO performance I can get. Rarely do I have the nice environment of shooting nicely lite portraits. I have shoot weddings with a K10, K2000 and K100, but it is much more challenging than with the K3 and K50 I use now. Shoot a wedding or two with your K10 and you will see that it is challenged in low light situations.
All depends on your style, Macman.

Because most of the shots on a wedding photographer's shotlist are static setups, you can do the slower shutter speeds and bring the subjects (such as the ring, the groom getting ready, etc) to existing light.

But lots of togs use flash, whether beforehand, the group shots with umbrellas, and/or at the reception.

Jerry Ghionis (an Aussie) adds continuous light with those light sabre things.

He and fellow Wedding Photographer of the Year Roberto Valenzuela do the brides as if it's a model shoot, with exactly the same posing and lighting methods as a fashion cover.





Last edited by clackers; 08-23-2018 at 11:15 PM.
08-23-2018, 08:56 PM   #82
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QuoteOriginally posted by kooks Quote
That happens a lot with portrait shooters that do beauty, use the same recipe, over and over, same lights, same settings.. just change the faces, but even editing is kind of mechanize, because most of this shots follow the same editing steps.
I think that happens in all genres, Kooks, what you're really talking about is how lazy the photographer is.

You can have corporate headshot gigs and sure, the job is to get everyone's directory pics to match. A real estate photographer might have four houses to do on a Thursday so each time he's going to place the same three flashes in the living room and point to the corner where the external window is. A sports photographer can sit on the same corner and get the same cars lifting the same wheel at the bend, over and over again.

If you shoot the same style again and again, your portfolio won't get you anywhere with the art director for Vogue. It's just apparent to them you're limited.

Have a look at Mario Testino's work (he's from the same continent as you), he can do it all in high fashion. Strobes or natural light he's a master, and take all the fancy gear and models away from him, he then turns into a wonderful street photographer, too.

Skill trumps equipment …. and it doesn't have to cost a cent.

It's probably why I have some sympathy for Yuri who thinks becoming a better photographer will improve pictures in a way that spending on gear can't.


Last edited by clackers; 08-24-2018 at 01:18 AM.
08-23-2018, 10:30 PM - 1 Like   #83
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This has been an interesting thread, even though I feel, as others have said, the OP is coming on a little too strong. There are many other ways to start this discussion without badmouthing anyone.

Personally, I love looking at gear, just because I am a gear geek. I do the same with watches, guitars, bicycles, motorcycles, whatever. But all my camera gear has been bought to help me do something specific, not because I thought it would make me a good photographer. I have bought some fast lenses, for instance, because I need to catch my kids’ performances in dark theaters. I currently have a 77 Ltd. for this, and not because it should make me a photographer. I got a Ricoh GR because I travel and was tired of carrying heavy gear. Etc.

I use a K-x now but am eyeballing a KP as it should work way better in the dark. Even if (big if) I can ever afford a KP, my photos will still likely not please anyone except the kids’ grandparents.

It was great reading all of the support in this thread for the normal Joe and his camera.

Thanks all for sharing so many nice opinions in this thread. OP might still try to humble up a little.

$.02

j
08-23-2018, 11:59 PM   #84
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QuoteOriginally posted by officiousbystander Quote
I checked out your Instagram and 'staff' (inc K5 and Ist D) and yes you have shot gorgeous portraits with long superseded equipment. After being smitten by new tech I've come around to the skills rather than equipment side of the equation. And currently I don't have either.
But I might pose another question. Would your photos be as good if you didn't have such beautiful subjects? It's difficult to separate the two.
Would they be as good if they weren’t downsized to 800 pixels on the side?
08-24-2018, 12:01 AM   #85
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QuoteOriginally posted by Wheatfield Quote
Would they be as good if they weren’t downsized to 800 pixels on the side?
Yeah, they are pretty good :/ its his attitude that is questionable
08-24-2018, 01:10 AM   #86
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cerebum Quote
its his attitude that is questionable
I think a little humility would have helped. I don't think most of us curate the images we post here to give the very best impression of what we do, it just isn't that sort of site. For me one of the strengths of the forums is the depth of technical knowledge here that has helped me out numerous times.
Personally I'd like to learn from others and there are some very talented photographers here) rather than try and score points against people.
The danger of talking oneself up too much is that someone with some series talent will come along and just blow you out of the water and you'll end up looking silly
08-24-2018, 02:43 AM - 1 Like   #87
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Agree with OP or not, I think it could be some kind of loose in translation too. I will give OP the benefits of the dough here because English is not my first language too. And I has been a foreiner for more than haft of my life in 2 countries. I know it well, language is a very tricky thing to master.
When I first came to Japan, people ask me something like, which one i like. i want to answer, either one is fine for me. But i said something can be translated to, "whatever", and i should not say that to a senior. some thing like that.

And believe me, English is a very difficult language. And its grammar makes absolute no sense when i first study the language. ... Even now.
08-24-2018, 03:25 AM   #88
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QuoteOriginally posted by pakinjapan Quote
Agree with OP or not, I think it could be some kind of loose in translation too. I will give OP the benefits of the dough here because English is not my first language too. And I has been a foreiner for more than haft of my life in 2 countries. I know it well, language is a very tricky thing to master.
When I first came to Japan, people ask me something like, which one i like. i want to answer, either one is fine for me. But i said something can be translated to, "whatever", and i should not say that to a senior. some thing like that.

And believe me, English is a very difficult language. And its grammar makes absolute no sense when i first study the language. ... Even now.
I have heard that English is a very hard language to learn as a second language and understand as its " rules " have many exceptions

Last edited by aslyfox; 08-24-2018 at 03:40 AM.
08-24-2018, 03:38 AM - 1 Like   #89
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QuoteOriginally posted by clackers Quote
But lots of togs use flash, whether beforehand, the group shots with umbrellas, and/or at the reception.
I shoot my fair share of flash and static shots with strobes. But 95% of the weddings I shoot do not allow flash during the ceremony. So shooting at ISO as high as 6400 can not be helped at times. When using flash, most often I shoot at 640 to 1600 ISO. This allows me to achieve a better balance of flash and ambient light. These shoots are much more polished looking and not as obviously flash photography. This type of results are still not possible with the older low light challenged cameras. I will admit the shoots i take with my strobe are less challenging and stress free than the rest of the shots I take on any wedding day.
08-24-2018, 04:09 AM   #90
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QuoteOriginally posted by macman24054 Quote
When using flash, most often I shoot at 640 to 1600 ISO.
Yeah, that's the way to do it, not let the camera decide what the ISO is with flash, choose another mode, even better, Manual, and set it low.
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