Author Topic: Newbie start to be photographer, any suggestion on camera and lens? (Read 6267 times)

enddevil · « **on:** August 15, 2015, 21:22 »

As a newbie, i try to start my career as photographer, I know it takes long time to be a successful photographer.Due to my limited budget (about 2k dollar), would you please suggest me the camera and lens i should buy?I will mainly take photos for people indoor and outdoor.By the way i want be one of the contributor in microstock industry in later future.Thanks in advance.
wish you guys have good sales.

MichaelJayFoto · « **Reply #1 on:** August 16, 2015, 03:14 »

Quote from: enddevil on August 15, 2015, 21:22

As a newbie, i try to start my career as photographer, I know it takes long time to be a successful photographer.Due to my limited budget (about 2k dollar), would you please suggest me the camera and lens i should buy?I will mainly take photos for people indoor and outdoor.By the way i want be one of the contributor in microstock industry in later future.Thanks in advance.
wish you guys have good sales.

Have a look around if you can get a used 2 or 3 year old DSLR. Maybe not the lowest entry level, something in the mid range - Canon 60D or 7D maybe. Get a 50mm lens - you can get a f/1.8 for most systems between $100 and $200.

Learn to shoot with that system first before spending more money.

Invest in a flash, something off-brand like a Yongnuo, will cost you another $100-200 when you include a remote trigger.

Learning about light, lighting, composition and model direction is far more important than having a really good, new, expensive camera.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 16, 2015, 03:19 »

If you are doing people indoors I would say use some of your budget to hire a studio that way you get top quality lighting and space to shoot.

cobalt · « **Reply #3 on:** August 16, 2015, 08:17 »

maybe a used canon 5d, two speed lights with swivel heads, a few reflectors and backgrounds. the latter you can also build yourself with cardboard, aluminium foil or cheap survival blankets. youtube has lots of clips how to shoot well. tripod/monopod and stands for the speed lights. maybe one or two soft boxes (portable).

good skills in lighting and visual story telling are more important than equipment.

many artists now use their iphones to create stock content, but you really have to know how to shoot, to make it work.

set some money aside to also take part on workshops and classes to become a better photographer.

lenses?, one 50mm 1,4 and maybe a simple 24-105 zoom should be enough to get you started. I would prefer fixed lenses over zooms.

You can buy a lot of stuff used on eBay or photographers exchange markets.

ShadySue · « **Reply #4 on:** August 16, 2015, 08:21 »

Quote from: enddevil on August 15, 2015, 21:22

As a newbie, i try to start my career as photographer, I know it takes long time to be a successful photographer.Due to my limited budget (about 2k dollar), would you please suggest me the camera and lens i should buy?I will mainly take photos for people indoor and outdoor.By the way i want be one of the contributor in microstock industry in later future.Thanks in advance.
wish you guys have good sales.

What equipment do you have already, e.g. when you applied to SS last year?
Why is it not meeting your needs?

Perry · « **Reply #5 on:** August 16, 2015, 13:36 »

Quote from: enddevil on August 15, 2015, 21:22

By the way i want be one of the contributor in microstock industry in later future.

First: Learn how to shoot great images before aiming any higher. It's just common sense to be good at something before trying to make money doing it. It will also surprise you how much work it will be making images, and it's not just shooting: planning and preparing, image selecting, photoshopping, keywording, uploading will be very time consuming.

But DO get yourself a camera and learn the ropes. I'd consider a second hand Canon Eos 5D mk II and a couple of second hand prime lenses, that should be enough to create images that sell (it has worked for me

)

Pauws99 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 16, 2015, 15:17 »

I'm not entirely sure shooting "great" images is what microstock, or indeed many aspects of professional photography is about - its more about knowing what sells and how to achieve it - Imho the best way to do that is putting stuff up for sale and learning from the experience.

Perry · « **Reply #7 on:** August 16, 2015, 15:30 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on August 16, 2015, 15:17

I'm not entirely sure shooting "great" images is what microstock, or indeed many aspects of professional photography is about - its more about knowing what sells and how to achieve it - Imho the best way to do that is putting stuff up for sale and learning from the experience.

Maybe I chose my words badly by using "great", but my point was that you need to have good skills and a fast workflow to succeed in microstock. If you can make "great" images, doing microstock is a breeze (at least technically). I'm not sure you can become a good microstock photographer without experimenting with other kinds of photography first, just to learn "Knowing how to achieve it", as you wrote.

Photography is such a funny business. I have never heard about anybody buying their first hammer and saying they will start a construction company.

Digital66 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 16, 2015, 16:07 »

Get a cheap DSLR camera and invest all you can in education. Don't waste your money in equipment you'll probably never use. A day will come when you'll know what equipment you'll really need.

marthamarks · « **Reply #9 on:** August 16, 2015, 21:55 »

Quote from: Digital66 on August 16, 2015, 16:07

Get a cheap DSLR camera and invest all you can in education. Don't waste your money in equipment you'll probably never use. A day will come when you'll know what equipment you'll really need.

Now… that is excellent advice!

Difydave · « **Reply #10 on:** August 17, 2015, 07:47 »

Quote from: Perry on August 16, 2015, 15:30

- Photography is such a funny business. I have never heard about anybody buying their first hammer and saying they will start a construction company.

Indeed not, or in fact starting a construction company, and then asking what sort of hammer they need. :-)

Looking at the other threads stated by the OP it appears that they have already been accepted to SS and possibly other agencies.

I don't know about others here, but by the time I was submitting to microstock, I knew pretty well absolutely what the best equipment was, how much it cost, and what the pros and cons were of the different makes. I also knew that whatever I bought wouldn't make an iota of difference to me as a photographer, but that the best I could expect was basically sharper, better saturated, and less noisy images. The rest was up to me.

I knew all that because I was interested in the photography itself first.

Now I'm not having a direct dig at the OP, I don't know them or their skill set, but it does seem to me that this type of question gets asked time and time again, and I can't help but suspect that the real reason it is asked is because people think there is some magical combination of gear that will give them images that sell.

While a certain level of equipment is essential, really the "best" gear for doing microstock is the cheapest that will meet the quality requirements. Anything else is overkill. Certainly if I had made little or no money from any type of business at all, I would look long and hard at the economics of buying more and better equipment for that business before doing so.

It seems to me that the skills required to be a good photographer are widely misunderstood and so underestimated. You don't generally hear adults saying "I want to be" other skill based occupations, without them having realised that they face a steep learning curve, if not several years of training, but because photography is "easy" you hear or read that they want to be a photographer time and time again.

sgoodwin4813 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 17, 2015, 08:32 »

Quote from: Difydave on August 17, 2015, 07:47

While a certain level of equipment is essential, really the "best" gear for doing microstock is the cheapest that will meet the quality requirements.

Yes, that sums it up perfectly!

Microstock = micro earnings = micro expenses if you want to stay in the black. Only spend more if you are reasonably sure you can make back the expense.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #12 on:** August 17, 2015, 08:46 »

Quote from: Difydave on August 17, 2015, 07:47

It seems to me that the skills required to be a good photographer are widely misunderstood and so underestimated. You don't generally hear adults saying "I want to be" other skill based occupations, without them having realised that they face a steep learning curve, if not several years of training, but because photography is "easy" you hear or read that they want to be a photographer time and time again.[/font]

On one of the Disney groups I read on FB, this woman posted a few days ago wanting to find someone who wanted to go to Disneyland and be the subject of free portraits that she could use for her "business", because she is getting a camera Friday. Unless the camera doesn't show up in time for the weekend, then don't worry about it.

Difydave · « **Reply #13 on:** August 17, 2015, 09:47 »

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on August 17, 2015, 08:46

Quote from: Difydave on August 17, 2015, 07:47
It seems to me that the skills required to be a good photographer are widely misunderstood and so underestimated. You don't generally hear adults saying "I want to be" other skill based occupations, without them having realised that they face a steep learning curve, if not several years of training, but because photography is "easy" you hear or read that they want to be a photographer time and time again.

On one of the Disney groups I read on FB, this woman posted a few days ago wanting to find someone who wanted to go to Disneyland and be the subject of free portraits that she could use for her "business", because she is getting a camera Friday. Unless the camera doesn't show up in time for the weekend, then don't worry about it.

You won't be volunteering then Sean?

It illustrates my point exactly.
Another one was a friend of mine who used to do fairs and so on selling photos from a stall. He had his Canon 5D II there, and this guy wandered over and said that he had one the same. So my friend says something like "Great camera. What do you take shots of " etc.
Turns out this guy wanted some family portraits. Asked for prices, and decided that if he had a "professional camera and lens" it would take the pictures he wanted far cheaper.
Turned out it didn't, and it had hardly been used since.
I'll bet any number of expensive cameras end up in a drawer. . .

dbvirago · « **Reply #14 on:** August 17, 2015, 10:46 »

Quote from: ShadySue on August 16, 2015, 08:21

Quote from: enddevil on August 15, 2015, 21:22
As a newbie, i try to start my career as photographer, I know it takes long time to be a successful photographer.Due to my limited budget (about 2k dollar), would you please suggest me the camera and lens i should buy?I will mainly take photos for people indoor and outdoor.By the way i want be one of the contributor in microstock industry in later future.Thanks in advance.
wish you guys have good sales.
What equipment do you have already, e.g. when you applied to SS last year?
Why is it not meeting your needs?

And again in March of this year when you submitted 200+ images to Shutterstock. What equipment was that?

Rose Tinted Glasses · « **Reply #15 on:** August 17, 2015, 11:24 »

Photography is such a funny business. I have never heard about anybody buying their first hammer and saying they will start a construction company.
[/quote]

And the fun really begins when they think they are a successful construction company because they only build doll houses and have a forum like this pretending they build mansions.

Symbiostock Official · « **Reply #16 on:** August 17, 2015, 11:28 »

If you are just asking about a camera and lens, I would suggest getting a used full frame from either Canon, Nikon or Sony, and buy a new Tamron 24-70 or a used 24-70 of the associated brand.

This will give you professional quality photographs (or at least the technical means of accomplishing professional photographs) and a ton of room. 24 on a full frame is nice and wide, and 70 zooms pretty nicely.

Lighting is your next big thing. The key is to light your subject while reducing shadows, which is generally accomplished with diffusing the light source, either through white diffusers or by reflection.

Good luck!

JPSDK · « **Reply #17 on:** August 19, 2015, 01:52 »

Prioritize photoshop knowledge over equipment, and then when you come to equipment prioritize flashlights and a tripod.
A tripod is the single most important piece of equipment.

enddevil · « **Reply #18 on:** August 19, 2015, 05:14 »

In fact I was doing keywording works in a studio and now I quit and start my own career

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enddevil · « **Reply #19 on:** August 19, 2015, 05:16 »

Thanks all of you for kind suggestion and I'm looking for second hand Nikon 5D2. Is it a good choice?

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ShadySue · « **Reply #20 on:** August 19, 2015, 05:55 »

Quote from: enddevil on August 19, 2015, 05:16

Thanks all of you for kind suggestion and I'm looking for second hand Nikon 5D2. Is it a good choice?

从我的 iPhone 发送，使用 Tapatalk

You didn't answer the question about why you feel your existing equipment doesn't work for what you need.
Until I could articulate that, I'd save my money.
For example, my old fairly low spec body would do most things many stock photographers ever need; but I often work in low light, so I need a camera which gives reasonable to good quality at high ISOs. (And with microstock the way it is, I'm holding at this level, and not upgrading to the 'new, improved' models.)

Difydave · « **Reply #21 on:** August 19, 2015, 06:23 »

Quote from: enddevil on August 19, 2015, 05:14

In fact I was doing keywording works in a studio and now I quit and start my own career

Well that's hardly a good grounding for starting as a photographer, but good luck with it.

Quote from: enddevil on August 19, 2015, 05:16

Thanks all of you for kind suggestion and I'm looking for second hand Nikon 5D2. Is it a good choice?

Good luck with finding a Nikon 5D2. They're rare!

It really isn't as easy as getting a better camera. If you have already been accepted to agencies, you already have the means to make money, as your gear is good enough.
Make some money first with the gear you've got, and by that time you'll know what gear you need.

Stickystock · « **Reply #22 on:** August 19, 2015, 10:52 »

You can buy a new camera and a 35 or 50mm lens with that budget. Nikon d610 with 35 mm would be my choiche if I had to start from zero with that budget.

Good luck

StanRohrer · « **Reply #23 on:** August 19, 2015, 11:22 »

First define your customer. What is required to keep your customer happy (and therefor money coming in). A customer requirement includes technical quality of the equipment and the skill set to produce your style of images. Sometimes, but not always, a higher skill set can overcome some technology deficiency. Sometimes, but not always, the technology can overcome skill deficiency. But in all cases you only spend what is needed to satisfy your customers.

Shooting a picture of a baby for his/her mother is very different than soup cans for a grocery store circular, and very different than a nighttime football game for the newspaper. Even if the customer is only yourself at the beginning, you need to determine some intended result and that will guide equipment and skills selection.

Symbiostock Official · « **Reply #24 on:** August 19, 2015, 11:52 »

A Canon 5D2 is an excellent choice.

You can get a used one for approximately $1k, and you can get a brand new tamron 24-70 for approximately $800. Trust me - with those two, you can take some incredible shots just about anywhere. Indoor, outdoor, landscape. You can even take high quality video for stock footage.

The lens will not depreciate much, if any, over time, and the 5D2 is a proven machine.

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Author Topic: Newbie start to be photographer, any suggestion on camera and lens? (Read 6267 times)

enddevil

MichaelJayFoto

Pauws99

cobalt

ShadySue

Perry

Pauws99

Perry

Digital66

marthamarks

Difydave

sgoodwin4813

Sean Locke Photography

Difydave

dbvirago

Rose Tinted Glasses

Symbiostock Official

JPSDK

enddevil

enddevil

ShadySue

Difydave

Stickystock

StanRohrer

Symbiostock Official

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