An Aspiring Photographer!

[Persian-Rice]

Hi there guys,

I would like to begin by saying that I have been browsing these boards silently for several months and trying to learn more about photography. You can say I’m coming out of the closet now, so here goes my story and well aspiration.

I’m a 20 turning 21 in May, High school graduate from Toronto, Ontario. Over the last 2-3 years I have been working and looking for something that would catch my interest career wise. Over the last year, I have taken on quite a serious interest in photography and pictures in general. Just to explain…I have been collecting high resolution sports photographs from several websites and am coming on a total collection of 40,000………..I even umm……...lets say bent the truth and got an account with gettyimages, so I can just look for pleasure.

I really think that I have come across something that I truly love doing. I purchased a Canon Powershot 75, stop laughing :), and over the last month I have been testing my hand at photography. I really enjoy it, I have been taking over 1000 photo’s a week. Working with all the manual functions has really let me produce some interesting photo’s, mostly of my dog and things I own :).

Anyway, I have been looking for college’s that have good programs for this field etc etc.

I also want to invest in a beginner/intermediate DSLR. So far, I like the Canon D10 or Nikon D70. I have 1200 CDN saved up, so I’m not too far away. I also purchased tickets to the Canadian GP in June, so I can take some pictures DSLR or not.

Anyway, I posted this asking for tips for an aspiring photographer. Do you guys know any good college’s in the Toronto vicinity good for schooling? Where should I get started? What do I need? Any tips on shooting the F1 race what to expect of lighting and speeds? is flash allowed at these events? etc etc etc so much to ask…………..

I would like to stay within the sports, mostly motor sports/hockey area, but I would love to do any kind of photography possible.

I would like to thank everyone in advance for any suggestions and/or pointers. Searching the net, I really feel that this is one of the best places around when it comes to being among true pro’s and mature folks involved in photography.

[IndyJeff]

I have been collecting high resolution sports photographs from several websites and am coming on a total collection of 40,000………..

I am assuming you took these legally?

[Persian-Rice]

I have been collecting high resolution sports photographs from several websites and am coming on a total collection of 40,000………..

I am assuming you took these legally?

Yes sir, I contected all my sources by phone or email, and they all said it was fine as long as I didnnt start handing them out or selling them.......

I like using these to see how the guys take their shots etc etc but mostly just for the hell of looking at them.

BTW, any suggestions on my camera choice? I have been to several places, but the thing is that I spoke to salesmen..........well...........when its a salesman, no camera has any flaw if you know what I mean. :)

[PhotosGuy]

I really enjoy it, I have been taking over 1000 photo’s a week. Working with all the manual functions has really let me produce some interesting photo’s, mostly of my dog and things I own
You've already made a good start by taking a lot of pics , especially on manual. Take more.
All equipment has limitations. Learn to get interesting pics despite them. Post a few in the forum & let us see how you're doing.

Do you guys know any good college’s in the Toronto vicinity good for schooling?
No, but where ever you go, be sure to take some business courses!

My route into photography was to get a B. Sci in Chemistry & Biology. I've never used it formally. After college I hired on as an assistant to a commercial studio & learned more there, & faster in 6 months, than I'm sure I would have learned at a 'real' photo school.
I'm not saying that a school wouldn't be good for you, just that there's no one true path. Think about it & find yours.
Good luck.

[G3]

I really enjoy it, I have been taking over 1000 photo’s a week. Working with all the manual functions has really let me produce some interesting photo’s, mostly of my dog and things I own
You've already made a good start by taking a lot of pics , especially on manual. Take more.
All equipment has limitations. Learn to get interesting pics despite them. Post a few in the forum & let us see how you're doing.

Do you guys know any good college’s in the Toronto vicinity good for schooling?
No, but where ever you go, be sure to take some business courses!

My route into photography was to get a B. Sci in Chemistry & Biology. I've never used it formally. After college I hired on as an assistant to a commercial studio & learned more there, & faster in 6 months, than I'm sure I would have learned at a 'real' photo school.
I'm not saying that a school wouldn't be good for you, just that there's no one true path. Think about it & find yours.
Good luck.

Frank....dude...What a coincidence! My BS is in Biology and Zoology....I did use the degree (or at least the knowledge :)) professionally though. It was a long road from there to Photography, although I did study Photography in college too.

Anyway, back to the question at hand....

Making photographs, and lots of them, may be the most important thing you can do as far as learning the skills. You do need to keep notes, though. Make notes of the shots you take regarding lighting conditions, exposure info, etc. Go back through the images and compare them to your notes and see what works best under a certain set of conditions. Believe it or not, some of that information will stick to your brain. Get other people's opinions of your photos and try new ways of doing things. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to start doing things by habit. Then your photos will all start to look the same. When you start to take a shot, be thinking of other ways you could do it. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Post your pictures on here and let us pick them apart. Don't take any comments personally or let them hurt your feelings. There will be valid information in them that you can use to improve your skills.

Frank brought up a very important point, too...and one that's too often overlooked. Learn how to run a business. That's what you'll be doing. I've seen too many talented people fail, not just in photography but in many fields, because they had no idea how to run their business.

It gets tough sometimes. The key thing to remember is that if you keep trying you might just get there. If you give up, it's a cinch you won't.

[PhotosGuy]

G3:
Frank....dude...What a coincidence! My BS is in Biology and Zoology....I did use the degree (or at least the knowledge Smile) professionally though.
Small world, init? I found some use for the Chem as it related to film & paper processing, but that was the extent of it.

It was a long road from there to Photography, although I did study Photography in college too.
My school offered one class. Not much help there as I'd already gone beyond that point on my own. I tried a few art classes, but they were way too "Arty" for me! :wink:

Persian-Rice: There's a TON of excellent stuff on the I-net. Take a look at these links:

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=38&pq-locale=en_US

http://photos.msn.com/
Photo basics:
http://photos.msn.com/department/photobasics.aspx
Understanding Exposure - A Complex Subject Made Simple for Beginners
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understandexposure.shtml

Excellent Camera lessons: Resolution, White Balance, Depth of Field (Focus), & more.
http://www.webphotoschool.com/ir/
White balance - good article
http://www.webphotoschool.com/newschool/freelessons/lessons/d560wbIn/index.html
Using the Kodak Gray Card to determine a 'starting' exposure:
http://www.rogercavanagh.com/helpinfo/29_graycard.htm

Being "in The Moment"
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/telling.shtml

I took the pic. What do I do now?
Instant Photoshop - A Fast-Start Introduction to Photoshop For Photographers
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/instant_photoshop.shtml
Understanding DSLR Workflow
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/digital-workflow.shtml
A Digital Workflow Primer
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/techniques/process.shtml
An Image Processing Workflow - Step-by-Step Processing of Photographs using Photoshop
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/workflow1.shtml

ANd, there's:
Photoshop techniques: (If you work through them all, you'll probably know more about the program than I do!)
http://www.arraich.com/ps_intro.htm
Down the page there's three on Combining images:
http://www.arraich.com/ps6_tips_combine1.htm

That should keep you busy for awhile! :lol:

[Myrmecos]

I'm by no means a professional, but I do make some money on the side from my images. My professional training in biology and entomology has been essential to my photography. To the extent that the sort of photography you wish to do depends on knowledge of your subject, you can be well served by studying something other than photography.

Myrmecos
www.myrmecos.net

[Persian-Rice]

Thanks for the great responses so far guys. Here are some images I took in the last little while.

As for business, yes I was planning on taking that. Business runs in the family though. My father, who I have not spoken to for a long time, owns a Coka-cola plant, my mother until recently owned 3 "Tim Horton’s" stores..........my brother is a business lawyer......... you get the drift.

Anyway, enough about my family. I am an artist (drawings & graphic design) so criticism is something I really enjoy. :D

I work a lot of hours, so sorry for the late response.

Notes:
-The Nike shoe was taken with lighting from a table lamp.
-The Diesel shoe was taken after reading some articles, also taken with the same lamp. Modified with tin foil, you guys should have seen my brothers face when he saw it, he thinks I’m going crazy.
-That’s me dag, I took it in the spur of the moment, no time to set anything up, I took it in B&W then added a filter later on.
-Water effect, taken in the sink..............
-The shoes are unedited.

These are all experimental, hence the ghetto ness, before I get the SLR I think I’m going to invest in some lighting equipment as well as two tripods.

BTW does anyone else get tons of DNS errors when surfing this site?

http://servx.no-ip.com/~navid/IMG_0314.jpg
http://servx.no-ip.com/~navid/IMG_0569.jpg
http://servx.no-ip.com/~navid/IMG_0786.jpg
http://servx.no-ip.com/~navid/IMG_1044.jpg