Changing Attitudes --- New Priorities

[Belmondo]

My recent trip to Reno for the Hot August Nights custom cars show was an eye-opener in several respects. I learned a lot about my abilities and limitations, and changed my mind on at least one fundamental position I've taken over the last couple years.

At the onset, I should mention that I own a lot of equipment. I always travel with it because I never seem to know what I’m going to need, and I'm always a little uneasy leaving it in an unattended house. This is not intended as a boast of any kind; it is a testimonial to the fact that when you don't know where you're going, any road looks like it will get you there, and so it has been with my camera/lens purchases. Just as I always believed an expensive pen would improve my handwriting, so too have I succumbed to the temptation to buy more expensive photo gear in hopes that it will improve my photography skills. Needless to say, my penmanship is still indecipherable, and my camera skills are ---- well, let’s just say I still have much to learn.

Two things in particular that I did decide in Reno:
1. When the temperature is approaching 100 degrees, you don’t want to drag a 30-pound backpack around just so you can have a comprehensive assortment of lenses with you. I ended up taking almost all my shots with the 24-70 f/2.8L. Near the end of the day, I switched to the 16-35L for a few shots, but mainly as justification for having carried it around all day. We’re now in the market for something smaller than my Mini-Trekker---something that will carry one or two extra lenses, a spare battery, a few little ‘essentials’, and a bottle of water. Not having the perfect zoom really means a little more walking backwards and forwards, which is a small price to pay for not carrying every doggone lens I own.
2. Even 1-gig CF cards will eventually run out of room, and usually at a time when it’s most inconvenient. I had that happen twice this weekend, and I decided to bite the bullet and buy a 4-gig microdrive. I’m guessing it will be a rare day when I shoot more than 360 RAW images in the Mk II. This is something I’ve resisted trying ever since learning that such things existed. I’ve always believed that anything with moving/spinning parts is far more likely to go bad. I’ve since heard enough positive statements (mainly in this forum) to convince me that the only thing I really have to avoid is dropping it. Since it will likely be in my camera if I do drop it, the microdrive will be the least of my worries.

Anyway, that’s my preamble. The question I would like to hear answers to is the following: What old prejudices have you set aside as you’ve become more experienced in photography? What is the single biggest change you’ve made in how you work? What is the biggest compromise you’ve made (besides financial) ?
I’m just kinda’ curious.

[Lamplight]

I used to wonder why someone would want a telephoto prime lens (like 200mm and up), but I have discovered that I almost never use my zoom lens at anything less than 300mm, so I can see I was foolish in my previous assumptions. :oops: Of course, I still can't afford any of those nice primes. :(

[RichardtheSane]

What old prejudices have I set aside...?

Quite a large one actually

I was convinced that I would never be happy with the quality of digital compared with film. I never believed that digital could achieve the same feel as film.

But I was wrong. I have had to learn quite a lot since then about digital, things to be aware of and ways to capture more details on the digital sensor. I have also managed to take shots that have the 'feel' i though could only be achieved with film through creative use of white balance and tonal correction (in C1)

So I have proved myself wrong, because 18 months ago I was prejudiced against digital.

[Scottes]

I still have no idea what I'm doing. Some stuff seems to turn out OK, luckily.

But I've been getting to feel like I might have an idea, but only some of the time. If I stop and think then the thought goes one of two ways - either I recognize what I did wrong, or I recognize what I did right.

So I've decided to try to do more thinking about what I'm doing.

I am beginning to slow down. I guess. And in a few short weeks it seems to have made an improvement.

At the very least it has made an improvement in my thinking.

[CyberDyneSystems]

It's funny.. recently I had "unlearned" some rather important things.. I think it may have been making the switch from 10D to 1D... a loss of comfort level...

SO I stopped shooting in "M" for some time relying instead on AV about 95% of the time.

The trouble with either of the priority modes is your reliance on the cameras meter....

There are times when no metering mode will solve your problems... as the only compromise that will give you the results you need is a compromise the camera would never make on it's own.

I was at the top of a 400 foot cliff in Newfoundland.. the fog that had limited vision to about 20feet was gone and the sun shown full on the backs of the gannets.. which are white.

The ONLY solution that would consistently get me the best exposure (or the best compromise as the dynamic range from whitest white to dark rocks of the cliffs was faaar too large) ..was a fully manual setting of 1/1000 @ f/4.5 (sorry don't recall the ISO which of course makes all the difference to the equation)

Anyways.. suddenly I was shooting in "M" again with the MkII now, and I have been much more flexible in getting the shot without blowing out an Egrets wings (especally when Scott reminds me to increase shutter speeds to reduce blowout) :roll:

Bottom line.. all the gadjets and bells and whistles do not compare to knowing how to set things yourself.

By all means.. get the electronic oscillation overthruster installed... and shoot in "P" if you have no clue.. but take that time in "P" to find out what the "A" and "TV" do....

Soon you'll be telling your camera what to do instead of the other way around.

[ilya]

I learned that capturing emotion and telling a story is much more important - and considerably harder - then a technically pleasing, sharp and contrasty snapshot.

Said another way, anyone with an expensive lense can learn in short order to take a boring but snappy photo with nice bokeh.

So that's what I've been working on - albeit infrequently these days.

[wintoid]

Actually my answer to all 3 of your questions is one subject.

I'm using a 300D now, but I've really started to miss my old Canon G1. I took better composed photos with the G1, because I didn't ever use the viewfinder, only the swivel-out screen. My prejudice was that an SLR would be better in every way (it isn't). I've had to learn to compose my images through a (frankly horrible) viewfinder. My compromise was to do without the G1 screen in order to get the better control of the 300D.

I'm not going back though :D

[JZaun]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I always wanted a small do it all camera!!!

What I learned :)

A one lens, P&S camera just won't do the job :lol: :lol: :lol:

God what I would give for a 24-500 zoom with 1:1 macro that weighed less than 1 lb and was only 5 inches long :D :D :D


JZ

[Tom W]

I'm still learning (when I'm not arguing politics :) ).
Most recently, I've learned that the 17-40 is really a great carry lens on the 10D.

ISO 1600 is very usable on the 10D

I don't think that I need a real fast wide prime (20 f/1.8 ) as much as I thought I might.

One can never have enough camera bags.

[eric1]

i've learned to "see" the final shot before i put the camera to my eye. i'm often thinking, how is my photo going to evoke an emotion, or a paticular response? i usually fail, but i keep trying. :lol: i keep repeating compo compo, or angles angles.

[timmyquest]

i've learned to "see" the final shot before i put the camera to my eye. i'm often thinking, how is my photo going to evoke an emotion, or a paticular response? i usually fail, but i keep trying. :lol: i keep repeating compo compo, or angles angles.

Thats my biggest changes lately.

[Jesper]

Recently I've been noticing in my photos that I often crop too tightly, especially when I'm using my telezoom lens. I'm filling the entire frame with the subject, and when I'm looking at the photo afterwards on the computer I realize that it would have been a better photo if I would have zoomed out a bit and included some of the environment of the subject.

I was also reading a book about composition last weekend. The book contains chapters about different kinds of lenses: wide angle, normal and tele lenses and shows how you can make interesting shots with each kind of lens. What I found especially interesting was that by taking an unusual point of view, for example by laying down on the ground, you can often make much more interesting photos than at eye level.

Also Belmondo, I recognise what you're saying. I now have five Canon EF lenses and I don't want to carry all of them plus other stuff everywhere I go. Before I go out to shoot, I have to think which lenses I'm taking with me...

[PacAce]

See, Tom, if you had only gone with us to Montreal for GCPS last June, you would have learned the same lesson but you wouldn't have been dying under the hot desert sun learning it. :mrgreen:

Trust me, you don't want another camera bag. What you need is....now listen up and pay close attention...a photo...VEST! :D

Yup, I used to think I'd look like a dork wearing one of those things around. :? But after GCPS and Molson Indy Toronto, I'm a true convert. It's got enough pockets for just about anything you might need for a day's shoot.

And you ain't kidding about not having enough CF cards. I carry two 1 GB card, two 512 MB cards and one 256 MB cards and I at times I still run out of CF cards. That's why I also have my laptop in the car, just in case.

[Scottes]

I have to strongly agree with Leo. I *love* my vest. I never carry a bag anywhere anymore. Either I have the vest, or the bare minimum - I carry the lens, camera and pod, with a CirPol, battery, CF, and X-Drive in my pocket.

If I carry the camera, the vest holds *everything* that otherwise stays in my LowePro OmniTrekker - which is *not* a small bag. I save about 8 pounds, and the weight is distributed and much more comfortable than a bag over a shoulder.

I love my vest.

[PacAce]

I have to strongly agree with Leo. I *love* my vest. I never carry a bag anywhere anymore. Either I have the vest, or the bare minimum - I carry the lens, camera and pod, with a CirPol, battery, CF, and X-Drive in my pocket.

If I carry the camera, the vest holds *everything* that otherwise stays in my LowePro OmniTrekker - which is *not* a small bag. I save about 8 pounds, and the weight is distributed and much more comfortable than a bag over a shoulder.

I love my vest.

But we should warn you. Vests are worse than dryers when it comes to articles going in but never coming out. I think IanD is still looking for that 100mm macro he put in one of the vest pockets at GCPS. But, while looking for the lens, he did find his ham sandwich from late last winter when he went out shooting deer. :mrgreen: :lol:

[Belmondo]

D'ya suppose he wears it on fishing trips, too?

[PacAce]

D'ya suppose he wears it on fishing trips, too?

That's fer sure! He'll have more than enough pockets to keep his catches in. But hopefully he'll take good notes on which pockets he put the catches in. Otherwise he may "lose" a couple of them and it not going to smell too good after a couple of days. :mrgreen:

[Belmondo]

Leo:

Let's hope he keeps it all straight. I don't want to think about him filleting a 100mm macro lens while screwing a fish into his 10D.

[robertwgross]

Ahh, that Belmondo. Always the philosopher.

---Bob Gross---

[CoolToolGuy]

D'ya suppose he wears it on fishing trips, too?

Especially when he needs a fisheye... :wink:

Have Fun,