Need Guidance Please!

[EOS timmy]

Story-

I am 20 years old and I own a Canon Rebel XT. I bought my camera with the intent to take some pictures of my friends cars and my own. I have always had a itch to pick up a camera and start taking pictures and enjoy looking on flickr for ideas, but I have pro experience ....Ok here is where it gets interesting.

I just recently started an internship in the government for a communications department. The first day I was here they show me around the office and introduce me to what I would actually be doing, which was to check grammer on papers, memos, speaches...ect. Well when I walked into the office there was a Nikon D80 and of course I opened my mouth saying "I like the camera!" They looked at me with a suprised look, then told me to take the camera and cover one of the "Higher up" members of the office speaches. First time taking pictures dealing with a speaker and all of that jazz. I walked into a room with 4 or 5 tv cameras and at least 20 photographers...not to mention the D80 I had no idea how to use. Well I got back to the office with somewhat good pictures and then the Broadcaster in my office showed me the other photography toys of the office. We have 2 Nikon D80's and a Nikon D90 with Sb-900 flash and a lot of lighting equitment.

Since the first day I have read "Nikon D90 by Corey Hilz" and have taken some time to try and learn the camera. The Help that I really need is that they want to take me on as a part time employee, which means I need advise from the pro's. It is a government Job and they will pay for training. My questions to the canon forum include:

1. What training should I be looking at to help me learn as much as I can about photography. I have done some research in the government USDA training section and they have classes which involve:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Photography Introduction

2. I have been playing with the D90 and as I begin to love it more and more, is canon a better product? I do feel bad leaving Canon for a Nikon, but is there a reason I should stick with Canon?

3. What, if any, advise do you people have for me? Im interested to hear what other people think of this crazy lucky situation im in.

Thanks in advance
Tim G.

[bwolford]

Good luck as a grammar checker. Thank goodness spelling and punctuation aren't in our job description.

[dbdigitals]

My answers are this

1) Any training is good training.
Learn everything you can from whomever can teach you... so take the classes they offer and go from there (if you can afford it, you could also take classes at a local Community College etc. to help beef up your education)

2) There is no "better product" as both Nikon and Canon produce good cameras. The idea that one is a better choice is very subjective. If you will be using the D80/D90 at your job then it is a good idea to get VERY familiar with Nikon's menu system and with the camera's themselves.
This does not mean you need to stop using Canon or feel bad for using another brand.

3) Learn, Learn, Learn and take a ton of photographs when you aren't working so that when you are you produce good pictures that will eventually get you hired on full time.

My 0.000000000002¢

Good luck

D.

[EOS timmy]

Thanks D.

[snails]

Story-

I am 20 years old and I own a Canon Rebel XT. I bought my camera with the intent to take some pictures of my friends cars and my own. I have always had a itch to pick up a camera and start taking pictures and enjoy looking on flickr for ideas, but I have pro experience ....Ok here is where it gets interesting.

I just recently started an internship in the government for a communications department. The first day I was here they show me around the office and introduce me to what I would actually be doing, which was to check grammer on papers, memos, speaches...ect. Well when I walked into the office there was a Nikon D80 and of course I opened my mouth saying "I like the camera!" They looked at me with a suprised look, then told me to take the camera and cover one of the "Higher up" members of the office speaches. First time taking pictures dealing with a speaker and all of that jazz. I walked into a room with 4 or 5 tv cameras and at least 20 photographers...not to mention the D80 I had no idea how to use. Well I got back to the office with somewhat good pictures and then the Broadcaster in my office showed me the other photography toys of the office. We have 2 Nikon D80's and a Nikon D90 with Sb-900 flash and a lot of lighting equitment.

Since the first day I have read "Nikon D90 by Corey Hilz" and have taken some time to try and learn the camera. The Help that I really need is that they want to take me on as a part time employee, which means I need advise from the pro's. It is a government Job and they will pay for training. My questions to the canon forum include:

1. What training should I be looking at to help me learn as much as I can about photography. I have done some research in the government USDA training section and they have classes which involve:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Photography Introduction

2. I have been playing with the D90 and as I begin to love it more and more, is canon a better product? I do feel bad leaving Canon for a Nikon, but is there a reason I should stick with Canon?

3. What, if any, advise do you people have for me? Im interested to hear what other people think of this crazy lucky situation im in.

Thanks in advance
Tim G.

Shenanigans.

[EOS timmy]

My typing skills and casual forum chat is not good enough for you eh? Sorry that I dont care.

[Lightworks Imaging]

Simple irony. :) Good luck with the new job. I'm sure that you actually spell correctly and use punctuation and capitalization while working professionally. Maybe even use spell check. But, I digress...

As, to the photography thoughts, awesome luck. I wish I got breaks like that. Silly me, I read as much literature as I can get my hands on, continue to go to school, attend workshops and shoot 20,000 frames a year with both of my camera bodies. And I only get $1,500 a wedding.

If I was looking to learn, I'd shoot everything that moved and didn't move. I'd read these books: Understanding Exposure, and Learning To See Creatively by Bryan Peterson. Photoshop books can help, but I learned the little I know, by DOING it. I edit thousands of photos. I'm better than I was. Hang around here. Read the posts. Shoot more. Post more. Ask for critique and follow the guidance of the excellent shooters that frequent here. If you spend time on this forum, you'll see who knows what they're talking about, and who's blowing smoke.

See what the government will pay for as far as a class or two. Possibly intern in another department. Maybe a college education will be given to you! Who knows? :lol:

Good Luck. Welcome to POTN.

IF I was using a Nikon for work, I'd consider getting one of them, simply to become better acquainted with the system. There are idiosyncrasies to both systems. not that one is better than the other, I personally prefer Canon bodies and lenses, but Nikon seems to have a more intuitive flash system. Always remember, "It's the Indian, not the arrow."

[EOS timmy]

Thanks Lightworks!

[Alleh]

Read understanding exposure along side the camera manuals. Canon or Nikon? Who cares. It's not the camera the takes a good photograph anyway. I would also start back reading the entire www.strobist.com blog and following lighting 101 and 102. Then just keep on reading and practicing.

[bwolford]

You see Timmy, the impressions you make in everything you do will stick with you. If you want to be a professional do it in everything you do in regard to the profession. The casual nature of your attention to detail in your post reflect on you as a professional asking questions about furthering your craft, it's as simple as that.