Need help/advice

We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not the violin, it’s the violinist”. How true is that? I am fairly new to photography and I have a Canon EOS Rebel XS and use Tamron lenses. I edit my photos in Canon DPP and/or Picasa 3. I shoot with a tripod/monopod whenever practical and use a corded shutter release. No matter what I do, I can’t get my photos to look anywhere near professional. Do I need more practice, I am limited by my equipment/software , did I reach my potential? Am I able to achieve top quality with what I have or should I wait to invest in better gear?

I would like to start my own business on the side doing portraits, freelance and just about anything else except weddings. I have no interest in weddings. I have done some stuff for family and friends and they all said my pictures look great but I know the truth. They don’t look at them the same way as you and I and don’t want to offend a family member. The problem is, I am a working man with a family to support and can’t afford to go out and buy everything I need at the moment. Any help, advice and/or money would be greatly appreciated. Thanx,
Sean

I'm biased but I'll say your best bet is to take some lessons. Equipment is not the answer.

reelfinatic wrote in post #8819535
We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not the violin, it’s the violinist”. How true is that? I am fairly new to photography and I have a Canon EOS Rebel XS and use Tamron lenses. I edit my photos in Canon DPP and/or Picasa 3. I shoot with a tripod/monopod whenever practical and use a corded shutter release. No matter what I do, I can’t get my photos to look anywhere near professional. Do I need more practice, I am limited by my equipment/software , did I reach my potential? Am I able to achieve top quality with what I have or should I wait to invest in better gear?

I would like to start my own business on the side doing portraits, freelance and just about anything else except weddings. I have no interest in weddings. I have done some stuff for family and friends and they all said my pictures look great but I know the truth. They don’t look at them the same way as you and I and don’t want to offend a family member. The problem is, I am a working man with a family to support and can’t afford to go out and buy everything I need at the moment. Any help, advice and/or money would be greatly appreciated. Thanx,
Sean

I'd say more practice and study would be the most important factors. Have you looked at the Photosharing section of POTN (especially "People" https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdis​play.php?f=26), and read through some of the discussion threads, such as https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdis​play.php?f=111? For portraits, lighting is critical. Have you done any research into studio lighting or looked at the POTN lighting section https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdis​play.php?f=35? Those would be some really good places to start for learning how to get a more "professional" look, at least for portrait photography.

If you can not get what you want with the equipment you describe, it is not the equipment's fault, and you can't buy a solution.

Limited gear will limit only the speed and flexibility of your pictures, not their "quality". There will be situations in which your equipment limitations will be obvious, but from what you describe, I don't think those limitations should appear during portrait sessions.

Think light. Always think lighting. My first reaction to comments such as yours is that it is most likely that the photographer is just not paying enough attention to the ambient lighting, or to providing needed artificial lighting to get the kinds of images he wants. Most of the time you are awed by a photograph, the lighting is 90% of that effect.

I would say there is some truth in the quote,

I've gone from my dads 450D + kit, to buying a 24-105 for it and now the 7D.
Going from the kit lens to the 24-105 there is a improvemnet in using the lens wide open.

However overall I would say quality hasn't changed drastically but the proccess of capturing the image has become smoother and easier.

So using the qoute it may be the Violinist and not the Violin but the violin might make it that bit more confortable and fun to produce the music.

Thanx for the replies. I did set up a make shift studio in my dinning room (the wife is not too happy)with some work lights. Like I said I can't afford to buy anything right now. I do however have an umbrella and reflector which I also used. When I get home I will post of few still life pics I took.

Can't afford to buy anything may or may not be a problem. We have a photographer here locally who specializes in newborns and children, although she does other subjects as well. She has no studio. Everything is done at the clients home or another convenient setting. She has a flash unit and a few reflectors. Often she uses only natural light and a reflector.

So, you don't need a bunch of stuff. It all depends on what you want to do.

Perhaps posting some examples would be beneficial ... sometimes it's easy to see whether it's the equipment, your photographic technique or your post-processing which is letting you down ...

In the majority of cases, the equipment is not to blame ... *insert quote about a professional using a P&S producing better images than a noob with a 1D3*

My 2p


David

Yes, it's about technique not technology....so post pix on the forum of the subject (landscape, people, sports...see the forum listed in the jump window below) and you'll get a lot of advice...

The best solution is to go into debt to buy the new equipment, and see if it will make you a better photographer.

If that thought evokes even the slightest twinge or makes you suspect that I am being facetious, then clearly you already know the answer to the question you posed and you should go in a different direction. It's called learning, whether by self-education or otherwise. That includes knowing the capabilities and limitations of your equipment; understanding light and its influence on photos; understanding the effects of light and dark and color and monotone; knowing rules of portraiture and subject framing; etc., etc., etc.

But imagine that virtuoso with a top of the line violin?

form wrote in post #8826436
The best solution is to go into debt to buy the new equipment, and see if it will make you a better photographer.

If that thought evokes even the slightest twinge or makes you suspect that I am being facetious, then clearly you already know the answer to the question you posed and you should go in a different direction. It's called learning, whether by self-education or otherwise. That includes knowing the capabilities and limitations of your equipment; understanding light and its influence on photos; understanding the effects of light and dark and color and monotone; knowing rules of portraiture and subject framing; etc., etc., etc.

I am reminded of the person who started posting here about a year ago. What equipment to buy and all of that. He wanted to go into business. After a dozen threads he bought a 1DIII, strobe lighting(not the cheap stuff), L lenses, and a whole bunch of other toys. Posted three or four pictures that were OK for a beginner. Got disappointed. Then sold it all this summer on the sell forum for a fraction of what he bought it for.

I'm glad some people have that kind of money to spend. My wife would take a drill to my head if I did that.

I vote for the middle ground. I think your equipment is fine to start with. Learn it and learn it well. Keep shooting, find a mentor if you can. That having been said. I'd try to get photoshop, or photoshop elements or lightroom. Sometimes, just a little tweaking in Post Processing can make the difference between okay and wow.

Again, thank you for the advice/input. And like HoosierJoe said, my wife would do the same if I went out and got everything at once. I will keep shooting and post now and again.

shoot manual and try practicing with primes (?)
that helped me a lot.
Now i get too lazy to change around shutter speed all the time i go into the shade and out
so I just leave it on aperture priority but you get the point haha