HPTI (Hyper Photo-taking Individual)
Okay so I'm not a real professional photographer and neither would I call myself a photographer. I prefer to call myself a Hyper Photo-taking individual (HPTI for short).
The first time I held a DSLR was in College when we had to do an assignment, I can't remember what the assignment was about but we had to take pictures of our classmates. I made an excuse that I was going to need a camera for school. It turned out not to be an excuse because I used it for other projects that year.
I wasn't sure which one to get, I knew it had to be a Canon because it's what we used in school. I did research, asked a few friends and checked the daily flyer for deals. I was looking for a DSLR that could take decent photos and good video because the video part I was going to need more for school. I didn't want anything too expensive or to difficult to figure out.
So after a long debate and commuting between Best Buy and Future Shop (R.I.P), I bought the Canon Rebel T3i at Best Buy! It came with the starter lens and two batteries, all the works! I was so excited and took it with me everywhere! I took one of my favourite photos with it:
I'm not going to lie, I did get caught up with people upgrading their cameras and all this other stuff and felt that I need to do that too which I do believe was a mistake. I should have taken more time to figure the controls and how to properly use it and listen to the great advice everyone was giving me: As much as the body controls the lens, the lens is more important.
I ended upgraded to the Canon 60D which was also another good camera for video and photo and I LOVE it! I've had it now for little over 2 years and couldn't ask for a better camera! It was a little more professional than the T3i but nothing too hard to figure out. It wasn't until later that I found myself liking more of the photo aspect of it than the video and started to build up by equipment so I am going to tell you what I have and what I think:
1. A Canon Speedlite 430EX Flash, I've heard that Flash photographer is the hardest to do even for professionals so you can just imagine an amateur like me! It's a good flash and will do the job to fill in harsh shadows but it is not as powerful (bright) or as fast as the 430EX II. It has to work even harder if not bounced off a white surface which means more battery being used.
2. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L - Yes! THE 24-105mm red ring lens! I absolutely LOVE! I haven't used any other red ring lens but I'm sure this will be my favourite. Great for portraits and landscapes, just a perfect overall lens. BUT it does have an aperture of f/4 which means if you're using it inside with not a lot of light, your in trouble also its not big on "bokeh" but it'll give you just enough. Also...It's kinda heavy.
3. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, I just got this one recently and I also LOVE IT! It's a perfect focal length and creates BEAUTIFUL BOKEH! It's light, reliable, good to use in low light without too much ISO. There is just one thing! For me, it takes too long to focus and when it does it's not on what I want it to.
These are my stuff and I have gone through a wedding, as an assistant and a Prom shoot together. It doesn't seem like much but I'm pretty proud. I don't know if anyone has notice but the 24-205mm works better on a full-frame camera not a crop which is mine. That means that the focal length isn't 24-105, it's smaller.
In the future I hope to purchase a full-frame camera (hopefully a Canon 5D Mark III) but they are HELLA expensive! I also hope to get the new 50mm f/1.8 II STM which is quieter when shooting video and should be better at focusing or the f/1.4 and maybe one more red ring lens. I heard that the 135mm f/2 L the best and affordable so I want to give it a try.
Like I said, I'm not a pro photographer but these are tips that have helped me and hope it helps for you too:
1. Relax, think about the type of picture you want to take and what you want it to look like. Make sure your settings make sense, shoot in RAW if at all possible and make sure the background is clean, I still have trouble with that. Think of your camera as a film camera where you can only take one picture and you can't delete.
2. Don't delete all your pictures on site. You never know when one might work or you might get a candid shot
3. Just have fun! It's cliché but a very true one. If you don't have fun then why are you doing this?
4. And this is my own: take pictures of everything and anything. No matter how dull the subject may seem...look at it from a different angle, find the beauty in it and make it happen.
Those are the tips, hope they help and I hope if you're a starter like me, just have fun! It's all you can do and don't sell yourself short! You do amazing work!
Instagram - Link to my instagram account
Flickr - Link to my Flickr account
If you want to see more of my photos
Summer has started and School is out! Which means more shifts at work. More work means more money, more money means more books!! I just bought two recently and will reveal when I do my next book review on Isla and the Happily Ever After (I know it's taking me forever! But trust, it's a good book!)
Sorry for the long post, hope you enjoyed it and please comment and even post your pictures!
The first time I held a DSLR was in College when we had to do an assignment, I can't remember what the assignment was about but we had to take pictures of our classmates. I made an excuse that I was going to need a camera for school. It turned out not to be an excuse because I used it for other projects that year.
I wasn't sure which one to get, I knew it had to be a Canon because it's what we used in school. I did research, asked a few friends and checked the daily flyer for deals. I was looking for a DSLR that could take decent photos and good video because the video part I was going to need more for school. I didn't want anything too expensive or to difficult to figure out.
So after a long debate and commuting between Best Buy and Future Shop (R.I.P), I bought the Canon Rebel T3i at Best Buy! It came with the starter lens and two batteries, all the works! I was so excited and took it with me everywhere! I took one of my favourite photos with it:
 |
| Wishes Are Children - Taken with Canon T3i |
 |
| Wade (my Mac) with my then Canon T3i |
1. A Canon Speedlite 430EX Flash, I've heard that Flash photographer is the hardest to do even for professionals so you can just imagine an amateur like me! It's a good flash and will do the job to fill in harsh shadows but it is not as powerful (bright) or as fast as the 430EX II. It has to work even harder if not bounced off a white surface which means more battery being used.
2. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L - Yes! THE 24-105mm red ring lens! I absolutely LOVE! I haven't used any other red ring lens but I'm sure this will be my favourite. Great for portraits and landscapes, just a perfect overall lens. BUT it does have an aperture of f/4 which means if you're using it inside with not a lot of light, your in trouble also its not big on "bokeh" but it'll give you just enough. Also...It's kinda heavy.
3. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, I just got this one recently and I also LOVE IT! It's a perfect focal length and creates BEAUTIFUL BOKEH! It's light, reliable, good to use in low light without too much ISO. There is just one thing! For me, it takes too long to focus and when it does it's not on what I want it to.
These are my stuff and I have gone through a wedding, as an assistant and a Prom shoot together. It doesn't seem like much but I'm pretty proud. I don't know if anyone has notice but the 24-205mm works better on a full-frame camera not a crop which is mine. That means that the focal length isn't 24-105, it's smaller.
 |
| Taken with my 50mm f1.8 lens |
Like I said, I'm not a pro photographer but these are tips that have helped me and hope it helps for you too:
1. Relax, think about the type of picture you want to take and what you want it to look like. Make sure your settings make sense, shoot in RAW if at all possible and make sure the background is clean, I still have trouble with that. Think of your camera as a film camera where you can only take one picture and you can't delete.
2. Don't delete all your pictures on site. You never know when one might work or you might get a candid shot
3. Just have fun! It's cliché but a very true one. If you don't have fun then why are you doing this?
4. And this is my own: take pictures of everything and anything. No matter how dull the subject may seem...look at it from a different angle, find the beauty in it and make it happen.
Those are the tips, hope they help and I hope if you're a starter like me, just have fun! It's all you can do and don't sell yourself short! You do amazing work!
Instagram - Link to my instagram account
Flickr - Link to my Flickr account
If you want to see more of my photos
Summer has started and School is out! Which means more shifts at work. More work means more money, more money means more books!! I just bought two recently and will reveal when I do my next book review on Isla and the Happily Ever After (I know it's taking me forever! But trust, it's a good book!)
Sorry for the long post, hope you enjoyed it and please comment and even post your pictures!
