I caved and upgraded my camera body and bought a new lens. I've been thinking about this for several months and simply have had a hard time swallowing the change required to make this purchase. It is, however, quite overdue. And a local retailer (not a big box) had a sale on the lens I wanted, beginning today, so I raced there to make it before closing. When I walked in I didn't even hesitate. I knew if I said, "Well, I'm thinking about a...", I would have walked out empty handed. I am now a proud owner of a new camera that should help my business, if at least my confidence as a photographer. Can't wait to shoot a fantastic wedding in Duluth this coming spring (hi Michelle!) with this new equipment.
So, why the heck are you blogging, you ask? Besides having to meet the NaBloPoMo commitment, I have to wait for the battery to charge. I should have plugged it in when I got home from the store but I didn't and it takes 2.75 hours for it to fully charge. Dang it. I tried my other batteries thinking the chargers are the same... no luck. Doesn't fit. Urgh.
Tomorrow, after I run that stupid race, you know where to find me. Tee hee!
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Memorial Memorial Weekend
We had a bit of a scare this weekend with Claire. You can read about it here. Needless to say, she didn't leave the house yesterday.
I learned about a possible new photography opportunity that might fall into my lap. My friend's grandmother passed away and the service is happening this weekend and she is scheduled for a wedding. She works as an independent contractor with a studio out of Stillwater. She offered up my name as a backup and I went over to a meeting with the team and presented my portfolio. I hate doing that. I feel like such a failure. Urgh. I always walk away ready to sell my equipment and just give up the dream.
I learned about a possible new photography opportunity that might fall into my lap. My friend's grandmother passed away and the service is happening this weekend and she is scheduled for a wedding. She works as an independent contractor with a studio out of Stillwater. She offered up my name as a backup and I went over to a meeting with the team and presented my portfolio. I hate doing that. I feel like such a failure. Urgh. I always walk away ready to sell my equipment and just give up the dream.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Expensive hobby
I shot my first wedding on Saturday since becoming a mom. I had a bit of a challenge finding clothing that would fit for the shoot. I typically wear black and most of my black pants no longer fit. Finally, I found a pair of pants from ages ago when elastic waist bands were en vogue. Thank goodness. Needless to say, I am now on the hunt for a comfy black skirt to add to my stash. It wasn't blazing hot but hot enough when lugging around my gear.
I am glad it was a short shoot. The couple did a small wedding at a local restaurant so we shot outdoors at the park across the street and proceeded back to the restaurant for the ceremony on the deck. I was able to get back home just over my four hour window. This is typically how long I can be away from my new friend the pump. Needless to say, had we gone longer I would have needed to book an assistant so I could take the time out.
Even with a small group it was more portraits than I dig, but oh well. I need to pick up as many gigs as possible to build my portfolio. I went through the first pass of the photos last night and am happy for the most part. It was a gorgeous day outside - not a cloud in the sky. Damn it. While the rest of the folks were enjoying the lovely weather I was praying for a couple of clouds. Just one or two that would politely sit overhead blocking the sun while I shot the groups. No luck. It will take me a bit longer to work on those photos to see if I can take out some hotspots and bring up some of the darker areas. One thing I am learning - I do not charge enough for weddings. It's not the shoot that takes the time, but the editing. However, until I get good enough, I feel bad charging a lot of money. Urgh.
The bride requested that I use a professional level camera. My camera is only a 6.4 megapixel. Now, from what I understand, unless she was going to blow up a picture to anything above 20x30 we would be just fine using my camera. But, the customer is always right, right? So I chose to look at this as an opportunity to test run the D2X from Nikon (from local outfit WestPhoto). I currently shoot Nikon so am familiar with the Nikon body I thought it would be better to go that route than try to adjust to the Canon body for a wedding.
I know I want to upgrade someday but don't know if I want to switch over to Canon. The dilemma for me is all my gear works with Nikon - external flash, lenses (which need upgrading too). To buy a new body, either Canon or Nikon, it will cost me between $3,000 - 4,000. If I go the Canon route I need to tack on another $400 for the lens I want and another $300 for the external flash. At my current wedding rate I would need to do 12 weddings to pay for the equipment. Yikes. I better stick to my day job, eh?
I am glad it was a short shoot. The couple did a small wedding at a local restaurant so we shot outdoors at the park across the street and proceeded back to the restaurant for the ceremony on the deck. I was able to get back home just over my four hour window. This is typically how long I can be away from my new friend the pump. Needless to say, had we gone longer I would have needed to book an assistant so I could take the time out.
Even with a small group it was more portraits than I dig, but oh well. I need to pick up as many gigs as possible to build my portfolio. I went through the first pass of the photos last night and am happy for the most part. It was a gorgeous day outside - not a cloud in the sky. Damn it. While the rest of the folks were enjoying the lovely weather I was praying for a couple of clouds. Just one or two that would politely sit overhead blocking the sun while I shot the groups. No luck. It will take me a bit longer to work on those photos to see if I can take out some hotspots and bring up some of the darker areas. One thing I am learning - I do not charge enough for weddings. It's not the shoot that takes the time, but the editing. However, until I get good enough, I feel bad charging a lot of money. Urgh.
The bride requested that I use a professional level camera. My camera is only a 6.4 megapixel. Now, from what I understand, unless she was going to blow up a picture to anything above 20x30 we would be just fine using my camera. But, the customer is always right, right? So I chose to look at this as an opportunity to test run the D2X from Nikon (from local outfit WestPhoto). I currently shoot Nikon so am familiar with the Nikon body I thought it would be better to go that route than try to adjust to the Canon body for a wedding.
I know I want to upgrade someday but don't know if I want to switch over to Canon. The dilemma for me is all my gear works with Nikon - external flash, lenses (which need upgrading too). To buy a new body, either Canon or Nikon, it will cost me between $3,000 - 4,000. If I go the Canon route I need to tack on another $400 for the lens I want and another $300 for the external flash. At my current wedding rate I would need to do 12 weddings to pay for the equipment. Yikes. I better stick to my day job, eh?
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