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Brian The Photographer?

VDfree

Monkey
Feb 18, 2005
103
0
germantown
I'm looking for brian, the photographer. We rode the shed 2 weeks ago and we talked about going to some other trails. I accidentally deleted your pm and forgot what your user name is. PM me. I also was hoping to talk to you about my 20d. I want to know how to use the f-ing thing
 
May 24, 2005
331
0
Baltimore
Ya know the problem with those digital SLRs is they take great pics.....of people other than yourself. And who the hell wants to take pics of their friends? Not me!

I want pictures of ME riding, damnit. And no matter how much ya tell someone else how to take a good pic of ya (what's your good side, how to make you look FACTORY, how to make you look not so fat and hungover) they NEVER get it right. The terrain looks tiny, and you look bloated. :(

I should just hire a professional photographer to follow me around and be done with it.
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
Mike I am hoping I will have one of those lenses in the next couple of weeks. And also two more 20d batteries, a 16-35mm 2.8, a 50mm 1.4, some pocket wizards, a 1.4x extender, and to share with two other photographers a couple 300 f/2.8s, some pocket wizards, and an arsenal of four studio strobes and accessories, as well as some smaller things.

But alas, no good pictures of myself.

You guys could hire me, but I doubt you could afford me.
 

VDfree

Monkey
Feb 18, 2005
103
0
germantown
i was checking out some crazy 8mm and 9mm lenses yesterday...crazy effect, but i could not justify the $700-$900 price tags. I was looking for that crazy distortion. I guess I'll play a little more with photoshop!

bp , we'll have to talk about $$ I may want you to shoot Jeff Lenosky in april. He's doing a show at the shop!
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
Per hour is for sucker photographers. You charge for the job. Because sometimes a shoot only takes a couple of minutes and sometimes they take a lot longer. But the skills and level of creativity required are pretty much pre determened. It wouldn't be fair to the photographer or client.

Jeff Lenosky is cool btw.
 
May 24, 2005
331
0
Baltimore
Yeah I hear ya on the per-job basis.

I own a small IT consulting and web development company and am asked the same question constantly. While I work up proposals based on an hourly rate I rarely disclose said figures. Unfortunate though, as it generally leads people to believe the figure is quite high or not justified in some way. Such is life I guess.

I didn't get out and film enough this season, which has me rather bummed. The plan for next season involves me getting some more lenses for my videocamera and really starting to put that overly expensive sucker to good use. Need to find a small cheapo vidcam to record helmetcam footage too. Plus getting myself a Nikon D70 and lenses.....expensive hobbies are where it's at for '06. ;)
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
If you aren't already tied up in one kind of camera, I would recomend Canon. They are kicking the crap out of Nikon at the moment. Though the D70 is a decent camera.
-bp
 

MDBullit

Monkey
Sep 8, 2004
273
0
Bethesda, MD
VDfree said:
bp , we'll have to talk about $$ I may want you to shoot Jeff Lenosky in april. He's doing a show at the shop!
Phil,
that will be awesome... are you guys setting up a trials course in the parking lot? I gotta test it out :p
Sounds like it'll be a good opportunity to showcase & sell Giant STPs.
 
May 24, 2005
331
0
Baltimore
Sadly, I have vowed never to do business with Canon after several firsthand experiences with the quality of their videocameras, and not cheap videocameras at that. Their horrible service, inside and outside of warranty was the clincher though. Canon won't get a single additional dollar from me.

Ok, except the wide angle lense I'm buying for the videocamera. But after that, NOT A PENNY! Heh.
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
HotButterToppin said:
Sadly, I have vowed never to do business with Canon after several firsthand experiences with the quality of their videocameras, and not cheap videocameras at that. Their horrible service, inside and outside of warranty was the clincher though. Canon won't get a single additional dollar from me.

Ok, except the wide angle lense I'm buying for the videocamera. But after that, NOT A PENNY! Heh.

OK, so....... what happened?
 
_bp said:
If you aren't already tied up in one kind of camera, I would recomend Canon. They are kicking the crap out of Nikon at the moment. Though the D70 is a decent camera.
-bp

BP could you elaborate a little on this? My next DSLR choice is between the new Nikon D70s or the Canon 20d. They seem incredibly equal and have just heard a lot of "you can't go wrong with either".. Anything to sway me to the Canon?
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
Both Nikon and Canon make nice cameras. At the moment Canon is head and shoulders above Nikon in digital camera technology. Just compare the statistics of Nikon's D2h and Canon's Mark II. That technology trickles down. If that doesn't convince you compare the D2x to the Mark IIs. The differene is astounding. They offer higher megapixels for the same price, as well as better image quality. Canons are especially superior at higher ISO's. I can't speak for melted butter's ;) experience, but Canon's customer service is typically regarded thruoghout the professional field as better than Nikons. This might be different for the average consumer as they have different programs for professionals.

Both make sharp lenses. Canon is typically thought to have better autofocus. I have had good luck with both.

The one thing that the D70 gets huge props for is that is has a 500th of second flash sync speed versus 250th for the Canon. That really is a big plus.

Canon is leading for now. This hasn't always been the case and probably won't always be. I am sure they will trade back and forth in the future. If you already have Nikon equipment, which will work with dSLRs (not all does) then I would just say stick with Nikon, because it can be very expensive to reinvest.

I however can name several large newspapers that have gotten rid of their Nikon equipment and reinvested in Canon in the last two years. Understand that when you have a full arsenal of professional lenses and accessories that cost thousands of dollars each, that is a pretty big undertaking. The Washington Post, has been mostly Canon (they have both) for a while, but they did last year equip many of their photographers with 20ds.

I would also keep my eye on the horizon. My gut tells me both manufacturers will soon have new cameras out. The price of the old will go down and the new one will probably be the same price.

But.....you can't go wrong with either.

-brian
 
Haha. Cheers man. It will be typically used for sports photography (Not just bikes either, so a variety of lighting conditions etc) and the 20d seems to be edging ahead for this purpose.

One thing i've been hearing about is the superior quality of the Nikkor AF-S 18-70 DX lense over the Canons EF-S 18-55. (which seems to be the stock lense for both cameras respectively), is this really as big a deal as people are making out?

Otherwise, looks like i'm forking out the extra for the 20d!
 

BigMike

BrokenbikeMike
Jul 29, 2003
8,931
0
Montgomery county MD
AR_ said:
Haha. Cheers man. It will be typically used for sports photography (Not just bikes either, so a variety of lighting conditions etc) and the 20d seems to be edging ahead for this purpose.

One thing i've been hearing about is the superior quality of the Nikkor AF-S 18-70 DX lense over the Canons EF-S 18-55. (which seems to be the stock lense for both cameras respectively), is this really as big a deal as people are making out?

Otherwise, looks like i'm forking out the extra for the 20d!
If you are doing spots photography and wondering about lenses, do this little experiment. Next time you watch a professional sporting event, look on the sidelines. Look for the photographers, and see how many of them are holding huge white lenses with red circles on the end. These are the Canon "L" lenses, which I think are some of the best lenses available for a "resonable" price. (Keep in mind, photography is expensive and you get what you pay for, so I consider a grand for a lens "resonable")

Another thing about the EF-S lenses, they are great for the 10D and 20D, but once you get into Canon's higher end stuff, the Mark series, the new 5D, or anything else with a full size CMOS sensor, you cannot use the EF-S lenses. If you are ever looking or planning to upgrade, personally, I would steer away from the EF-S and go with the EF
 
Sound advice. Thanks Mike.

The expense doesn't really shock me. It's expensive, and as you say, you get what you pay for. Guess i've got pretty used to that spending so much on DH bikes and other expensive hobbies.

Upgrades will be something for the future for certain, so stick with EF lenses, check!
 
May 24, 2005
331
0
Baltimore
The best comparison from an actual practical minded photographer can be found here...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/20dd70.htm

Frankly it boils down to lenses and intended purpose of the camera. If you want to do sports photography either will work, as both cameras have suitable megapixel counts for 11x17 reproduction, or *laugh* the web. The flash sync, CCD imager (instead of cheaper CMOS), and fact that the D70 will shoot 3fps infinitely if you have a fast compact flash card is the deciding factor for me. That, and it's not Canon. Because Canon can blow me. The D70 wasn't voted camera of the year by most major mags last year for nothing. Anyways, read that review linked above for more sage advice from someone who knows wtf they're talking about (as opposed to me).

But back to why Canon can blow me (long story short)...

I bought a GL-1 camcorder a few years back. After only 14 hours of recording on the heads, they died. Sent it back to Canon who said "sorry, it's 2 weeks out of warranty....head warranty is only 90 days". After an angry letter they replaced them for free after holding my camera hostage for a few weeks first. Get camera back, record another 20 hours on the heads and they die a second time. Sent back to Canon (postage paid by...me) and this time, same thing, heads out of warranty and I'm gonna have to pay for the work to be done despite the fact that the camera basically lives in my camera bag and is only used in dry/clean conditions. Dropped $500 on new heads.

So in the course of a year or two the heads had died twice after only a few dozen hours of use. The tape transports are still sketchy from time to time which is why I'm loathed to ever use the camera for fear of it breaking. Canon was really slow to respond, generally uncooperative without having to be bitched at, and ultimately made a camera that has serious design flaws they're willing to charge you many times to fix. Granted the camera is awesome when it works, but still, it's a $3000 camera that shouldn't just die.

The hell with Canon. I should have bought a Sony VX2000 but couldn't afford the $4000 pricetag. Bah.
 
Hotbutter - Yeah, i've already read that review. Damn good too, i was just hoping someone could turn that novella into one short easy to understand sentance :D

Although my conclusion after reading that, as i said, the 20d would probably be my better option.
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
A couple more thoughts. Though the 5fps you get with the 20d is nicer than three, you still can't count on it to get everthing in a sequence. Invariably the peak action shot you wanted will be the one between the frames.
I don't know much about the difference between CMOS and CCD sensors, but I think most of the bad things you here about CMOS being bad is based on old information. I think the CCD are faster but the images are noisier (the equivalent to grain).

I don't know much about the 18-55 lense. The one that came with my camera is still in the box. I know it will only work on a couple of bodies, like Mike said. You might want to consider just getting the body and getting a lense that may be better for you.

When it comes to upgrading, I think a 70-200 2.8 is the way to go if you are shooting sports and don't mind spending money. Look in the used market for good lenses.

And this is a must: Buy a high-speed compact flash card. robgalbraith.com (http://robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007) has a database of which cards work the best on which camera. If you have a fast card filling the buffer will likely never be an issue, unless you are shooting raw. Plus a fast card is way better when you are downloading images.


Oooh. The white balance functions on the 20 are so bad a ss
 
May 24, 2005
331
0
Baltimore
It should also be pointed out that (at least in the case of Nikon) when you buy one of the pro AF-S highspeed autofocusing lenses they're still only as good as the motor driving it in the camera. At least with Nikon, the motor in the D70 is about half as powerful as the one in the D2h which is meant for sports photography. As far as I know Canon subscribe to the same concept of slower AF motors in their lower end bodies.

So really, you can invest in a fast pro lense, and indeed it will be faster, but to the best of my knowledge it'll still be limited by the body to some degree. Canon or Nikon, either way it's more an investment in lenses than bodies. I'll probably sell my D70 when the D100 replacement comes out in a couple years.
 
May 24, 2005
331
0
Baltimore
Hahaha. I thought about selling it for enough to pick up a D70 and lense or two but figure I should use it more. So instead I'm going to buy a wide angle lense and a decent microphone (because the mic on the camera blows).

Then, as usual, I'll have to figure out how to get other people to film me riding because let's face it, I only want to do a vanity project of myself. ;)

EDIT: Which is why this is my most prized mountain biking posession (taken at Mayhem up at SS)...

 
Oh, another quick Q..

Is the 1/500 flash sync on the Nikon an absolute necesity over the 1/250 of the 20d? This has popped up in more than one conversation between Nikon owners, and they're all making it sound like a life or death issue!
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
I don't know how it important it is. My biggest complaint about the 20d is knowing there is a comparable camera with a higher flash sync.

That extra stop of light will help in a lot of situations. If you are trying to balance ambient and strobe light, it will help stop fast motion better. If you are shooting strobe when it is bright out, it will basically give your flash an extra stop of light, since you won't have to drop the aperture so low to get the proper ambient exposure. That extra stop gives you more flexibility in general. If this doesn't make lot of sense I can take more time to explain. It can be quite complicated.

But the 20d leads in every other category. So, you have to weigh how much this will be an issue. Are you going to need that extra stop enough to sacrifice image quality. My guess is that it won't be an issue almost all of the time. Also the 20d will work better at higher iso's which MAY mean you won't need your flash as much.

My suggetion is don't get advice from people loyal to a brand. My opinion of them is that they don't care about taking good pictures. They care about labels. Especially now, Nikon owners are on the defensive. Basically the D70 is the only camera they have put out in last couple of years that isn't a piece of junk. I have always owned Canon gear. I have shot with both though. But I would switch to Nikon tomorrow if they had the better system.

Like you have heard before, you can't go wrong with either in the end.

btw. I hate technical talk. I would be much happier telling people how to make good pictures.
 
Ok fellas (And especially thanks BP for that! I totally know what you mean about brand loyalty, it seems to be clouding nearly everyones reccomendations!), seems my friend has been hiding his EOS300V, with 28-90 and more importantly, a 90-300mm 4.5-5.6 EF lense.

Seen as i need a cheap 35mm camera for experimental, but also academic purposes, i'm going to take it off his hands. Naturally i'm getting it for a special "friend" price, which basically gets me a muchos cheap 90-300mm Canon lense. (Please don't tell me this is the part where y'all tell me it wont fit..)

Think it's the 20d then!
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
Two tips for good photos.
1. Make all technical decisions second nature (shoot on manual)
2. Every element of the frame adds to the final frame. So if there is something in your frame that detracts from the final product (BACKGROUNDS; BACKGROUNDS; BACKGROUNDS), find a way to eliminate it from the frame. Including changing your position (up, down, left, right), changing the aperture, lenses, etc.
 

whale

Monkey
Apr 23, 2004
750
0
Silver Spring, MD
hey brian...

maybe you need to open up your own school? _bp's school of riding and taking photos. get paid for this stuff... :think:

i sure know i wouldn't have progressed in DJing as much as i have in the last year w/out your suggestions and peer pressure.
 

_bp

Monkey
Apr 20, 2004
218
0
Annandale
That second tip covers a huge amount, from lens choice to exposure to vantage point.

The biggest problem with amateur photographers that I see is that they seem to far from their subjects and their frames are cluttered and messy. I tend to pick my backgrounds first and then let my subjects come into the frame.


I put together a little photoshop gallery to help illustrate some points.

http://members.cox.net/jbrianprice/photo class/index.htm

Here is a trick: Cover the subject of a photo with your hand or something. Look at what is left. How much of it belongs there?

p.s. I have noticed my grammar is attrocious. Please forgive me.
 

VDfree

Monkey
Feb 18, 2005
103
0
germantown
This thread is addicting, I can't stop checking it! Thanks _bp, you've given us all some new motivation to try new things.

One question though...Since you do this for a living, do you still get excited about it? I'm a chef and it has gotten to the point that it's work to me. There are some days that I get really excited about the creativity of it all, but those days are getting farther apart.

BTW--anyone know how we can get a spell check put on this web site? I find myself changing sentences because I can't think of how to spell things!