The Frugal Photographer

[nlai1386]

Having photography as a hobby can be wallet breaking. As a student for fashion photography, I'm wondering if there are any tips and tricks that anyone might have that can still produce great photos without breaking the bank?

[vesper]

Get a higher quality wallet!

I can't take this serious. Really? It's 2012 or something like that, no need to develop film anymore.

[nlai1386]

This isn't an inquire into a basic point-and-shoot camera, and there's more to photography than just dropping the photos off at your local Wal*Mart. Lenses, lighting equipment, soft boxes, backgrounds, editing softwares, cameras, flashes, studio rentals, etc. can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars -- even millions of dollars. For example, a single (1) DSLR lens can cost as much as $35,000.

I thought this website was about frugal Canadians, and you treat me with sarcasm? This thread was obviously not addressed to your knowledge or your interests, so if you feel that you need to comment, I would suggest that you educate yourself before doing so so that you can better contribute to the discussion and I would appreciate it if you would learn to conduct yourself with respect for others.

[vesper]

Well at first it did seem like this was going to turn into a spam post.

I'd get the $500 walmart Canon, the camera means nothing unless you learn to use it, and I find the creative expression of the photographer, is more important than the camera or lenses. I have a Nikon D7000 and think I do better than my friends who own those $5,000 cameras.

So you from Canada? Which province? Thanks.

[nlai1386]

Thank you for your responce. I appreciate the sincerity of your second comment.

I currently have a Nikon D90, and like you said, it's no better than a point-and-shoot if the user doesn't know how to use it. There's a video on youtube that showed a professional photographer taking stunning photos of a model with just his iphone, but he was also using thousands of dollars of lighting equipment. It really put into perspective about the importance of lighting as tool for the photographer to express his/her creativity. I'm hoping that people on the forum will be able to give suggestions (even tutorials) on how to create those high-end lighting equiments (or any other studio equipment) for a fraction of the cost.

I'm from Ontario.

[vesper]

I buy lamps at second hand stores and have a $200 battery pack from Canadian tire. I also have a piece of white card board smooth, that I use to reflect light. I don't do studio photography, so lighting can depend on my redneck skills to get the job done.

[xlxo]

Some thoughts....

• on some accessories like tripods and flashes... you get what you pay for. I like carbon fibre for weight savings and I like premium flashes so I can bounce lighting
• consider a $30 Demb diffuser to soften light
• consider a flash bracket to minimize red-eye and prevent side shadows when shooting your DSLR sideways
• consider a full-frame camera for low light
• invest in f/2.8 zoom lenses
• buy Nikon.... 2 year warranty on the body and 5 years on many lenses. Save money on extended warranties.
• buy Nikon if you live on the West Coast. Nikon has a service depot in Richmond.... Canon has you sending your camera to another province.... I save on shipping.

[Linda Evans]

i wish i had known about the warrenty on nikons,.....last yr i got a rebel T3(canon) i really need to practice more.

[xlxo]

Best way for me to learn was a some evening night school classes. Very affordable over several weeks. What I liked was how instructor and classmates analyzed each others images on the big screen to identify weaknesses.

[Henry Chan]

Buy used gear from craiglst or kijiji. Also, lots of learning videos for free on youtube!