kja

he is just too totally cute - and falling in the hole? fab! my fav is the butt shot, tho

ROFL I'm sure there's a way to loop it somehow

Ah, ok, that's what I thought was the problem. But I'm just not sure it's a real problem. Annoying, yes. Frustrating, maybe. But if the tog is happy and the people he/she is serving are happy - what exactly is the problem? I'm pretty sure that people at the top of the pile aren't losing business to these people - and if they are, then they seriously need to rethink their business plan. People like me are probably losing business to this sort of thing, but again, if that's the case and it worries me, then I need to rethink my approach. In my case there is another local shooter who charges far far far less than I do. No skin off my nose - I don't want to work for nothing and I set my sights on those clients who can see or learn the difference. I'll bet the other shooter shoots more than I do - I'll bet I spend far less hours for the same (or more) income. That's my choice. Would it be nice to have everyone claiming to be a pro really be a pro? Maybe again. Since no one seems to be able to pin down a definition, this might be tough. Since I'm not a huge fan of over-regulation, I see this as a very thin line to walk. Yes, seeing bad photography being applauded is frustrating and annoying to me. So is seeing people charge too much for their output or too little for their output - but I can't run another man's business. There is a definite decline in the majority of photos shown thanks to such easy access to very nice equipment, learning resources and simply being able to disseminate one's photos to such a broad audience so quickly - one can always find an audience to applaud, whether there is truly merit or not. On the other hand, I think it makes a huge push in the other direction, too - many are getting far better far faster than before because they want to excel and see other images that are better than what one is shooting at the moment. I think I am missing the actual problem problem itself.

What exactly is the actual problem?

Thanks for taking the time to have a peek and let me know what you think

Another approach is just to put on the big girl panties and get out there and do it. Forget the nay-sayers, ignore the fear, turn the doubts into energy learning your craft, shoot, read, view, learn, self-critique, reach out to other togs, try new things, work hard, rinse, repeat. Mentors are wonderful but they aren't available to everyone and that type of relationship doesn't suit everyone at every point in their development. It's perfectly do-able to just do it. As with everything, there are pluses and minuses for doing it this way (or with a mentor, or with going to school for a degree etc) - only you can determine what you are comfortable with and what you can make work. And remember, it's not the end of the world if one stumbles a bit - you CAN change horses in mid-stream And you can mix & match! I agree and I removed "club" coz it's part and parcel of every single competition.

Ash - not sure if that was directed at me re: the competition entries, if so, I'll clarify. Often people consider photographers professional because said photographer enters and presumably places/wins in a competition or because he/she belongs to an affiliation (tho the customer may have no clue what said association is about really - it just sounds good!) and/or because the tog has been "published" somewhere. I also know quite a few pros who consider those pros who do not belong to such and such organization and/or who do not enter to be inferior or not really pros. I've heard the same thing about pros who don't have a studio or storefront space, don't shoot with big lighting rigs, who don't do x, y or z. None of these are my position - I was, perhaps too vaguely, addressing some things that were brought up earlier as to what makes a pro and how I don't fit. Of course, it may all be moot, as perhaps others don't view me as a pro. And that's just fine, too I try not to take it personally rubiton - Ash has it in one. Copyright protection should be in any competition one considers and virtually every pro believes that contests that require copyright are in very bad form and to be avoided. There are several groups working tirelessly to make contest organizers see that and amend the contests accordingly. The underwater photography world is crazy bad for it, but happily pros and amateurs alike are spreading the word and actively working to make changes. There are many competitions that do not require copyright or other ridiculous terms and they are a great thing for those who enjoy them.

Just some quickies from my dive the other day... And a bunch more over here

+1 what ash said

And to me, although making some of your income is a criteria for a being a pro, making a "hefty amount, if not all" isn't in the top ten. I consider myself a professional. Others may not consider me one - I don't enter competitions, I don't submit to AIPP for awards etc, I don't make 100% of my income from shooting. (Although, I have a friend who is most definitely a pro and I don't think he's been paid for a shoot in 100 years - all his work is pro bono. Nice to be able to live that way, but not on the cards for 99.9% of us, I'd guess! And OT, too)

If you are shooting for a client I would say you absolutely need backup gear. If you are shooting freelance and the cost of going back for a reshoot - assuming you can - is less than the cost of minimal backup gear then maybe not. Depends. I couldn't afford two cameras when I was doing some pet photography shoots. If on the low chance the camera had died, I'd be more worried about that then having to reschedule. Again, all depends on how serious you want the business to be. If you aren't trying to make a living out of it, you don't stress as much as others who do. Great point and this is one thing that separates a pro from a non-pro, imho. A pro serves the client, not her/himself. Not being able to complete a shoot because your gear fails and you don't have backup gear? Pro fail. During a shoot when gear fails a pro's thought should not be about the gear, but how to complete the assignment with the least possible impact on the client. You can charge and have clients and still not be a pro and this is a prime example of a scenario that fits the description.

If you are shooting for a client I would say you absolutely need backup gear. If you are shooting freelance and the cost of going back for a reshoot - assuming you can - is less than the cost of minimal backup gear then maybe not.

The people with cameras that are the targets here aren't either, mostly, I'd bet.

The 450D is a great camera - you'll have heaps of fun!! btw so you don't get lynched by the Nikonians or Canonians - Nikons are D#s and Canons are #Ds eg: 450D = Canon D700 = Nikon Yes, I know it's stupid but it is confusing and some people do have too much time on their hands :o :D

For those who are really interested in professional photography pricing etc check out Zack's blog. He's a pretty damned cluey guy.

FWIW the Canon 40D is still one of the best options out there, if you don't need video.

FWIW it takes just as much of YOUR time to process & send out a low res web ready file as a high res file and $5 per image is super low. High res files are worth more because you can pretty safely assume it's the only sale you make of an image - with a low res you may also make a print sale, or an upgrade to the high res (maybe, if you're lucky -most people will print the low res and bitch about your quality). Is $5 for your time - it will take you at least 30 minutes to get that file ready to send from shoot, load, cull, tweak, resize, export, send - away from your own family worth it? Only you can answer that.

Be aware that editing and sharing video from a dslr isn't as straight forward as you think it will be. Nor is focusing. ebay, photography on the net forum (ask the Aussies there in the General Chat area about more local options) and DOL right here are good places to start for second hand gear.

Make sure the images are the same size if you are using an action. If you start with an image that is 900 pixels and make your watermark action, it will look very small on a full sized image. I've cocked this up a few times and thought wtf?! make your action for the size image you are marking. I think there are ways to have the watermark be any size for any image, but I'm not that photoshop savvy LOL

Just got back from the beach with the doglets. I wanted a photo of all three of us together but Tilly was off doing her own thing! So this year it's just Dora and I having a little together time

Umm, isn't it at like 9:10pm in Victoria?? it's not 10:10 local time - it's 1010 GMT

October 10 2010 is here 1810 is the time to take your photo here in Western Australia. Click the link, sign up and check the time page to see when it is for you!!

It defo sounds like you have a bunk 50D. While there are differences, there really shouldn't be *that* much difference. It's still a very good camera that should not have these troubles with focusing on faster subjects at all. And you're the first "real life" person I know whose reporting problems, the others I know aren't having these issues (and they do know what a sharp photo is ) The 40D was such a strong camera that just worked, and nothing new has really come out to seriously upgrade its features until you make the jump to the 7D as they seem to have decided to discontinue the original xxD line in favour of the split to "lower" end xxD (kinda the 50 and definitely the 60) and higher end xD crop (7D so far). It will be interesting to see what comes out in April-ish this year!

What cute models you have!! The 7D is one sweet camera and you're going to love it :D Two little problems jump out at me that can be easily nipped in the bud now: 1- you've got some motion blur from a too slow shutter. The 7D rocks socks at high ISOs so don't be afraid to bump that puppy up even during the day so you can get a nice fast shutter to freeze your wiggly subjects. 2 - focus is slightly off. That's practice and #1 will help with that a lot. Looking fantastic and I can't wait to see more!!

Congrats!!! We all expect lots of photos once the prints are hung, too :D