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Great thread full of great knowledgeable input.. Again sorry to hijack your thread Kirislin! Have taken to PM to prevent further derailing!

So where do you draw the line with people who are taking the time to learn and trying to do things the correct way? Do you just refuse to do 'sessions' for people because you don't have an ABN or insurance? I'm an amateur who is learning and discovering new things every day. But until I have an ABN I should put a halt on my learning with sessions or just turn up and spend time with strangers and hours editing and more learning for free? They tell their friends 'oh hey we got these pics done for free, you should too'. I enjoy doing it for family and friends but when it comes to complete strangers it kind of becomes 'work' then. I find I got that extra bit more to make sure the images I get are going to be worth keeping.. I just don't see the happy middle in bridging your way into professional photography.. your either damned if you don't or damned if you do. I don't want to sound like one of those numptees who is just dismissing professionals like yourself Linda and saying 'oh but I have a DSLR I can charge money' - and there are plenty out there, but where and how do we cross that bridge? My newborn sessions and adult sessions have so far been free until I can grasp properly on posing/lighting/PP - but yet I came out my door the other day to find a bag of goodies including a dinner voucher from one couple after I refused money from them. Do I give it back? sorry to hijack your thread Kirislin. Great advice here!

Not sure if you are still around reading or not.. my Weimaraner boy has tummy upsets when he is fed the wrong food. We went through so many different brands of food - every single expensive one and we actually found he does well on a cheaper brand. Much to my amazement = since we switched him his poos have firmed up, he's going less and not to mention smelly farts have stopped!!! If you can answer the following questions it would give us a better picture: What food is he being fed? Has he always been fed this brand? Has there been any new changes in household (baby/move etc)? What access does he have to the house overnight? Try not to go crook at them if you find the accident AFTER they have done it and removed themselves.. they have a memory like a sieve. They are not going to know or remember that they are being scolded for something they have done 15 minutes ago. I have both of my Weimaraners sleep in my room and I have never had issues with them getting up overnight for toileting (other than puppyhood). Let us know how things go..

Like you Kirislin - I in no way think I am professional.. I LOVE taking pictures of kids and babies and I have done some sessions for work friends and family friends.. I'm now starting to edge into newborn and adult photography which are both a league of their own and sooo much more difficult!! since I have put some of my work on facebook I've had nearly 6 enquiries from other people I don't know wanting to know prices for family sessions within a month of me putting my photos on facebook! I was really chuffed but didn't know what the heck I was going to do in regards to cost. Because it is a little bit weird turning up for strangers and spending hours of my time taking photos and editing them for nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love doing it and I am not in it for money as I work full-time - but where do you draw the line? Do you just keep giving everything away because you are not a professional and you have not yet earned the title therefore you do not qualify to charge money for your efforts? I have seen plenty of facebook photography pages selling their services for a mere $50 per session with all photos included. A wise DOLer gave me some great advice (thank you again!!) which I have applied and it seems to work for me. I have scared off maybe one or two people with me reiterating that I am not a professional and I can refer them to a great photographer who can guarentee great pictures.. I think go for it Kirislin, do what Persephone suggested with the redbubble as that way you don't have to deal with them directly and you know the quality of the prints is going to be good. Congrats!! PS - I think you have a GREAT eye for photography and you should be proud of your work. If I took the shots you do I would be shouting it from the top of the world!

Already commented on facebook bec but love love love them.. lovely processing as well.

I'm on a crop here but like Kirislin, will be upgrading to the 7D in a few weeks (another crop). I would love to try a FF body just to see what the difference would be like though. Linda - Did you have to double up on lenses for the Nikon and Canon or did you pick what lenses you thought worked best with each body and bought from there? Seems like an expensive option to have a foot in each camp! (but then again if you got the money why not!) I've also read that Nikon are ahead of Canon in terms of noise.. something I'm really tired of with my 450.

Not sure what your budget will be or what you typcially shoot and I'm not sure on Nikon prices for lenses, but I would go 24-70 2.8.. I LOVE this lens (in Canon) and I think it has been an investment for my images. If you are thinking that you want something longer than the 200mm - I would look at your current images and see how often you use the 200mm and think that you could use the extra length before buying something longer than a 200mm. Happy buying! )

Do you have any pics of his coat? It sounds like a cow lick? Has he always had it or is it something that's only recently developed. Like you said it probably is his coat maturing/shedding. I'm not sure how a dogs coat would be associated with underlying structural faults.

sorry Huga, in answer to your lens question, I was using the 24-70L - I shot at mostly f/4 with a few at f/2.8. I prefer primes.. but I love the zoom. Can't have everything!

Thanks KJA and Huga.. KJA, I hope you're feeling better soon. It sucks when you're sick. I still have this huge blood vessel burst in my eye from a vomting bug on the weekend. I look like a circus freak. I agree with the last one with the big foreheads look.. I will probably take them from the disc. There was something I couldn't put my finger on with his after you mentioned the wrinkles I was like "ah!!" thanks I agree I need to work more on my PP. I would like to have more consistency with the colour throughout the shots. My exposures were right off yesterday - thank goodness I shot in RAW. Huga, I always love your shots that you post. I love the little details as well. It's about your surroundings as well as what makes the shoot. Thanks for the encouraging words.

Haha.. Pers I never even noticed that until you said!! Being a bit awkward though he wasn't really comfortable with looking right into the camera. When he did he pulled some really funny faces.. he was so funny. Thanks Tikira, that was exactly what I was going for. I really hope they seem them like that as well. That link is a great help! I've bookmarked to go back and read again when I need it! The feminine and masculine head tilt made me LOL - I'd never thought of that before!! I need to slow down in my shoots.. watching everything. I hope they like them!

Thanks for the tip Dxenion.. The guy was really really awkward as he'd never had his photo taken in a 'session' before. I was probably awkward too.. LOL I got about 80 images for them all up which I'm happy with. I think I really need to slow down a bit and take time to check my framing and where the light is hitting them. Two more.. the cheesy lay on the grass while I take a photo over the top of you!

more..

I wanted to post some non-pet type photos for a bit of feeback. This was my first engagement shoot. I'd had the 24-70L lens for less than 48hrs. How did I go? (I did post in POTN, but I rarely get feedback with most of the posts!) Would you be happy with these? Have a captured a romatic feel to the set? ]

gorgeous KJA.. I'm so jealous. I think swimming with a whale shark has so far been one of the most amazing experiences I have done so far in my lifetime. Hands down.

Ghee.. I didn't even think of the earthquake/tsunami pushing prices up on DWI!! I went to buy a lens yesterday I had my eye on for a while and it was more expensive than an Australian seller. I was confused because I remembered when doing research that it was the cheapest!! Thought I was going troppo!! Good luck with your choice Wags! It's a hard decision!!

I think I am against the type of photography that lets photography down in general. I'm all about people getting out there and learning (like myself) but when I see people's wedding photos coming through and they are dreaful - which they have paid for - which I am seeing more and more of it really irks me. I know pro photographers can be expensive and not everyone can afford them.. but there are people out there selling themselves as pros because they have a fancy flash big camera thingamajig. I had dinner with a colleague from work not long ago and she was telling me how she was getting into the photography business and she already had 2 weddings lined up etc etc and I asked her as a general type question what gear she had (lens wise). She had no idea. I asked what she used for editing. She didn't use anything. ARGH! Probably not the answer or discussion you were looking for..

congrats Pers.. can't wait to see what you can do with it. Love your P&S photos. There's no stopping you now!!!

LuvLottie awesome action shots! I would never have thought to use the 50mm as an action camera! great shots!! Love the poodle photos as well.. how CUTE!! Love a gorgeous poodle puppy.. Bellatrix.. I'm loving that wedding photo. Gorgeous colours.. I did my first official (unpaid) baby photo shoot today.. It was pouring rain and the house only had one room with natural light coming through really well and the room was TINY.. so the 50mm was a bit tight. But I was happy with the results anyway. using the Kenkos

sorry to answert your' what else do you shoot' q... I basically shoot alot of kids and newborns, I've had a few people ask me lately to come and take photos of their kids for them. Photos of the dogs Street photos macro photos I don't seem all that good at a good landscape which is something I want to work on.. Ideally I would like a really kick butt portrait lens.. super sharp. My 85mm prime is probably the sharpest I have at the moment.

Yeah thanks KJA - I have been pining for the 24-70 for ages and feel like it would be such an awesome lens to have, but I don't think I would want both.. It feels like travel is so far away yet still (12 months) and that I should get the lens I really want rather than for travel next year.. hmm..

Oh Awesome! Thanks Kirislin! I think it might be overcast here as well.. DAMN!

So I've had a bit of extra money come my way and I've been given permission by OH to 'get something fun' - so I couldn't think of anything more fun that to buy a new Lens!! I've got a bit of a collection of Primes - 30mm, 50mm 85mm (and would like to eventually add the 100mm macro, but am content at the moment) But I would like to add an L zoom.. I'm tossing up between the Canon 24-70 2.8 and the 24-105 4 I know I know.. the topic has been done to death. I am shooting from a 1.6x crop (canon 450D) and I realise that I'm not going to be getting true focal length, but I feel like the 24mm will probably be wide enough for me. I am buying as if I have a FF body as I will be upgrading in maybe 18 months time. No matter how much I read on the discussion of these lenses of which to get I can't reach a decision.. last week I was convinced I was getting the 24-70 but now after talking to a pro friend last night they have strongly reccommended the 24-105 as my travelling buddy. I am travelling next year for 6 months backpacking.. (hence why I don't want to upgrade from the 450D until after I get back). I want a great portrait lens - which makes me lean to the 24-70 for better bokeh. Downside is that it's a heavier lens to travel with. I do tend to shoot in low light conditions which is why I'm leaning to the f.28 rather that the f4. I like the extra reach on the 24-105 though.. I also like that it has IS. I'm tossing up wether to buy the 24-70 now and see how I like it. If in 10 months time I decide I DO need the extra focal length then sell that lens and purchase the 24-105mm - then chuck in a couple of my primes for the low light conditions. How easily could I sell the 24-70mm second hand? arrghhh!!! I suck at making decisions!!! Thoughts/input?!

It's been explained pretty well but I'm another that would probably go for the 1.8 over the 1.4.. I've used both and like Huga can't really tell the difference in image quality (you can if you're really looking and know what you're looking for - like smoother Bokeh). Build wise the 1.4 is better quality. 1.8 holds well though, you can feel how cheaply it's been put together - but seriously, you want bang for your buck go the 1.8. You can get a 1.8 for about $100-120 depending where you buy from or you can get the 1.4 from around $420. To me I'd rather spend the $100 on the 1.8 and then when it's busted or dead I won't mind getting another. DWI are ok, I have bought from them before. I tend to spend that bit extra on local suppliers though which makes it easier for exchanges etc.

Happy is.. munging on my ball.