Getting into Photo, Part 1...The Camera

Often enough, I get questions about getting started in photography and since its my nature to teach and I have no lack of love for sharing my trade, I rarely hold back on freely giving info on this thing. I know I can sometimes get overly enthusiastic about it. Getting me started can be like taking a full-on Kamehameha blast to the face from a family of Saiyans. But understand this is fun for me. So here are my GENERAL suggestions if you want to get started in photo using DSLR cameras (Digital Single Lens Reflex - normally, ones with interchangeable lenses).

Anonymous Model ©2012 Terrell Neasley

First and foremost, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself. Are you serious or no? Do you want to earn money or no? Asking whether you are serious or not will help you establish your priorities. If you're serious, photo comes somewhere near the top of the list, so be ready to dump money in this thing. And if you want to make money at it, then you also need to learn the business side of photo as well as how to shoot your camera so you are not starving. Be sure to be honest with yourself. You do yourself no favors when you say you are serious, but your time and money are consumed with everything else, BUT photography. On a small note, the type of photography genre you favor may also play into your brand. (For instance, more sport pro's shoot Canon.)

Over the years, the first and No. 1 question I've been asked is about the camera...Canon or Nikon. So lets start there. EITHER Canon or Nikon will do. They are both great companies and each have distinguishing features that set them apart from each other on a yearly basis almost. One year, Canon might have the edge and then Nikon catches up or vis versa. You won't go wrong no matter how you start out. I tell people to first see how each brand feels in your hands. Which one feels natural to you. Then I also ask, what do the majority of your friends have because you might be able to trade out or test equipment. If you're shooting with your buddy and your flash goes bad, you can borrow your friend's. Loyalties to one brand or the other is usually a generational thing. Dad owned a Nikon, so you go Nikon too...something like that. Most photogs today stay with a certain brand because of their investment into lenses. Regardless, don't get sucked into the Nikon vs Canon war. It ain't worth it. Both companies make excellent gear. (Nice Graphic Here)

Art Model, Panda ©2011 Terrell Neasley

Next, do everything you can to start out right. When you know what brand are ready to purchase, resist the temptation to start on the entry level gear. I very often get asked about a good "starter" camera. There is honestly no such thing. Get the right tool for the job. There is no such thing as a starter wrench and neither is there a starter camera. There are cheaper wrenches and cheaper cameras. The question is, will it do the job? The risk you run into is that you can quickly outgrow your camera if you start on the low end. I spend two days a week working in a camera shop. Students come in and buy a Rebel or a D3000-level camera. Toward the end of the semester, many come back to me and say they wish they had gone with my suggestion. They outgrew the entry level camera which doesn't have some of the more advanced functions they now need. Sometimes the lower end consumer cameras won't have Mirror Lock-up. You may not be able to bracket exposures or hook up a cable release. Does the shutter speed go from Bulb to 1/8000? Probably not. These cameras don't even operate with a real pentaprism, but rather pentamirrors.

On top of that, the better cameras usually have twice the shot count for the battery life. The build quality is often better with weather sealing and made of a magnesium alloy rather than plastic. When I take on a gig with a client, I'd rather have a camera in my hands more advanced than what my client might potentially own. See what I'm saying? Its hard to justify your rate when your client is wondering why they are paying you to shoot them with a camera like what they have. If you want to be a pro, get pro gear...not consumer gear.

Suggestions... If you go Canon, start with a Canon EOS 7D. They are cheap right now. Its almost 3 years old, but its one of the few cameras on the market right now that really does not need an upgrade. As for DX cameras, I think its the best. Its fast at 8 frames/second, durable, rocks TWO Digic-4 image processors, bad ass ISO capabilities, and the new firmware upgrades practically turn it into a new camera. The 60D is one step down and I can not knock it. Not as great a build, doesn't have the speed, but still a solid camera, especially for video. I also can't laugh at the new Rebel T4i. But if I'm going to be a pro shooter, I'm not doing it with a consumer-promoted Rebel. If you're a hobbyist and only use it on occasion, go for it. If money isn't so tight and you want to go Full Frame, you've got the options of either the brand new 6D, the  5D Mark III or the Big Daddy 1Dx.

Art Model Brittany V, ©2008 Terrell Neasley

What if you wanna go Nikon. Start with a Nikon D7000. I don't think its as good as the Canon 7D, but it rocks. I love the dual SD media card slots. You can get 6 frames a second, does great shots at high ISO's, and is a solid build. You can do High Speed sync up to 1/8000 of a second and the video capabilities will blow you away. You won't out-grow this thing. You can upgrade, but you'll still keep this camera as a back-up. No need to get rid of it, unless you are going Full Frame with a D600, D800, or D4.

Do whatever you can to start out right. If you have to wait for a few extra paychecks, then wait another month. Sell something on eBay, quite eating out, or whatever to come up with the extra cash to get what you need. I've seen some people do some great things with a Rebel. My buddy Felix will leave you gasping with his images with a Rebel over some people's work with a 5D Mark II. But he couldn't wait to get his hands on a 7D. And then its all about the lenses. I'll cover that later. Hi Vanessa!

**Update 14 December 2012 **
Let me bounce back and spend another paragraph on the camera. Some people talk about megapixels and that most of these cameras have so many that they really don't matter anymore. They believe that once technology went past 12 or so megapixels, you can print a good 16x20 from that, so how often does anybody print bigger than that. To some extent that is true. BUT... if you ask me, the more, the merrier. That's like using the analogy of film. The bigger the film size, the better the resolution. Medium format was better than 35mm. The 4x5 was better than Medium format. 8x10 was better than the 4x5. The difference is that you might be able to print a 16x20 from a smaller megapixel camera, but its not the same detail and richness. As an artist, I want to have the option of cropping in and pulling out that section and have it still look like the original shot. This is why I shoot with a D800e at 36 megapixels over the Canon 5D MarkIII.

WPPI and Some New Directions

"When you’re finished changing, you’re finished." 

- Benjamin Franklin

Model, Viki Vegas

This past week has been the start of WPPI, (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International). Its quite a big event and is being held at the MGM Convention Center. In spite of my current condition, I decided I'd attend WPPI University, or WPPI U at the MGM Grand Convention Center here in Vegas. It was 2 days of workshops, seminars, and lectures dealing with photography and its related issues. Some of it was motivational and some instructional, but we had the benefit of 13 speakers who are leaders in their trade come talk to about 400 attendees. I think without a doubt, Joe Buissink was my favorite. He was informative and inspiring, as well as a great speaker. Sue Bryce was also a talented host and speaker. The thing that seemed to be a common denominator between several of these speakers is the notion that they came from nothing special and built themselves into million-dollar studios. They all faced challenges and had to overcome obstacles, but they weren't given any advantages that made them any more special than the rest of us. So if there was any one message that I think they were trying to say collectively is that if they can do it the rest of us can too.

Model, Wonderhussy

My challenges were just in the attending. I decided at the last minute to be there after I read about some of the course schedules. My main focus was on day two, where a few speakers were discussing some of the business aspects of photography which is my main focus right now. Just getting from my car to the convention center was my biggest challenge. Then I realized I had to depend on the kindness of strangers to help me just get a simple cup of water back to may seat. I met a few people who sat around me that proved helpful as well as good company. The bathroom wasn't that near when you're on crutches. I woke up this morning with sore palms from carrying my weight so much on the handles of the crutches. Day two was incredibly exhausting. It was 12 hours of class time and when I got home, I was beat. I got to bed about 1am and woke up around 5am. But somewhere right before I was getting ready to make myself some waffles, I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew my phone was ringing and it woke me up around 3 in the afternoon! I have no idea how I got back in bed, nor do I recall even falling asleep. I was due back up at WPPI that afternoon to meet with some of my NILMDTS cohorts at 2pm. I totally missed it.

Model, Wonderhussy

Taxes and accounting best practices, branding, back-up protection, etc., are some of the WPPI U topics I had an interested in. I have a MBA. I know management, marketing. I can do a lot of this on my own. But WANTING to do it is something else. I hate taxes and record-keeping. I don't want to concern myself with branding. I'd much rather have someone else do that for me. I've been rereading and reevaluating my business plan to see what has changed. Several aspects of my focus is indeed going in a different direction. My initial back-up solution is going to be different from what I initially outlined. The website will be changed and eventually another blog will be put in place. While Photo Anthems will be the primary domain name, I've recently registered some more. I picked up a speaker Craig Heidermann's Legal and Business Forms for Wedding and Portrait Photographers. He's has two careers as a full time attorney and a full-time photographer. I want to review all my current contracts after he pointed out a few things I hadn't considered in my own.

Model, Brittany V

Julieanne Kost, from Adobe, has got to be one of the most entertaining lecturers on nerd-related topics. She's a Photoshop wizard/guru/freak/nut. I'm telling you this woman can work layers like nobody's business. Check out her blog and get educated. She did a presentation on Adobe Lightroom and I now believe I'll start using it. She outlined some benefits I think I can actually use whereas before, I couldn't see how I was missing anything by using Bridge. All the other speakers where motivational or dealt with lighting and posing techniques. While informative, it wasn't where my interests currently lie. Some of the advice they gave I had to totally dismiss because it just wasn't my style. I identified most with Joe Buissink because his shooting style was closer to my own. Some of the people sitting next to me where surprised by his approach to photography while I just smiled, feeling validated to some degree.

The rest of this year is going to be way different from anything I had initially imagined last year. My goals have changed and my priorities have altered. I just need to heal so I can get started on it all.

Another Surgery plus 2010 Interview of Me by Karl

"My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn't stand the sideline."

~ Michael Jordan

Wow. This has been an interesting month so far. I wish I could tell you about all the wonderful shoots I've been on, but alas, such is not the case. Knee surgery has been the theme of the month so far. Weeks of trying to prep for it and now just recovering from it. My daughter and son in law decided to take vacation time to come and assist me for the first week. I didn't think I needed it, really. I was wrong. Pain meds haven't been helping and the doc sees no reason to give me anything stronger, so I've just stopped taking anything all together. This isn't the first time I've had to deal with the VA no understanding the problem. I can't say why I don't respond like they think I should to medication. I wish I was more of a typical case for them, but I'm not.

I don't expect the kiddos had that great of a time trying to accommodate me over the last week. I know I was being a bear. I didn't want to stay seated or immobilized and the thought of having to use the word "can't" for routine tasks tasted bitter in my mouth. It wasn't until reading about my procedure online that the truth sort of sunk in to where I understood it. The docs told me I'd be looking at 6 to 8 weeks. In my mind, that adds up to half that time for me. I'm strong. I recover quicker than most. And I can handle it. 6 to 8 weeks is the general "play it safe" recovery time for the average guy. I couldn't have been more wrong. I had so many other people tell me a simple scope of the knee is an in and out 2 to 3 week thing. Even my primary care doc told me I'd be on my feet in 3 weeks top. So why was the othopedic surgeon saying 6 to 8? Well, what he knew that the others didn't was that he was also performing a Microfracture procedure on my knee, whereby you drill small holes into the larger pot-hole that's already at the end of my femur. This is supposed to encourage bone/cartilage growth to fill in the hole naturally. THAT's the part that takes so long. Weight-bearing activities such as "walking", can prohibit the bone growth. So 6 to 8 weeks ON CRUTCHES is what's prescribed.

I simply had no clue and didn't understand that I'd be on crutches this long. SIX to EIGHT weeks! Wow. I simply cannot get that out of my mind. That possibly puts me all the way out to mid-March! I've already had to postpone two projects to the end of March. I don't know if you realize it, but that also means postponing getting paid til the end of March. Which simply means I gotta slow down spending big time. Personal projects have also been postponed. My continued work with Panda is having to be delayed as well. And I have a couple other models whom I thought I'd be working with around the first week of Feb, that I've had to simple cancel til further notice.


The good thing is that I just have to get through this doing the right things. Its believed that I get another 10 to 15 years of "good knee" time, instead of what I've been dealing with over the last decade. Two months for 10 years. Not a bad trade. To my understanding, this 2 months doesn't include rehabilitation time. I won't find that out til next week. I had 10 weeks rehab for my hand last year. I read in one place where full recovery might not be expected for 6 months! So this'll be interesting.

Karl of "Looking About" blog has reposted an interview he did of me a few years ago. After a look back on that time period, I sort of wonder what my answers might be today and if any of them have changed. Not much would be different, I presume. I think I'd answer the same in about 27 of them at least. Its a good reflection because I was definitely in two different places in 2010 vs today. I was coming out of some pretty hard months in oh-10 and even the 3 years before then. In fact, I think it may even be time for another "Interview of Self" like what I did a long time ago in 2008.

1. What is your favorite word? Altruism
2. What is your least favorite word? Normal
3. What turns you on? A naked woman
4. What turns you off? Clothes!....kidding...People who don't take responsibility for themselves and pass the blame.
5. What sound or noise do you love? Bacon sizzling in the morning would be the least crass answer
6. What sound or noise do you hate? Its a tie between a high-pitched nagging voice and an alarm clock
7. What is your favorite curse word? Fuck
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Probably acting, but I used to dream about playing football
9. What profession would you not like to do? There are plenty but I'm going with Nursing. I've got much respect for them, but its not my gift.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Come on....Get your butt on in here!
11. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Traveling the world with boundless resources and a model that I photograph everywhere, all the time
12. What is your greatest fear? I honestly can't say I have one. I mean, I certainly don't want to be eaten by an alligator or fall from the empire state building but they are not fears of mine that I think about all the time. 
13. Which historical figure do you most identify with? Galileo Galilei, just because he's the only person I can think of who was also misunderstood.
14. Which living person do you most admire? Other than family....Billy Graham, Chris St. James, and Bill Cosby (How can you stick with just one?)
15. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Procrastination
16. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Lack of integrity
17. What is your greatest extravagance? I spent $400 on comic books once, but I've since sold my collection and not bought another since 1994, I think.
18. On what occasion do you lie? When I have to take into account someone else's feelings and the truth is not worth the heartache or when I need to be polite because I need the business.
19. What do you dislike most about your appearance? I'm actually cool with myself. If I had to say any one thing its that I look mean when I am not smiling.
20. When and where were you happiest? Christmas at Mama Carrie's as a kid
21. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? I'd be kinder to people and more understanding
22. If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be? Me. That's all I have control over.
23. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Jeremy and Cassie
24. If you died and came back as a person or thing what do you think it would be? As a person: A white female, just so I could experience the opposite of my current self. As far as a thing, I'd want to be a star just for the billions of years galactic experience 
25. What is your most treasured possession? My faith
26. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? A disapproval of yourself because of someone else's opinion
27. Who are your heroes in real life? My Mother
28. What is it that you most dislike? A coward
29. How would you like to die? Old age preferably, but if not, then on my feet in a way that makes it count
30. What is your motto? Stay alert, Stay alive! Hooooah!