I'm a photographer - ask me anything

[whatalicedidnext]

Snap away..

I’m getting married and worried it’s going to rain. Do you offer a contingency plan if this happens? What are the options? At my venue the best photograph opportunities are outside so I foresee it being difficult to get any decent ones if it does rain :(

I have a white photography umbrella that the couple can use. If it's after the rain I'd look for puddles for reflections, if they really don't want to shoot outside then I'd see what we can do in the church - many vicars are obliging after the service - or at the reception venue.

Mainly I hope it doesn't rain

You have a great job! Did you do any training as such? Or are you self taught?
I love photography and I'd love to go on a evening course or something like that.
Can you recommend a good camera for a beginner at a reasonable price? I know cameras can be very expensive! I'd just like something that would be good for me to use at home, on holidays etc...
oh and another question! What is your favourite photo you have ever taken?

I am self taught. A good beginner camera is a Lumix by Panasonic unless you want to go straight for a DSLR, in which case a Canon or a Nikon. I'd recommend you look at a second hand one first, Wex are good seller of second hand kit. When I started I used a Lumix in auto all the time and only gradually started with experimenting with the settings but don't underestimate the benefit of auto when you are only going to have a quick time to take the photo - I used auto for photos of insects where I can't afford to mess around with the settings as they often only land/are in the same place for a few seconds.

My favourite photo changes all the time, photos that I thought were amazing a few years ago would be deleted as not up to scratch now. My favourites are any that I get off the camera and look at and think 'wow' - that doesn't happen often; we are all our own worst critics.

I thought you said photocopier

What do you photograph?

What's the worst thing you've photographed or worst experience?

Is your experience all digital/computer based? Do you ever use film/manual cameras? Do you have any darkroom experience?

I would like to get a digital camera that can take a photograph the second you press the button - like an old style analogue photograph.

All the digital ones I have had or seen have some sort of function that means there is a short delay between pressing the button and actually taking the photograph while it has a think about the focus. This happens even if you turn off the autofocus mode.

Some one once told me that you can get digital cameras that do this but you have to ask for a particular thing - it was a stranger long time ago at a party and can't remember what he said..

Is this right (that some digital cameras have a feature or thing that allows instant photography without any delay between pressing the button and recording the image) and what is the thing I need to ask for?

I photograph people for work and sometimes food or products for publicity but when it's for fun I do landscapes and close up nature photos.

The worst photos I had to do were spiders from a person who keeps them and wanted close up photos.

I used to use film all the time, I have used a darkroom as I processed my own films but not for a long time now.

The quickest way to take photos on digital is to use the fast multiple shots setting, I often use this when taking photos of children or animals as I still haven't learnt not to work with either of them

Do you manipulate images? How far from the original image to the manipulated image is morally acceptable? I'm thinking "fake" photos in nature photography for example.

I do manipulate photos but not excessively unless I am specifically doing a piece of photo art in which case it's labelled as photo art rather than a photograph. Otherwise I just adjust the exposure and crop them.

If I do portraits then I don't do anything like airbrushing, they are what they are. Some people want all that doing but I tell them from the outset that I won't be doing it and they go elsewhere but given that I do portraits outdoors in natural settings a more natural portrait works better. I did one picture of a family and the little girl had got a nasty bruise on her cheek from falling off her bike; the parents asked me to do something about that which was fine but I wouldn't remove freckles or moles for example.

I really want to get seriously into photography, I've got an ancient Lumix bridge camera, would you concentrate on practicing with that or would it be much better to get an entry level DSLR?

I started with a Lumix so I'd say keep going with that for now. Go out and take lots of photos of anything and everything that catches your eye and you will find you start looking at things like a photographer and seeing what would be a good photo.

Find your own style, you'll soon develop one and have photos that are recognisably yours.

Remember that the photo you take is always better than the photo that you didn't take.

Thanks a lot for that!

The quickest way to take photos on digital is to use the fast multiple shots setting, I often use this when taking photos of children or animals as I still haven't learnt not to work with either of them

That wasn't what I was asking! I'm talking about that initial delay between pressing the button and the first photograph being recorded. Even if you have it on fast fire, that first image has that digital delay which does not happen on an analogue.

I'm talking about say you have your camera and you see a butterfly land for a few moments before it takes off - with an analogue, you press the button you get the shot - with a digital that delay means you miss it.

Someone told me some digital cameras have a feature that allows that instant image taking - not machine gun multiple shots which almost everything has - but something that means the button presses and the first image is taken instant.

I assume from your answer you don't know what this is either or what I should be asking for?

I'm talking about say you have your camera and you see a butterfly land for a few moments before it takes off - with an analogue, you press the button you get the shot - with a digital that delay means you miss it.

Your reply was quite rude. However, not on my camera as I frequently take photos of insects. There isn't a delay on mine, it's very fast - use a faster memory card if you have a delay on yours.

@GlacierMints it's called shutter lag.
Best bet is go into a camera shop and try a few.. a digital SLR is probably a better option if you're wanting manual control you should be able to get one for under £400. HTH.

@Shadowboxerbaby Thanks very much! that's the thing!

No problem @GlacierMints happy snapping

I always look terrible in photos. Do you have any posing tips? I'm thinking about those times when someone wants an unexpected photo eg. You and your friends in a pub. Then they stick it on Facebook. I always look like I have a massive face and no eyes whilst they all look natural and pretty. But in real life I look similar to them.

OP, I kinda disagree with you - Canon and Nikon are not the only camera manufacturers. DSLR cameras are one option. CSC (or mirrorless) is another. I prefer the latter myself.

Who are your favourite photographers? Who or what inspires you?

Damn. Killed the thread.