Berta got me a home portrait studio kit for Christmas, and now I’m being drawn into the world of “professional” photography. I don’t really aspire to taking photo portraits for money, but I have frequently talked about not blowing $200 on studio photos that I then have to pay them for reprints of because WalMart won’t let me make copies of their copyrighted work. I digress.
I set up the studio in the basement. There are a few lights and two nice backdrops with a frame to hold them. What I’m lacking though, is a tripod. And that’s where my adventure starts.
I used to have a tripod. Actually, I still have the tripod itself, but the quick-connect plate is long gone. I have no idea how to get a replacement, since it’s just some cheapie off-brand tripod. And, if I’m going to start doing this, I want to have at least some respectable equipment. It would also be nice to have something versatile for when I want to take shots outside my house. I needed to shop for a new tripod.
Reading my new photography books, as supplied by Berta with the studio kit, I became enamored with the idea of a professional tripod with a ball mount. Comparing what the books say you can do with these items to what my prior experience has been with tripods, it sounds like a win. After milling around for a decent price, and then changing my mind about what I wanted completely, I ordered a Manfrotto 190XPROB 3 Section Aluminum Pro Tripod and a Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head. These should arrive next week.
I also noted that my starter lens isn’t the greatest for portraits. What I’d like (according to these books) is a lens that will have a certain depth of field so that my subject - a person - is in focus while the background is not. A certain focal length is supposed to achieve that for me, so I ended up buying a Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Telephoto Lens also, which should have that effect. I noted today that Val seems to be thinking similar thoughts for her wedding photo plans.
Val also seems to have a flash tossed in the mix. I’m not sure that I need an external flash right now. I am hoping to use the lighting that I have to take portraits, but it’s becoming clear (by reading one of these books) that proper lighting is the only way to get good-looking photos. I’m especially convinced of this after reading Ben Bova’s The Story of Light. Proper lighting probably means at least one or two additional lights, with at least one light box. Looking at what photos I’ve taken so far and thinking about how I want the lighting to work, that seems the best course.
Of course, all of the equipment to do this properly costs money. Even what I’ve (hopefully) cost-effectively selected already is pretty pricey, but if I get more into this hobby, the prices only get steeper. The lens I was originally looking at was about $900 - on sale.
Pat was telling me about a discussion he was having with his friends regarding hobby expenses. They were considering hobbies that $10,000 wouldn’t buy you all of the top-of-the-line equipment you’d need to participate. The ones he mentioned in specific just happen to be two hobbies I enjoy (or expect to): Photography and astronomy. There seems to be no upper bound to the price tag for these. I don’t know much about it, but it might be worthwhile looking into lens rental to keep those costs down.
If it works as I expect it to, LensRentals could be a great way to try out lenses to see what I might like to purchase for myself, as well as have a way to use lenses that I don’t own for special purposes that I’m unlikely to need all the time. Like, if I was to shoot a wedding (unlikely for me, but as an example) and I thought I needed a specific lens, I could rent it for a couple of weeks, get familiar with it, shoot my photos, and then return it.
Sometime next week I should have my new tripod and should be able to take some better photos. I’ll need to get some models to put in front of the camera. I wonder what my neighbors are doing.
