Well here is the first post of, hopefully, many more with my new blog :)
I started my love for Photography through my wonderful Dad who was a professional Photographer in his younger days. Even now, in his 70s he is still an active Photographer and doesn't travel far without his trusty Camera. I was lucky enough to be able to buy his cameras from him when he upgraded (which was very often!) and for many years I used a Finepix which is a wonderful camera but as I became more and more interested I found that the Finepix just wasn't doing exactly what I needed it to do.
My partner is a DJ and we often go to venues across the UK and I noticed that there were quite a few photographers on the scene snapping away and getting some of the most extraordinary shots I have ever seen. I decided I wanted to try this as I had always just taken landscapes and nature shots. People shots always worried me...... that they wouldn't turn out right. So I went off to a venue with my Finepix in my hand and took a few shots ..... they were not too bad for a first time trying to capture dancers ..... and some very fast dancers as well! Then I started to notice the odd little thing wrong with them - focus not quite right or too slow in taking the shot, just little things but still things that started to spoil the photos.
The venues are for Northern Soul and many of the dancers use Talcum Powder on the floor to help them slide. This was becoming a major problem in the photos as it was showing up so vividly .... spoiling the general effect I wanted.
though it didn't show up in every one
I was starting to rethink my idea of capturing action shots but I really wanted to try it and see what I could do.
After a chat with a photographer friend I was advised to buy another camera - possibly a Canon DSLR
Now Canon had always seemed out of my price range to be honest but I went onto everyone's favourite purchasing site - EBAY
I eventually found a Canon in my price range - second hand but still doing what it was meant to do and for a bargain price as well.
I got the Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel
The camera came as 'Body Only' so I then had to search for a suitable lens. The search was on! I wanted and 18-55mm for everyday use, a 35-80mm for close ups and then I went all out and got an 80 - 200mm.
Then I bought a set of 4 Macro lenses (1x, 2x, 4x & 10x) as well as a Speedlite Shoe Mount Flash
All of that as well as the Case, Charger, CF Card and USB Cable (which came with the camera) came to less than 200 GBP! Now that was definitely a bargain! So anyone who is thinking of wanting to start out doesnt need to worry about all the massive cost involved - it can be done on a budget. With only one lens - the 18-55mm - it would have only cost about 140 GBP. It is always wise to search and wait if you have to until the right camera at the right price comes along.
While waiting for the lenses I had to travel down south to a venue for 2 days and had no lens so a friend lent me a wonderful lens - Canon 28-70mm. This was a great lens to work with and I managed to get some wonderful shots of the dancers but still not close enough for my liking. Still good enough though - clear pictures with no sign of talc debris floating about at all. Crisp and Clear. Focused all the way to the back of the room .....
So the Canon had proved itself a winner in my eyes. It had done what the Finepix was failing at....
So now I have all the lenses I need and am intent on getting to that 'Perfect Shot' with a bit of learning and a lot of practising!
This is just about me on that road to the Perfect Shot and a few of my shots
Enjoy and please feel free to leave a comment x
