I defiantly would prefer getting SLR; however as a beginner and obviously someone that has not accomplished this goal yet, I don’t know what would be the best buy for what I’m trying to do. My goal is to basically travel around, take nature & portrait photography and sell to whoever I can. My question is: will SLR slow me down if I’m going to do a lot of hiking and moving around? Also, would I need to set up my tripod every shot? On the business of things, are people still interested in buying film? I figured because more people are using digital some may have certain prerequisites?

Please enlighten me on the matter!

And if you want to be really helpful, help me figure out what body camera I should get [:

I have no idea how this photography business works (as you clearly see)

I guess you have never hiked with a camera before.

I carry a dSLR with battery grip, a super wide angle lens, a macro lens and a 24-85 mm lens when I hike. I carry at least seven memory cards, one in the camera and a sixpak in a holder. I also carry one battery charger I use to charge the batteries when at the motel before the next days hiking adventure.

Basically you will want to learn how to use your camera before taking it on a hike or any traveling adventure.

It will take you a minimum of a few weeks sitting with your camera in your lap and the user manual in hand to learn how to use the camera without fumbling all over the place trying to use it, so buy it in plenty of time before you intend to use it

At this time, the most purchased dSLR cameras are the Nikon D5100 and Canon 600D. Both cost under $1,000 and have all the features a proficient photographer will require,.

I have this big urge to buy a film & digital camera-do a couple of photoshoots with some people i know & start advertising to do some small shoots or take some pics at a party of some sorts. I dont plan on it being super huge but just something to get me started. Any suggestions or advice?

Yes you can start a business with little equipment. Come up with a name for your business or maybe use your own name. Get a business license, cost is about $20. Take pictures of family and friends, pets, places, etc. Create a business facebook page and start posting your pictures and then as you start to grow and improve you can create a business website.

i am really into photography and would love to persue it as a career but i really don’t want to go to university. (nothing to do with the fees)
does anyone know of any photographers that have made it without a degree?
if you need a degree for this career, does anyone know of any college courses or online courses i could take instead?
P.S. I live in the UK!

Almost ALL of the top photographers got there without a degree. Only a small percentage of professional photographers have degrees in photography.

I have been thinking about a ‘full frame’ digital camera for some studio work.

I still have some left over canon lenses with adverage optics, from my amateur days.
50mm f1.8
70-300mm f4-5.6 III
24MM F2.8

the other option is a leica m9. with which, i already have an army of tiny little and beautiful lenses from leica and vogtlander.

In my mind, if i choose a 5d, id have to include new lenses that i wont really use outside the studio. While the m9 is more expensive.

which would you choose?

I have a couple thoughts.

1–It’s not a good idea to buy any body for pro use that you can’t afford to buy two of or at least a second, cheaper version. If your only full frame camera breaks or gets stolen before or during a shoot, you are screwed unless you can rent something fast. So if you can’t afford the M9 and a second full frame body, or something you feel okay with as a reliable back-up, I see Canon in your future.

2–Without knowing which M-mount glass you have, I imagine it’s still nicer than the Canon glass you’ve mentioned, which sounds mostly like amateur lenses. If you had the 50/1.2, 70-300/2.8 and 24/2, that might be a different story but a variable aperture zoom? That’s nothing worth holding out on a Leica for!

3–Do you have a Digital Leica repair tech you can trust and can you afford to have the RF calibrated for your longest/fastest lens? Having a tech in mind will be important to purchasing that camera since repairs will generally take longer and be more costly than the Canon. If you can hand it over to Leica in New Jersey, they will give you a loaner body though, so this can provide some cushion if you need a repair before a shoot, which you would not have with the Canon. Also, right off the bat, I think most Leica’s need to be calibrated to the longest fastest lens you plan on using on them. Since you’re doing studio, I imagine you will be using 75 or 90mm lenses. My M6 TTL needed to be calibrated for my 90 Summicron even though it shot beautifully with my 50mm wide open.

4–I’m personally biased towards Leica because I love the company, the cameras and the lenses and think everyone should aspire to shoot with their gear! However, for 90% of my paid work, I shoot Nikon because Nikon allows me to have multiple bodies and a much larger, more flexible lens kit. I also don’t mind putting the wear and tear on my Nikons as much as the Leica.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy whatever you land on!

I am a amateur photographer, still learning all the aspects of photography and the how-to’s and what to do. I have my own photo studio in my house, but I am have trouble with a number of things. Advertising my photography. Outside of my photo studio I take event photography, but I do not think that anybody is willing to pay someone when they already have a digital camera. Comments, suggestions, please be constructive.

There are ways to get payed at event photography.
Sure digital cameras are carried by everyone now of days. But remember this "ITS NOT THE CAMERA AS MUCH AS IT IS THE PERSON TAKING THE PHOTO".
I take club photos, low light, fog machines, strobeing/flashing lights. Its a task for point and shoot cameras to produce a great photo under those conditions. I take 150+ photos to promote the club on their web sight and on their social sights. The first two times I only did friends of mine, posted on the clubs social sights and promoted having a great time. The club owner offered me free cover for as many as I needed and a open bar for myself and my assistant (my wife). The photos increased his patronage, I then was taking photos of people dancing, drinking, posing, ect… Posting high quality small images on the sights but promoting my web sight and links to where a high quality image can be downloaded or printed and delivered (for a cost of course) But that took off Halloween, People bought those photos up like hotcakes! 324 photos and sold everyone at lease twice, some (group shots) sold over 10 copies. So yea event photography pays. Plus I like the club and the girls :0

I do go to the local Fair and take photos of the competitors, showmen, and general ambiance of the fair. Local papers have published my work and provided me contacts for doing photo work for clubs and organizations. I Last Feb I took photos of 3 venders, 2 were selling their vending trailers and wanted good photos to make it easier to sell, and the 3rd wanted to use the photos to promote how modern all its equipment was and get others to inquire about having units built for them.

Contacting Car Clubs is a sure fire way to making friends and making money. I have many friends in the car clubs now and if i need a specific kind of vehicle for a shoot all I need to do is ask. That’s nice.

I am not one for the home studio, not saying its a bad thing. I do run my business out of my house but I do lease a small storefront. Lease rates around me for the past 2 years is cheep. I’m paying only a third of normal square footage rates. Electricity is off unless I’m there, water is part of the lease. The other shops look out for my space and do hire me to take photos for them. I am looking to purchase a tow behind trailer to convert into an small portrait studio to travel to the customers.

Nursing homes and assisted living homes. Just saying………… Work is out there you have to look for it, think outside the box.

hi y’all,
ive loved everything around pictures all my life but never had any professional knowledge in the area. i don’t have too much in savings at the moment so school is not really an option…
do you know of a good course or series of courses on dvd covering digital photography? (camera, lighting, studio, portrait photography and photoshop)

If such a class existed, it would be called film making and would include a section on videography.which hopefully would include video editing

ive loved everything around pictures all my life but never had any professional knowledge in the area. i don’t have too much in savings at the moment so school is not really an option…
do you know of a good course or series of courses on dvd covering digital photography? (camera, lighting, studio, portrait photography and photoshop)

Go to Amazon.com and in the DVD section search on camera or photography tutorials.

Then look at the comments for each prospective DVD that catches your eye.

http://www.althephoto.com