photography
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Matt’s Brief Photography History:
While I always appreciated nice photography, I didn’t even attempt anything remotely interesting photographically until the digital age. I can say (somewhat proudly) that I never bought a roll of film–though I have purchased quite a few disposables. The first digital camera I got was in 1999 and was a POS P&S. It did 640×480, didn’t focus half the time and took some of the worst pictures. I’ll save my camera history for another time (with samples!), but suffice it to say I’ve come a long way since then. A couple years ago, I found a few stock sites, and since getting a few of my pictures out there for sale, it’s allowed me to fund my photography habit. I’m lucky that first batch I submitted was accepted as I’ve improved as a photographer a lot in the last couple of years. I can credit the micro-stock business for the photographer I am today.
My Stock Photography Links:
- Shutterstock - The first site I joined in early 2006, this is where I submitted a lot of my early work, and still is my primary stock photo site.
- iStockphoto - More of my ‘quality’ stuff is probably here–equally as important as shutterstock ($-wise at least) .
- Dreamstime - I joined this in 2007 and was very surprised when one of my first approved images turned out to be the 1 millionth image on their site!
- LuckyOliver - An emerging site that I like because it is the easiest to submit pictures to (I wish the other sites were as easy to submit to like Lucky Oliver!)
- Fotolia - More of an international site, my pictures don’t sell too well here.
- BigStock Photo - This site has been around awhile, but I don’t think they have the numbers to be competitive with the others. If they were all like this, I would have not gotten into this business.
Flickr
I’ve known about flickr for sometime, but chose to either put my pictures up for sale on stock sites, or keep them just for friends and family. I’ve now decided to join flickr and share w/ everyone! I plan on going back and posting some of my better shots from my travels. I’ll probably make some available creative commons as well. This page is automically synched w/ my flicker account, so feel free to check either.
Matt’s Current Photo Gear (historic gear coming soon):
Being a tech-head, digital photography is an excellent (if not expensive) place for me to be. I’ve plowed all I’ve made stock-wise back into buying gear, and have now settled on a pretty good setup that I’m currently happy with.
Camera Bodies:
Canon Digital Rebel XTi - Interestingly enough, I was very close to buying the 40D last summer, but decided to wait. I know, I know, it’s an awesome camera, but I think announcement of the Rebel XSi might sway me to that body rather than the 40D.
Canon PowerShot A710IS - I must say this camera is okay for a P&S, but not the best. The battery life is pretty short, but it does take some excellent video, so it’s nice to have when you can’t afford the space of a DSLR. It has similar controls to the Rebel, so it’s an easy transition.
Primary Lenses:
I feel it takes 3 lenses to get by when you are traveling. These 3 types you should always have with you, IMHO. Here they are:
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM - In summer of 2007, I bit the bullet and bought this bad-boy (alliteration alert). This is my workhorse lens, and I can’t recommend it enough–it’s excellent, though expensive (this replaced my 28-135 which I liked, but you can see the difference in the 24-105). I leave this on at least 2/3 of the time during the day if not more.
Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 USM - Early 2007, I got this ultra-wide lens. You can’t beat the range it gives you and the dynamic pictures you can take of rather normal things. For traveling in cities, this lens is great for landscapes. If I have time at a site, I usually try to put together a shot with this lens. Even though it doesn’t have the “L” designation from Canon, this lens is top-notch.
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM - Got this late 2007 (2007 was a big lens year for me I guess) as a supplement to my Canon 50mm 1.8 which is a bit long on my rebel. At 1.4, this lens is REALLY fast, extremely sharp, and the 30mm is great for indoors. I call this my ‘bar’ lens, as if you are out at night, it’s usually dark and most cameras are useless. I hate using flash, so if I can hold steady, this lens usually does the trick.
My other lenses:
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II - At $80 (it’s actually gone up in price the last few years), you still can’t beat the value of this lens. After getting my first rebel used back in 2005, I quickly bought this lens and was very impressed. It still has some of the best bokeh you will find, especially at $80. Now that I have my 30mm, I haven’t used this much, but it is still lighter and longer than the 30mm, so no need to get rid of it.
Promaster 70-300mm 4-5.6 - I bought this when I really didn’t know any better… you get what you pay for at this range, and though the 300mm is obviously nice, it is impossible to hand-hold in all but the strongest light (i.e. beach). Plus it’s pretty soft, slow, no IS, and doesn’t focus that well. I usually leave it home and if I need a long lens, I just complain that I don’t have a good one.
Other Accessories:
Lowepro CompuTrekker AW Camera Backpack - This thing is essential for my travels. It’s super-padded, has room for all my lenses, etc. and also holds a laptop. I don’t use this day-to day, but it is my plane carry-on. When traveling around for the day, I switch to…
Tamrac Adventure Messenger 3 DSLR Camera Bag - Once off the plane (or if I’m mobile) I switch to this pack. It holds my 10-22 and my camera w/ the 24-105. It also holds the PowerShot, the flash if I need it, but the 30mm is a little big to fit in the front pocket. I might need to upgrade!
B & W 77mm UV (Ultra Violet) Haze Multi Coated (2C) Glass Filter #010 - It has a long name, but basically, if you are going to drop $1000 on a lens, you should protect it. And you shouldn’t protect it with a junky $20 filter, as that kind of defeats the purpose of buying a nice lens! I have this filter on my 24-105, and the coating on it is amazing. It can start raining, and after a min or 2, you won’t see anything on the lens… not spots, nothing! It cleans so well that maintenance alone is worth buying it. I should really get one for my 10-22 as well…
Vosonic 8390 160GB MP3, Video, photo dumper - They don’t make this version any more, so I linked the 8360. I guess the OLED screen on the 8390 was expensive and flaky on some units but mine has been awesome. This is one of my favorite devices, photography or otherwise. Each day on the road, I dump my 8GB card on to the 160GB drive for safe keeping. I actually have an older version as well, the 6230, that I also dump a second copy on that too. That way, if one of the devices goes hay-wire, I still have a copy of my pictures. This thing does everything–MP3’s, DIVX videos, pictures, long battery-life, it’s the best companion on trips. Forget any version of an iPod, this swiss-army knife is what you need.
Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash - This flash is excellent, but I don’t use it as much as I should. When loaded on the Rebel, it’s heavy and rather intimidating looking. You get some great results though, but only if you use a..Sto-fen Flash Diffuser - To tame the harshness of your flash, you need one of these. I’m annoyed that it’s $20, so the link is to a different, cheaper brand. It’s a piece of plastic so I’m sure it’s just as good!
Pro Optic Auto Extension Tube Set - Rather than get a macro lens, these 3 turn any of your other lenses into a macro lens (though it takes some work to figure out what works best). I’m not a big macro guy, so these are good enough for me.
Giottos Rocket Air Blaster - Sensor cleaning technology is great, but you still need to blow some air to clean out now and again. This goes with me and works wonders.
Gitzo G-1228 Mountaineer Reporter Mk2 Carbon Fiber Tripod - I got this used from Laurin Rinder in 2006, and it has worked quite well me. While it by no means is quick to deploy, it is about the sturdiest thing you can imagine. Have to love that carbon fiber. After you use a good tripod like this, you won’t believe how wobbly other tripods are in comparison.
Manfrotto 1441RCNAT 3030G Tripod Head - This thing is a little big and a little crazy, but gets the job done. It came w/ the tripod I got from Laurin, and I’ll probably get something else, but these things are expensive, and it’s working so no need to change it right now.
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