Thanks guys! Was just trying to help Inkeys out with the list
Feel free to add to it!
Sorry ZermattV thought it was! Hopefully will be up Adamski would like to see the car
I've been shooting for around 12 years now. Most of those pics were taken with a lowly 40D which I think cost me £600... then when I started making money bought a second because I liked it and easier with two bodies with two different lenses, used them for 4 years. Only in the last 3-4 years spent serious money on gear as its been a requirement, more lenses than bodies tho. In the last 2 years moved to full frame which is another learning curve as focal length is actual and depth of field is much smaller. Knowledge and practice is definitely the key as most of you know I'm completely obsessed, to the point of being a complete geek, that helps I think....
Many pros get away with using cheaper gear... its impossible to buy everything! Its such an investment and sometimes the high end glass isn't as big of an upgrade as the marketing people would make you believe, also a lot of lenses are quite specific and cost the earth so renting is a great way to get what you need at a fraction of the price. Put it this way a £90 50mm 1.8 is sharper than £1600 24-70mm at 50mm at F2.8... Many people think you need the best but if you know the limits, where the gear is good and bad you can get away with a lot. Best thing is to cover all basis, standard lens, wide angle, macro, telephoto and a nice prime for low light and awesome subject isolation. In time you do outgrow gear and hopefully by that time you have progressed to be able to take advantage of better gear. I suppose that comes with experience and if your not making money with gear it can make purchases a difficult decision.
Best tip is to take pictures... have a camera all the time with you. Be patient, get it wrong and learn and try and absorb as much info as you can, Its all about light, you can have the best gear in the world but if you dont have light or able to manipulate it its impossible. Knowing when to shoot, how the seasons effect light, where the sun is and how to control it. Now thats the hard bit and a bit of luck always helps but preparation is key. I have lots of apps on my phone which tells me where the sun will rise, time and place which helps you know where you need to be to get the light, weather, lunar activity, stars etc etc
Editing technique is key too, know your way around lightroom/photoshop makes the job easier. Shoot Raw and know the limit of the gear, how far you can push it through post helps you get to where you need to be without spending huge amounts of money on kit.
Oh and for car pics.. Get down on the ground, or on one knee. People thought I was mad lying down on the road at the meets.. for the best images you need to be at the level of the car, its perspective. Learn perspective if you take a pic of a car pointing the camera down the car looks inferior and distorted, also clever things like using longer lenses to compress perspective... could go on all day... sorry haha
