New here and going to become a Pro

[SuperSally]

Hi everyone. My name is Sally and I just joined. I was at a family Easter lunch yesterday and took a heap of photos with my phone. Last night I put some of them on facebook and family and friends tell me that I am a good photographer, so I have decided to go and buy a professional camera and start charging. To start with I would only be charging family and friends with cheap prices till I got used to using my new camera. I have a budget of about $500.00.

I need a good professional camera, that takes great photographs that I could sell. As I don't know how to use a camera very well, I would want one that is automatic, that does all the work for me.

Also one of my friends from school is getting married next month, and I have asked him if I get the camera soon, can I be their photographer. They said they already have a photographer, but I want to do it for them instead, as a wedding present. How do I convince them that they should use me?

thanks for reading and I hope I get some replies as I want to go and buy my camera this afternoon.

[ricktas]

Hi Sally, welcome to AP

There is a lot more to becoming a Pro than buying an ENTRY LEVEL DSLR. I think you need to do your research into professional photography, rather than researching a $500 camera. I suggest you consider getting your camera and then when you have 3-4 years experience, skills and knowledge, only then should you even consider becoming a professional photographer.

And DO NOT shoot your friends wedding, leave that to the REAL professional.

[geoffsta]

Gotta be April the first...... Didn't you Ricktas want to sell AP this time last year..... Hmmmm. No offers as yet?

[SuperSally]

Gotta be April the first...... Didn't you Ricktas want to sell AP this time last year..... Hmmmm. No offers as yet?

Excuse me?

and ricktas, thank you. But I do not want to wait. I want to start earning money from my photographs as soon as possible.

[zollo]

LoL welcome to AP and that's a great introllduction

[Mathy]

Welcome to AP Sally, errrrr, about buying your camera - it's Easter Monday and the shops are shut

[Wayne]

Hi Sally,

I admire your enthusiasm, particularly on this holiday Monday. I have a camera that does everything you would want. I found myself in a similar situation to yourself, I wanted to become professional and start making a few $ from something I enjoyed, and something everyone kept telling me I was good at.

We aren't allowed to buy/sell goods on the forum, but if you look on one of the most popular camera classifieds sites, I am selling my Nikon D4 for $550. I know it is $50 over your budget, but it truly is a professional camera that can do everything you are capable of asking from it and more.

Best of luck

[William]

Forget it !! Get a real job , Seriously I'd keep on taking and learning to take good pictures on your phone, Post them on Facebook to get some real feedback from friends, Other than family of cause , Take heaps of shots till you annoy all your friends and after a couple of weeks you should be ready to go Pro, At least wait till you upgrade your Phone till you try a wedding , Good luck with your new business venture

[Kym]

Assuming its not an April 1st joke...

& Welcome
- lets see some photos in the main CC forums maybe try a competition or 2 and have fun!

BUT! If this is to have us on...

I need a good professional camera, that takes great photographs that I could sell. As I don't know how to use a camera very well, I would want one that is automatic, that does all the work for me.

<snip>

thanks for reading and I hope I get some replies as I want to go and buy my camera this afternoon.

Oi vay!! YOU take the good photo's not the camera!!!! It's all about the 'togs skill not the gear.

[aussie girl]

Hi Sally. I admire your enthusiasm, and I am not sure if this is an April Fools prank or not. I have had my camera for about 4 years and still cannot figure out a lot of it. And just having the camera on AUTO will not guarantee perfect photos - Trust Me!!!!! As for you taking your friends wedding, honestly, if you were any sort of friend, you would not even suggest it. This is the most important day of their lives and they need to ensure that they have excellent wedding photos to cherish for years to come. Just think of how disappointed they will be if yours turn out blurry, over exposed, or too dark. Many years ago when we got married, on a very tight budget, the caterer offered the name of a photographer to shoot our wedding. Our photos came out "reasonable" but I often wonder how much better they would have been if I had taken the time to go and look at other photographers work. Our wedding was in the late afternoon in March before day light savings, so the photos had a bit of a yellow "sun setting" glow about them and by the time we got to the local council chambers gardens for photos it was starting to get a bit dim, so we were lucky to get photos as good as we did. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and the last thing you want is to have your friends regretting their photos.
My ex son in law got married and my brother in law made a suggestion of taking a video of the wedding for them. It went to his head and he was sprouting on for days about what he was going to do and how he was thinking of filming it etc etc etc. On the day I lent him my tripod, thinking that he would set the camera up in a prime position and film the happy event. I wish I had kept my mouth shut and kept my tripod to myself and done exactly that, ie set my camera up and left it running. He started off with his video camera on the tripod and within no time he had taken it off the tripod and was moving around, crouching down, walking around trying to get zoomed in on stuff, what a total tosser. Never did see the end results of his effort. But I did get video of the wedding after standing as still as I could trying to handhold my video camera.
as Rick said - leave the wedding to the professional
and if this is a prank, then happy April Fool's

[Kym]

Welcome to AP Sally, errrrr, about buying your camera - it's Easter Monday and the shops are shut

Shops are open in out CBD today

[Ionica]

" But I do not want to wait. I want to start earning money from my photographs as soon as possible."
Join the queue.

[paulheath]

lol , love it.. 100% april fools......how do i know........... what school kid uses such accurate punctuation? i mean come on , there are no "m8" or "wht" or even a "lol" so well done sally and happy april fools day

p.s i have a great 5dmiii with 24-70L and canon speedlite 580ii yours for $501

[aussie girl]

p.s i have a great 5dmiii with 24-70L and canon speedlite 580ii yours for $501

Now come on Paul - you KNOW that is over the budget, stop teasing her

[fillum]

Welcome Sally, I like your enthusiasm.

I'd suggest you look at getting a Pentax, for the following reasons...

- they are probably the 3rd or 4th best of the major brands
- there are less lens and accessory options than other leading brands so you won't find yourself tempted to buy extra stuff
- and most importantly, it's almost impossible to sell used. So when you hit that 'slump' that all pros go through, you will still have your gear 6 or 12 months later when you get your 'mojo' back

To get up to speed on the wedding thing check out Derek Pye (The World's Greatest Living Wedding Photographer). If you can learn to 'Schindler' you'll pretty much have it made.


Good luck...

[Cage]

Hi Super Sally and welcome to AP.

Don't be deterred by the seemingly negative comments above. With a name like yours, you can leap negativism in a single bound.

You appear to have lots of enthusiasm and determination, and the fact that you are prepared to do work on the cheap for family and friends shows a keen appreciation of the need to create a base of satisfied customers.

Now as for gear, you are on the right track. You will need a professional camera straight up. You won't need to start with any entry level stuff because you can leap right over the learning process.

I'm sure you will be thinking either Canon or Nikon, possibly Canon, because that brand will produce photos close to the level you have achieved with your mobile phone.

The 5D MkIII would be a good starting point for you, and I'd suggest something like a 24-70mm f2.8 as a basic start-up lens. I'm sure you will already know why you will need big apertures, and indeed what apertures actually are. And of course you will need an off-camera flash. Oh, and a very stable tripod and head will help as I'm sure you won't want to be delivering blurred formal images to the bride and groom.

Now that adds up to just a tad over your $500.00 budget but hey, that's only a minor obstacle. You're probably already at Hardly Normals crunching an April 1 deal.

Good luck, and remember to look before you leap.

[SuperSally]

thank you to those people how gave me some good advice. I have been looking at the forums and there are some amazing photographers here. I cannot wait to get my camera and show you how good I am.

[arthurking83]

LOL! ... if this isn't a joke, then you better be prepared for a bit of a shock!

..... I was at a family Easter lunch yesterday and took a heap of photos with my phone. Last night I put some of them on facebook and family and friends tell me that I am a good photographer, so I have decided to go and buy a professional camera and start charging.

..... I have a budget of about $500.00.

I need a good professional camera, that takes great photographs that I could sell. As I don't know how to use a camera very well, I would want one that is automatic, that does all the work for me.

.......

...... But I do not want to wait. I want to start earning money from my photographs as soon as possible.

1. Family always say these things!
2. Family want professional level photos for nothing
3. Family (in general) have very little idea of what constitutes great photos
4. $500 will possibly get you one external flash to help you along the way
5. what about lenses? .. never mind the low cost of the camera.
6. what about memory cards .. cameras are pretty useless without them .. and you'll need more than a few.
7. as you may have read from the majority of the comments already made in this thread ..... good luck with your dream.
8. there's no denying that people have the right to aspire to greater things, and there's no doubt that you have that in your favour.
9. forget the notion of acquiring a professional camera and the multi thousand dollar investment required!
10. get a better phone!

[Cage]

Gee Artie, your reply is not up to your usual standard, only ten lines, or eleven counting the intro.

C'mon mate, don't be mean spirited.

- - - Updated - - -

thank you to those people how gave me some good advice. I have been looking at the forums and there are some amazing photographers here. I cannot wait to get my camera and show you how good I am.

'Onya Super Sal.

I'm sure I speak for all AP members when I say "Neither can I".

[geoffsta]

Check two online dots after username.... Rick seems to be offline when supersally is online. Is Rick cross dressing.. Hope it's a mini... No I don't. scary thought