Hobbiest

[dpldpt]

Hi,

I have a wife, son, 2 english mastiffs, and more cacti than any human should. I'm a healthcare worker (physical therapist). Learning more about photography finding more excuses to get out and look more differently and more closely at the world around me has become a kind of stress relief. I'm excited to learn more in the forum here. a6400.

 

[Unframed Dave]

How many is too many?

Asking for a friend.

 

[dpldpt]

How many is too many?

Asking for a friend.

Just a couple more... Idk. >90 plants total. I ran out of shelf and window space in the house and had to start making hangers for the kitchen wall. Wife only barely approved.

Not pictured: all the cacti outside o. And on the shelves behind me.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Welcome!
The a6400 is a good camera to get you into the photography hobby, I'm at 3 years with mine and very happy.

Learning more about photography finding more excuses to get out and look more differently and more closely at the world around me has become a kind of stress relief.

So do I take it that scenery/landscape and macrophotography are your favorite genres?

 

[dpldpt]

Welcome!
The a6400 is a good camera to get you into the photography hobby, I'm at 3 years with mine and very happy.

So do I take it that scenery/landscape and macrophotography are your favorite genres?

Genres? Habitually macro and landscape/scenery. Though, with a 16 month old, my camera rolls and albums are pretty much baby Franklin.

I'm eager to learn new things. I'm learning more about composition. The equipment side of things is overstimulating as far as lenses go, and I don't even know where to start.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Genres? Habitually macro and landscape/scenery. Though, with a 16 month old, my camera rolls and albums are pretty much baby Franklin.

I'm eager to learn new things. I'm learning more about composition. The equipment side of things is overstimulating as far as lenses go, and I don't even know where to start.

I have a 12 week old daughter, so I understand the folders upon folders of baby pictures!

Composition is something I think we all strive to improve. There are books and youtube channels with excellent tips to get you started, Find a channel that features the type of landscape you want to photograph and see what they are doing. Just remember that the "composition rules" are really just guidelines AND at the end of the day, everyone has different tastes/opinions, so it really only matters if you like the shot you take.

As far as equipment goes... Yes, you are correct, it can be overwhelming because we are fortunate to have a plethora of lenses to choose from. I am guilty of spending too much money on lenses, and still wanting more! To avoid that spiral into overspending, maybe ask yourself why you think you need a new lens? As in: what purpose do I need the lens for, and therefore what specs are important to me?

Example: If you are dedicated to Macro, then what focal length works for you? 30mm? 60mm? 90mm? is that lens only going to be used for Macro, or do you want a jack of all trades? Do you care about autofocus? That thought process could be the difference between buying a Sony 30mm f3.5 Macro ($300), a 7artisans 60mm f2.8 macro ($130), or a Sony FE 90mm f2.8 macro G ($1100 !).

In my personal experience, I wanted to try macrophotography without investing heavily, so I just bought a $30 macro extension tube. This was a good move on my part because I now know I probably won't spend much time on Macro after all.

Here's an example of a bad move: I thought I wanted to start vlogging and needed a wider lens so I got the Sigma 16mm f1.4 after watching like 3 youtube videos... well that's $375 wasted because to this day it is one of my least used lenses.

Spend wisely, but have fun!

 

[Tim Mayo]

Welcome Denver and thank you for joining up here. Photography is a great tool for stress relief, unless you shoot weddings!

 

[dpldpt]

Welcome Denver and thank you for joining up here. Photography is a great tool for stress relief, unless you shoot weddings!

ha!

Thanks no thanks. Mostly I think I will just be taking photos wandering around in the woods.

 

[Jeff A]

Welcome Denver and thank you for joining up here. Photography is a great tool for stress relief, unless you shoot weddings!

I have thought that it would be an interesting career to be a photographer, with the exception of a Wedding Photographer. I can't imagine what it would be like if you screwed up a Wedding shoot and had to deal with an angry Bride when she learned that thje photos of her Wedding didn't turn out well. Actually, I can imagine that and I break out in a cold sweat!

 

[Tim Mayo]

I have thought that it would be an interesting career to be a photographer, with the exception of a Wedding Photographer. I can't imagine what it would be like if you screwed up a Wedding shoot and had to deal with an angry Bride when she learned that thje photos of her Wedding didn't turn out well. Actually, I can imagine that and I break out in a cold sweat!

I definitely couldn't deal with that pressure. Screwing up someones big day isn't something I'd like to be responsible for! If I did I'd be using multiple cameras, a backup photographer and backing up the photos throughout the day.