Use what you have, not what they say you need

Mike Sweeney

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I'm using a faux-Pro DSLR ( Nikon 7200) but with a 28-70 FX lens and the pop up flash :). The pros diss the pop up as useless, but it's just another light source and if you take the time to learn how to use it, it works well. That goes with the rest of the settings.

This was a "snapshot" taken at the Elementary school right after her awards and graduation up to 8th grade. Aperture mode at F4, with auto ISO and the shutter at 250 because of the flash. The exposure was +.7 but the flash was dialed back -1 stop. This gives a more natural look but with enough flash to fill in shadows and provide some pop[ without the vampire look.

I also had her turn her body slightly then bring the head back. Where I put her on the sidewalk was in shadow and I made sure no posts etc sticking out of her head :) The background is a wall mural the kids painted a few years back

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The pop up flash is far from useless. I've used it for many indoor shots where I originally thought I'd only be doing outdoor work but then we ended up with a few indoor shots.
 
There are many tools appropriate for any particular job, The best one, in my opinion, is the one you have at hand.

In many cases, the pop-up flash is plenty.

Before I forget, nice work on the "snapshot". A little planning an thought goes a long way.
A lot better result than some so-called "pros".....
 
A little OT but how do you like your 7200? I’ve had mine for about a week and in general like it a lot, but it seems to underexpose, at least when compared to the D5500 I was using. Have you had any issues with exposure?
 
A lot better result than some so-called "pros".....
Well, I was a pro for a while. I shot NASCAR and ads for clients like Johnny Rockets so I guess I was a pro ;) I didn't do weddings as a rule. Way too much drama for my taste but I would play the second shooter role for some trusted friends. I loved shooting portraits of all kinds. I used to butt heads ALOT with other pros over gear vs quality of picture. Also the whole myth of "getting it right in the camera". There was never "get it right in camera" even in film. We used to spend ( or the lab tech did) hours in the dark room getting the images "right" with push processing, contrast filters, different types of developer, different types of paper etc. I remember printing negs so thin they were pretty much transparent but with the right contrast filter and enough time in the enlarger, one could get a print if not perfect. This myth of getting it right when you are wasting 30 mins of a client's time when you could spend 5 mins in LR to correct the image is not business smart. It might stroke the ego but it doesn't pay the bills. Sorry for the soap box :)

I've added a few shots from my last NASCAR race at the AAA Autoclub Speedway here in California
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A little OT but how do you like your 7200? I’ve had mine for about a week and in general like it a lot, but it seems to underexpose, at least when compared to the D5500 I was using. Have you had any issues with exposure?
No, no exposure issues with it. But I find it to be noisier than I had expected which is why I ended getting a D750 after I bought the 7200. I do a lot of soccer shooting and I wanted the extra reach of the DX sensor with my FX lenses. That works but I wasn't happy with the noise at anything resembling a high ISO. My D750 while not as capable in the high ISO is a much cleaner image due to the FX sensor. Other than that, it's a fine camera. In this case, I picked it to get a bit of distance with my 28-70 FX which works out to be about 90mm ish with the crop. Its a lot smaller than my 70-200 and since I was in a crowd of parents like me, that was very useful :)
 
No, no exposure issues with it. But I find it to be noisier than I had expected which is why I ended getting a D750 after I bought the 7200. I do a lot of soccer shooting and I wanted the extra reach of the DX sensor with my FX lenses. That works but I wasn't happy with the noise at anything resembling a high ISO. My D750 while not as capable in the high ISO is a much cleaner image due to the FX sensor. Other than that, it's a fine camera. In this case, I picked it to get a bit of distance with my 28-70 FX which works out to be about 90mm ish with the crop. Its a lot smaller than my 70-200 and since I was in a crowd of parents like me, that was very useful :)

Thanks for the info. I actually considered the D750 (Nikon has some pretty good deals going on with it right now) but that would mean all new lenses, since my current lenses are DX. And I wasn't sure I wanted to jump in on that with the rumored pending new mount mirrorless announcement. Also I didn't like how all the AF points on the D750 are in the center of the image, but that's more of a nitpick.
 
I've had a mirrorless.. I got rid of it. Maybe I'm just old school but I really hate shooting with electronic viewfinders. I find them pretty obnoxious. The camera itself ( OMD) was really nice and really small. At some point, small cameras are more work to shoot with just because there isn't any mass work against when trying to hold it steady. It really depends on what you are doing at the time. I loved my Canon G12 for travel photography but I hated the ergonomic of the back. But it was small and took really good pictures in RAW. Now days, my iPhone is my goto camera for most stuff other than serious portraits and sports. That was my other complaint with the OMD, focusing was too damn slow for sports. But it was awesome with the 11mm ( 50mm roughly) lens which was razor sharp.
 
This is an iPhone macro shot I did :) The first panel is the straight out of camera. The 2nd is cleaned up in Photoshop. This shot was the result of a "Discussion" about needing macro lenses or not with a DSLR for wedding rings. I used it in my iPhone photography book to push the point of it's not the gear :)ring comparison.jpg
 
Long time ago I bought the latest greatest new camera on the market. it was game changing and it came with a 50mm lens. After a lot of snapshots and learning tome tricks I wanted to improve and started looking at all the accessories available around this camera. I was unable to afford any of it.
A good friend who was light years ahead of me once said if you cant afford the lenses you want then get down with the lense you have. He was sooo right.
I have many fantastic pictures and a reputation in the family as the photographer in the family. That was a long time ago and technology has greatly simplified the art. At the same time it has created levels of results unthought of back then. That camera for those interested was a Olympus OM1. I bought the first one the shop had. I went through three of them. Never went past the 50mm lens. It was all about focus, depth of field and light.
 
Which iPhone do you have?
That photo was taken with an iPhone 4S but I use a 7 now. I spent 6 month with an S7 and an iPhone 5S side by side and ended up sticking with the iPhone. It's a better fit for how I like to work with a phone :)
 
One thing that is different now is the easy availability of rental lenses and gear. I can rent a 400 mm F2.8 for about 150 for the weekend. I cannot afford the 4K the lens costs new. Before I bought the D750, i rented the body a few times at 100 bucks the weekend. It was worth every penny to make I wanted that body vs the D800 etc..
 
One thing that is different now is the easy availability of rental lenses and gear. I can rent a 400 mm F2.8 for about 150 for the weekend. I cannot afford the 4K the lens costs new. Before I bought the D750, i rented the body a few times at 100 bucks the weekend. It was worth every penny to make I wanted that body vs the D800 etc..
My last camera purchase was a D70. Came with two lenses in a retail kit. it was difficult for me to leave Olympus but I do not regret it. The options are amazing and I am only scratching the surface. I have not yet learned to use any software and just recently bought a Tamron 90 for Macro. The 18-75mm is already showing signs of use in it's focus and zoom. This is a pic I took with it when it was new. i do not believe I can duplicate it today with the exact gear.

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No big deal except the lense will not focus this close where the bug would fill the viewfinder. I was struck by the wings and eyes.
 
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