Essential The Official Photography Thread

[Kilgore Trout]

man im tempted to buy it just for the eye focusing alone. ive tried it, its ridiculous. your cousin is probably giving you good advice, Sony came thru hard.
but it does at least make sense to wait and see what the Nikon/Canon competitors will offer. If theres no eye focus though, im out.

watch this video

That guy with the fedora is paid by sony so take what he says with a grain of salt.

a SONY A7 r3 is most likely my next camera tho.....

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

The Sony A7iii outperforms the A7Riii for video and in low light situations. If you're not copping the A7Riii for the 42MPs for still photography, you might as well give the A7iii a look... it's 1000 cheaper, has more focus points, and it's the better video camera.

That's good to know thanks.
And yeah, the capability to take great stills is important to me.
That's why I had mentioned the Canon 1DX MKii.
The stills I've taken with the GH5 have been lackluster to me. (The video is in a class of its own though).
I'd like a body that takes very clean low light video and great stills.
I'm not completely against having 3 cameras (One for video use in good lighting - The GH5, One for low light video, and One for stills) if I have to, but if I can do it with 2 that would be better of course.

 

[Majestyx]

Just a side note for anyone trying to make money from their photography: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF NETWORKING!
The best paying gigs I've gotten have been through personal contacts. In person I'm very much so an introvert.
I'm not socially awkward, but I prefer being alone than being around others. As I reflected on my past jobs, I realized that the highest paying positions don't necessarily go to the most skilled people, they usually go to the "talkers"; the people that can step up, speak clearly, energetically, and inspire confidence. Recognizing that, I started to really look at the small circle of people I associated myself with and found a few people that are really outgoing and were down to put in the leg work of getting a company off the ground. My LLC is a formal partnership between myself and an old friend from middle school.
I handle all of the official paper work and contract negotiations but when it comes to introductions and all the high energy "people person" talk, I fall back and let my business partner take the lead. Basically if you have the skills, and the passion, but don't necessarily have a very outgoing personality, it's OK. Just make sure you have people around you that have the skills you don't have so that when you work together your skills complement each other instead of causing you to clash. I see way too many people with huge dreams trying to accomplish everything alone. Self awareness is key. I haven't made it to where I want to be in business but I'm slowly seeing the results of my hard work.

I feel you 100% i'm trying to find a partner right now i do not like talking to people. far from socially awkward, i just prefer to do work, take photos, design draw shyt. After reading this one book, i def need to find a manager/partner or some shyt to go handle all that talking shyt. ALLLLL my dope jobs are from networking. aint shyt came from submitting a resume or applying to a position.

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

I feel you 100% i'm trying to find a partner right now i do not like talking to people. far from socially awkward, i just prefer to do work, take photos, design draw shyt. After reading this one book, i def need to find a manager/partner or some shyt to go handle all that talking shyt. ALLLLL my dope jobs are from networking. aint shyt came from submitting a resume or applying to a position.

I go on instagram and search hashtags that have to do with my city.
Then I look for people/businesses that I think would be interested in videos and I hit them up through DM.
It's been about a 50/50 return rate for me. No big jobs yet but a few have been $150 - $250.
I just keep my mind on building a portfolio. I'm not gonna worry about the money for real until this becomes a full time job for me.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Got a BIG meeting tomorrow


this is (koven/spinoza) by the way

 

[GoldenGlove]

Got a BIG meeting tomorrow


this is (koven/spinoza) by the way

We know breh... what happened to your other account tho?

 

[GoldenGlove]

I go on instagram and search hashtags that have to do with my city.
Then I look for people/businesses that I think would be interested in videos and I hit them up through DM.
It's been about a 50/50 return rate for me. No big jobs yet but a few have been $150 - $250.
I just keep my mind on building a portfolio. I'm not gonna worry about the money for real until this becomes a full time job for me.

Same thing I'm in the process of doing. I'm working on a few projects with people within my own network right now for a web-series that I'm going to produce. Goal is to have like 4 to 5 episodes done before we drop 1. I try and reach out to someone that I know everyday... if I don't, then I'm in the lab creating something that's some form of branding/promotion for myself and my business.

 

[BlackXCL]

Nikon mirrorless camera announcement confirmed for August 23rd | Nikon Rumors

Nvm about that Sony A7iii, gonna wait to see what Nikon has up its sleeve.

They're announcing their own full frame mirrorless Aug 23.

 

[PimpHandStrong]

Just a side note for anyone trying to make money from their photography: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF NETWORKING!
The best paying gigs I've gotten have been through personal contacts. In person I'm very much so an introvert.
I'm not socially awkward, but I prefer being alone than being around others. As I reflected on my past jobs, I realized that the highest paying positions don't necessarily go to the most skilled people, they usually go to the "talkers"; the people that can step up, speak clearly, energetically, and inspire confidence. Recognizing that, I started to really look at the small circle of people I associated myself with and found a few people that are really outgoing and were down to put in the leg work of getting a company off the ground. My LLC is a formal partnership between myself and an old friend from middle school.
I handle all of the official paper work and contract negotiations but when it comes to introductions and all the high energy "people person" talk, I fall back and let my business partner take the lead. Basically if you have the skills, and the passion, but don't necessarily have a very outgoing personality, it's OK. Just make sure you have people around you that have the skills you don't have so that when you work together your skills complement each other instead of causing you to clash. I see way too many people with huge dreams trying to accomplish everything alone. Self awareness is key. I haven't made it to where I want to be in business but I'm slowly seeing the results of my hard work.

Love this bruh, solid advice here. Me and a homie just started a commercial drone business and I didn't even realize it but he's definitely more of a people person than me for sure. And my strong suit is more on the creative side.

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

Love this bruh, solid advice here. Me and a homie just started a commercial drone business and I didn't even realize it but he's definitely more of a people person than me for sure. And my strong suit is more on the creative side.

You get you FAA Part 107 license yet?
My business partner has his and out where we live it's a pain to fly the drone legally.
So much of this area is restricted airspace. (Virginia Beach = Heavy military area. You could be anywhere in the adjacent cities and still be 15 minutes from an airport or military base).
For us, it's almost pointless to have the drone, and this area is fully of free lancers trying to get their foot in the door by any means.
They're destroying the market out here. A lot of people look at you crazy if you quote them more than $150 for a video.
There's so many people trying to build a name for themselves that they go out there and do work practically for free.
What they don't realize is that, that isn't a sustainable business model in the long run. So what we see happen is, someone spends a few hundred on equipment, goes out there and does work for dirt cheap, and then gives up a few months later, or starts to slack off on the edit work because they eventually find themselves unhappy barely making any money.
By then though, the local customers have gotten used to dirt cheap prices and believe 100% that, that is the real cost of quality content.

I say all that to say; with those drone shoots out here, people really try to hit you with absurd budgets. I'm talking $25 - $50 and that's it.
The realty market out here is the worst. Some of the biggest agencies out here only pay $125 for full video walk throughs, including 25 still shots, and you have to upload the video to their system yourself.

 

[GoldenGlove]

You get you FAA Part 107 license yet?
My business partner has his and out where we live it's a pain to fly the drone legally.
So much of this area is restricted airspace. (Virginia Beach = Heavy military area. You could be anywhere in the adjacent cities and still be 15 minutes from an airport or military base).
For us, it's almost pointless to have the drone, and this area is fully of free lancers trying to get their foot in the door by any means.
They're destroying the market out here. A lot of people look at you crazy if you quote them more than $150 for a video.
There's so many people trying to build a name for themselves that they go out there and do work practically for free.
What they don't realize is that, that isn't a sustainable business model in the long run. So what we see happen is, someone spends a few hundred on equipment, goes out there and does work for dirt cheap, and then gives up a few months later, or starts to slack off on the edit work because they eventually find themselves unhappy barely making any money.
By then though, the local customers have gotten used to dirt cheap prices and believe 100% that, that is the real cost of quality content.

I say all that to say; with those drone shoots out here, people really try to hit you with absurd budgets. I'm talking $25 - $50 and that's it.
The realty market out here is the worst. Some of the biggest agencies out here only pay $125 for full video walk throughs, including 25 still shots, and you have to upload the video to their system yourself.

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

Exactly. But it's those hobbyists that swear they want to make a living out of this that take bottom of the barrel prices and destroy the market.
It's crazy how many jobs I've had to walk away from because the customer tells me that they know a person that will do the video for $100 - $150.
The funny thing is that they never become repeat customers because at that price the quality is amateur as hell.
I run into a lot of people that think they can put together what we do with their own iphones. It's nuts.
That's why I take my portfolio serious and avoid the dirt cheap prices.
I'd rather due the gig 100% for free instead of charging something close to nothing.

 

[FruitOfTheVale]

Exactly. But it's those hobbyists that swear they want to make a living out of this that take bottom of the barrel prices and destroy the market.
It's crazy how many jobs I've had to walk away from because the customer tells me that they know a person that will do the video for $100 - $150.
The funny thing is that they never become repeat customers because at that price the quality is amateur as hell.
I run into a lot of people that think they can put together what we do with their own iphones. It's nuts.
That's why I take my portfolio serious and avoid the dirt cheap prices.
I'd rather due the gig 100% for free instead of charging something close to nothing.

Real spit

 

[FruitOfTheVale]

Nikon mirrorless camera announcement confirmed for August 23rd | Nikon Rumors

Nvm about that Sony A7iii, gonna wait to see what Nikon has up its sleeve.

They're announcing their own full frame mirrorless Aug 23.

 

[GoldenGlove]

Exactly. But it's those hobbyists that swear they want to make a living out of this that take bottom of the barrel prices and destroy the market.
It's crazy how many jobs I've had to walk away from because the customer tells me that they know a person that will do the video for $100 - $150.
The funny thing is that they never become repeat customers because at that price the quality is amateur as hell.
I run into a lot of people that think they can put together what we do with their own iphones. It's nuts.
That's why I take my portfolio serious and avoid the dirt cheap prices.
I'd rather due the gig 100% for free instead of charging something close to nothing.

You get to a point where you know what you're comfortable working for.

It's also 100% fine telling someone that they can't afford you.

"Just set the price on nikkas and live your life my nikka" - Hov

No point of stressing over some shytty job that isn't paying nothing and won't be a good look for you in your portfolio to begin with. I had a situation earlier this month where I had to tell this lady that she isn't getting all what she asking for with that weak ass budget. I didn't say it like that, but in so many ways, I was like, "nah".