BUDGET Photography Gear SHOOTOUT | ft. FroKnowsPhoto Jared Polin | Ep 1
In this blog post, I am going to take you on a journey of the budget photography gear shootout. The idea behind this shootout is to see what happens when experienced photographers are given entry-level or outdated gear. I had the opportunity to participate in this shootout and it was an eye-opening experience that I wanted to share with you.
My first guest for the shootout was Jared Polin, also known as Fro Knows Photo. We both brought our own gear that we wouldn't normally use and went head-to-head with a model named Nikki. Jared brought his Nikon D1, D1h, and D1x, all of which were from 1999. The biggest challenge with using these cameras was the batteries, which were nickel metal hydride and had the potential to die after only 10 shots. He also had to work without a live view, which was a challenge in itself.
I decided to go with the Canon rebel t7 and a 50-millimeter 1.8 lens. The limitations of this camera include its autofocus capabilities, which are not as advanced as newer cameras. The lens, however, helped me create a nice soft background. I had to rely on live view a lot because that enabled face detection. The challenge of not being able to review the images immediately and having to use the old-school style of shooting was fun.
Throughout the shootout, we had to overcome challenges such as limited focusing points, misreadings due to light reflecting off of the snow, and not being able to see the images on a good screen. Despite these challenges, we were able to create beautiful images with the gear we had.
The takeaway from this experience is that it's not always about the gear you have, but the photographer behind it. With the right skills and a creative eye, beautiful images can be created even with entry-level or outdated gear.
As a candid photographer, I always aim to capture the true essence of my subjects. Recently, I had the opportunity to put my skills to the test with a friendly photography competition against a fellow photographer. Our subject was a beautiful model, Vanessa, and the challenge was to capture her in the most creative and beautiful way possible.
One of the things I like to do is play around with the background and foreground of my shots. For this competition, I decided to put Vanessa's head in the white space of the background, so that most of the background would be browner. I wanted to see if this technique would work out, and it did! It really helped to make Vanessa stand out in the photos.
Another technique I used was zooming in on the pictures. With a modern camera, you can zoom in on a picture without affecting the exposure. This helped me to focus on specific parts of Vanessa's face and body, making the shots more interesting and dynamic.
As I was taking the photos, I noticed that my fellow photographer was getting a little nervous that I would win the competition. But I just laughed it off and continued to take my shots. I knew that I was using all of my skills and experience to capture the best possible images.
After the shoot, I was able to take a look at the photos for the first time. I was impressed by how sharp and beautiful they were. I used a variety of ISO settings, including 200, 400, 800 and 1600, and I kept the aperture at f2. The camera I used was incredible, and I loved the feel of it in my hands.
One of the challenges I faced during the shoot was remembering to check my meter because looking through the optical viewfinder wasn't giving me an exact representation. But I was able to overcome this by switching to live view and letting the camera face track. This gave me a little bit of an advantage over my fellow photographer.
As I edited the photos, I had a lot of fun playing around with different settings and techniques. I enjoyed being able to edit the photos in my own unique style, and I didn't feel like I had to stick to a specific setting. In the end, I selected my favorite four photos as my final images.
Overall, the photography competition was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to capture Vanessa in the most beautiful and creative way possible. If you're interested in seeing the final images, be sure to check out the comments section below and let us know which one is your favorite. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss a thing!
