Nikon D300s/Tamron 28-75 f/2.8(Deal?)

[Superdrew06]

New to taking photo's and I was looking to purchase this combination of Camera and lens, Is this a good combo to start taking professional pictures?

[tukaniray]

Yuppers. Its a good set for Portraits. Not really for sports.

What type of shooting will you be getting into?

And welcome to TPF!!!

-Ray-

[Superdrew06]

Originally Posted by tukaniray

Yuppers. Its a good set for Portraits. Not really for sports.

What type of shooting will you be getting into?

And welcome to TPF!!!

-Ray-

Thanks! I'm looking to do mostly portrait type work. Such as children, babies, model portfolio's and maternity pics.

[WarrenG]

Andrew, I have a couple second shooters who use the Tamron. It seems to give a lot of bang for the buck. You might also think about picking up a 50 1.8 if your looking to stay thrifty... should work well for you with what you want to do.

[Tom]

The only advice I can give is to actually learn photography before you try to be a professional photographer. Otherwise, you are really setting yourself up for disappointment and failure.

[Superdrew06]

I plan on taking some classes so that I really have a god idea what I'm doing.

[Superdrew06]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Andrew, I have a couple second shooters who use the Tamron. It seems to give a lot of bang for the buck. You might also think about picking up a 50 1.8 if your looking to stay thrifty... should work well for you with what you want to do.

What kind of Camera do you use?

[jeffclow]

Both are good products.....but what makes a photo a "professional picture" (to use your term) is not the camera, nor the lens - it's the person behind both.

Some of my best selling shots were taken with a 6.0 megapixel entry level DSLR with a "kit" lens, so don't put too much faith in your equipment being the difference maker between "taking pictures" and "taking professional pictures".

Good lenses and good camera bodies are a part of the process, but use of composition, light and an understanding of what makes a photo stand out amongst hundreds of similar photos is the really important thing.

Welcome to TPF, Andrew - glad you are here. There are LOTS of good threads that will help you get better at your craft.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Superdrew06

I plan on taking some classes so that I really have a god idea what I'm doing.

Good to hear. A lot of new photographer put the cart before the horse and want to go in to be a professional photographer thinking it would be easy and a lot of fun. There is years worth of stuff to really learn between exposure, lighting, composition and post - not to mention the most difficult thing - the business, account and marketing aspect.

Getting caught up in making it a business when you really don't understand photography really causes a lot of new photographers to burn out quickly. We see it all the time on this forum.

Don't worry about the professional/business aspect. Just have fun with it, and your chance of succeeding is greatly improved. The more you learn about photography, the more you are going to learn what you don't know. There is a ton more to it than most (including me) suspect when they first start.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by Superdrew06

What kind of Camera do you use?

Andrew,

I have (2) D300's (1) D200, and I just purchased a D700.

*Edit to add: there is a ton of great information on this forum if you take the time to read through everything. I will echo what many have said.... you can do a lot with very little if you have the technical fundamentals down.

W

[Superdrew06]

Thanks everyone, Do you any of you suggest a place to take classes? And are there places to buy used camera's or equipment such as lights and back drops?

[Daniel W.]

Warning: I'm an amatuer grammarian. But you do get points for not spelling "professional" with two "f's"

Places like KEH.com have used cameras (no possessive apostrophe) have used cameras, and occasionally lights of varying quality, but I would recommend taking a class before taking any money out of your wallet. Many classes don't require you to have a big camera and the teacher/professor will often times make a recommendation if you're intent on buying a camera at the beginning of the class.

I know plenty of folks who think, "free time + photography class = portraits = money." Unfortunately, this is rarely true, however they do end up finding that they enjoy some other genre of photography (sports, nature, macro...)