Archive for February, 2008
It’s Never too Late to Start Photography
February 22nd, 2008 | 
Author: This is a great article on the joys and pleasures of photography … at any age!
Photography might be a popular pastime and a crowded profession but each photographer brings something unique to the camera. That could be something as simple as an exotic location and as rare as specialized knowledge of an esoteric topic.
But it could also be a lifetime of experience that affects the way the photographer sees the world — and how they express what they see too.
That’s particularly true for people who take up photography late in life. They might not have decades of playing with light and handling equipment to draw on, but old-new photographers do have maturity, confidence, and perhaps most important of all, the time and patience to learn.
“When it comes to appreciation, critique or interpretation of a photo, the seniors can be expected to have a balanced point of view,” says Kamala Lakshminarayanan, a retired school principal in India, and a member of Flickr’s Senior Moments, a group for photographers aged over 50.
“Also they can be expected to bring out good photographs because of their experience and practical observation of the world around.”
For Kamala, an interest in photography began in 2002 when her daughter gave her an Olympus digital camera. She joined Flickr, learned the basics, discovered how to appreciate good photography and found that her new knowledge increased her passion for the subject.
Like many photographers, she says that she shoots anything that appeals to her, particularly sunrises and sunsets, flowers and animals. But being in India also gives her access to colorful festivals and ornate temples to practice her new skills.
And by using a digital camera, the penalty for the mistakes made during that practice is now low while the rewards for a good image cost little too. Both of those can be important considerations for retiree photographers:
We can afford to experiment with digital photography as not much cost is involved and we can edit or print photos by ourselves using a computer and printer.
It’s that freedom to practice freely during the days after retirement without worrying about the expenses that can really make a difference to a photographer’s development. Says Julie Kertesz, a 73-year-old photographer now living in France:
I love the change from film to digital: I was taking too many pictures even before and [it] cost me too much… [W]hen I bought tentatively my first Sony 3-megapixel cybershot [in 2002], my life was transformed.
Julie took 10,000 pictures in her first year with a digital camera, has been active on Flickr since it was in Beta and has been blogging about her experiences in photography for almost three years. She also runs the !Afterclass! group on Flickr which over the last nineteen months has collected over 2,100 members who take it in turns to set new challenges, lead masterclasses and explore monthly themes.
“The group is my main work now,” Julie says, “other than blogging and being a grandmother.”
Julie’s blog is fittingly called “Il y a de la vie après 70 ans” (“There is Life after 70”) and in addition to writing, shooting and playing with the grandkids, she still travels extensively. Last year, Julie visited Morocco, Ireland and her native Romania, creating plenty more chances to try out new photographic techniques.
Interestingly, many of the images in Julie’s photo stream are of other senior citizens, including one short series of a 90-year old. It’s possible that being closer in age to the subject creates a better rapport, helps the subject to open up and leads to a better image. It’s equally possible that it’s hard for younger people to refuse a camera-wielding grandmother. It’s no surprise then that Julie says that portraiture is her favorite genre and runs another group called “Never too old to enjoy life” which she describes as being “all about people.”
Of course, the relationship between photography and senior citizens flows both ways. While seniors are able to bring time, a novel view and a willingness to experiment to photography, practicing the art can affect them too — and perhaps create a new opportunity:
“I look differently at the world now after taking up photography and learning from different teachers and pictures on flickr (and books too),” says Julie. “Today my 7-year old grandson told me, ‘Mamie, you should become a professional photographer.’”
It’s Never too Late to Start Photography
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Marketing: The Flickr Way
When I first started thinking about selling my photos online, I was considering using this blog and my SmugMug site as the focal points of my online marketing efforts. I figured Flickr would stay in the background because I couldn’t sell photos there and, unless I changed my settings, people could download them or “blog” them for free. Then I woke up. Flickr is the ultimate photographer’s network! How could Flickr not be used by the aspiring professional photographer?
So I started thinking of how I could use Flickr to market my own photography. After a year and a half of browsing through Flickr and uploading almost 3,000 photos, here are a few things I came up with…
NOTE: Some of these things I’ve done, others I have yet to do… Your mileage may vary.
JOIN Flickr!
This may seem like a no-brainer but, over the last few months of browsing photo blogs I’m astonished at how many new photographers don’t appear to have a Flickr account. I’m not saying it’s impossible to build a photo business without it, but when you can get an account for free and a pro account for only $25, why wouldn’t you? It’s arguably the best (and most engaging) way to get eyeballs on your work. All you need is a Yahoo! account. Go now.
New Nikon D60 digital SLR camera
Nikon introduced the new D60 digital SLR camera, which provides consumers with stunning picture quality and versatility in an easy-to-use, compact camera design. The D60 joins Nikon’s award-winning line of D-series digital SLR cameras and shares a form factor similar to the D40 – Nikon’s smallest D-SLR camera ever. With 10.2 effective megapixels and a wealth of innovative and user-friendly features, the D60 enables both photo enthusiasts and those new to digital SLR photography to capture incredible images like never before.
D60 Digital SLR w/AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR – Just Announced – Place your Pre-Order Now!
“The Nikon D60 makes stepping up to digital SLR photography easy for anyone, but is also a wonderful choice for photo enthusiasts looking for remarkable performance in a compact package,” said Edward Fasano, general manager for marketing, SLR System Products at Nikon, Inc. “This model, like the wildly popular Nikon D40, greatly simplifies use and builds confidence in the user. With a host of innovative features, such as a visually intuitive LCD information display, Nikon’s highly regarded EXPEED image processing concept, new dual dust reduction countermeasures, in-camera editing tools and exciting creative options, the D60 enhances the picture-taking experience for picture-takers of all skill levels.”
Nikon D60
Nikon D60
Users will immediately appreciate the D60’s fast 0.18-second start-up time and split-second shutter response, which combine to eliminate the frustration of shooting lag – a common issue with many point-and-shoot digital cameras. With a fast and accurate autofocus and the ability to shoot continuously at up to three pictures-per-second, the D60 faithfully captures pictures that other cameras often miss. The D60 does all this while delivering extraordinarily vivid and detailed pictures, ensuring that fleeting expressions, special moments and memorable events are captured beautifully.
Nikon D60
Nikon D60
Packaged with Nikon’s new AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR image stabilization lens, the D60 camera and lens outfit delivers striking image sharpness. What’s more, Nikon’s proprietary VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization technology also dramatically reduces blur caused when shooting handheld pictures, especially in low light.
The camera’s 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor delivers crisp, high-resolution images with astounding color and clarity, while Nikon’s advanced 3-D Color Matrix Metering II ensures that images are exposed beautifully and automatically, even in challenging lighting conditions. Additionally, Nikon’s new digital image processing concept, EXPEED, delivers smooth tones and accurate color for vibrant pictures and flattering portraits.
Nikon D60
The D60 also offers consumers comprehensive in-camera functionality, such as Active D-lighting. Through this innovative Nikon feature, the camera can, with the option selected, further optimize shadow and highlight detail—as pictures are taken. Shots that once required adjustment with photo editing software can now go straight to the printer, bypassing the computer altogether.
For added fun and creativity while reducing or helping to eliminate time spent manipulating pictures later, the D60’s In-camera Retouch Menu enables users to accomplish a wide variety of tasks without a computer. The D60 offers new in-camera editing capabilities, including adjustable cross-screen star effects, color-intensifying filters as well as D-lighting, Red-eye correction, Image Trim and more. The D60’s Stop-Motion Movie mode is a D-SLR first that enables users to create stop-animation movie clips from a series of as many as 100 consecutive JPEG picture files. More experienced photographers will also enjoy shooting in the lossless NEF (RAW) format, and then adjusting image parameters, such as size, format, and white balance, all within the camera.
Nikon D60
While many cameras now feature a dust cleaning function, the D60 takes this idea one step further. In addition to offering an Image Sensor Cleaning function that quickly and silently shakes off specks of image degrading dust, the camera also minimizes the dust that can come into contact with the sensor through a unique Airflow Control System. This design works to channel particles away from the sensor with every click of the shutter, resulting in even further reduction of dust particles and the spots they can leave on pictures.
Ergonomically designed with intuitively placed controls, the D60 is a camera that’s compact and ready to go wherever life leads. It also features a new power conserving Eye Sensor that turns the big 2.5-inch color LCD monitor on and off automatically when the user alternates between taking pictures and reviewing camera settings.
A customizable LCD monitor user interface rounds out the D60’s convenient features, as users can create their own wallpapers and adjust color settings to adapt to their preferences. The D60’s design also supports Eye-Fi memory card functionality, enabling the convenient wireless transfer of images from the D60 to a computer, when using Eye-Fi memory cards.* Additionally, photos can be securely written to readily available SD cards, high-capacity SDHC cards and Eye-Fi memory cards, offering users a range of data storage options.
The D60 will be packaged with the 3x zoom AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens and will be available throughout the United States beginning in February 2008. Pricing information will be available approximately 30 days prior to sales availability. For more information, please visit www.nikonusa.com.
