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My new tripod |
So in the autumn of 2016 a friend contacted me asking if I'd do a wedding shoot, she had told the potential bride and groom that I mainly do landscape photograph, and was only amateur, but she had also told them that the photos she had seen that I had taken were pretty good. The couple are not wealthy and could ill afford a professional photographer. Although I'd never done a wedding before I was prepared to give it a try. My friend passed on my details to the bride-to-be who then contacted me, and a meeting was arranged; my job then was to impress the couple with my online portfolio, and settle on a fee. It was my first wedding so I agreed that I would do the shoot for free, but they would have to pay for any prints, on the condition that if they were happy with the results and anyone asked who had taken the wedding photos they would pass my contact details on, and from then on I would charge a small fee. They were impressed with the photos in my portfolio so the deal was agreed.
At the meeting the most promising camera I had was my Fujifilm S1600 bridge camera as mentioned in my
previous post. Nevertheless they were happy about things and so it was agreed. The wedding was to take place the following April (2017).
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My latest camera, Canon EOS 1100D DSLR
attached to my easy access quick release shoulder strap |
Just a month before the big day I decided (while I had the funds) to purchase a 'proper' DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera; I'd been learning about manual settings, aperture priority and the like, so figured I could handle a DSLR. From the local 'Cex' I bought an entry level 12 megapixels
Canon EOS 1100D for £180 (my most costly purchase so far), my first DSLR; I then had just a month to figure out how to use it, so went out as much as possible with the new camera. With practice, trial and error over that month I figured I'd got to know my new kit well enough to unveil it at the wedding, so I did (although I also took along my Fujifilm S1600, just in case).
Nerves kicked in on the day (I thought they would) but I took it in my stride to the best of my ability. I'm pleased to say that both the bride and groom were delighted at what I did for them, pheww!
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My Lowepro kit bag and Andoer speedlight |
Of course, since that day my Canon EOS 1100D DSLR has been my go to camera for most situations, although I still extensively use the Fujifilm S1600 - I took it with me on a recent holiday to the Isle of Wight and used it all the time during the holiday/vacation; I chose not to take the Canon 1100D DSLR because of the bulk and the fear of it getting damaged. I tend to still carry my (now a couple of years in my possession) Fujifilm AV200 compact camera almost everywhere (it's compact and will comfortably fit in my pocket, man-bag, or in its pouch on my belt); it is still, in terms of megapixels, the most powerful camera I have.
What can I say about the Canon DSLR? It's great, I love it, and although it is only 'entry level' it does everything I want it to do and more. It will shoot in RAW and/or JPEG, and is also the best I've got for HD (high definition) video recording. It came with a standard 18-55 mm lens, but I also now have a 70-300 mm zoom lens for it which my Son bought me for my birthday (in May). I've since purchased a variable ND (neutral density) filter, a CPL (central polarising) filter, and a UV (ultra violet) filter for it. It also works well with my, previously purchased, Cokin P (square) filter kit. For the Canon DSLR I've also purchased an
Andoer speedlight flash (£29.99 amazon.co.uk) - but I've not used it yet,
remote and programmable shutter release (£11.99 amazon.co.uk) - I've not used that yet either, a
speedlight diffuser (£3.50 amazon.co.uk) - not yet used, and an
easy access quick release shoulder strap (£6.99 amazon.co.uk) which I use most of the time.
Apart from the wedding, my Canon's first major outing was a day trip to
Lincoln, where I took loads of good photographs with it; it's since been on a few day outings with me, and I still love it.
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My programmable remote shutter release and Hama DSLR camera holster |
I now also have a Lowepro camera kit shoulder bag (just £2 from a charity shop) in excellent condition that holds all my kit for the Canon DSLR (except a tripod). From another charity shop I paid £5 for a Hama DSLR camera holster which comfortably holds my Canon with it's 18-55 mm lens attached. Finally, and my most recent purchase (for £23.95 off amazon.co.uk) a
lightweight aluminium full size tripod (less weight than my old one, better locking also) which has a built in spirit level and came with an extremely useful carry bag, I just sling the bag over my shoulder and away I go.
That's about it for now, I'll update if there's anything new to tell you (although I'm unlikely to update at the time).