Best Digital SLR Camera

So what is the best digital SLR camera? From a personal view, you've got two choices. Of course there are many that will disagree with me. And, I'd have to say from time to time I disagree with me as well. Truth be known, amongst professionals it is always Canon versus Nikon.

Canon is known in the sports photography arena. They offer digital SLR's with high FPS (frames per second), meaning the high end cameras are at 8-10 FPS. Canon also is notorious (in a good way) of being first to the market with high quality lenses.

Nikon is the choice for landscape and portrait photographers. When it comes to lenses that are known for having clean glass, the choice is Nikon.

High School Sports Photography

A few years ago I was bored in my job. So to break out of the doldrums, on weekends I would pick up my camera and head off to a nature park or zoo. I actually found myself taking my camera to work from time to time and spent my lunch hour walking around the city of Chicago and just snapping away. Nothing beat having a digital SLR camera where you could take image after image and get rid of what you didn't want.

My nephew played high school baseball so I would sometimes rush to the ball field with my digital camera. I was always quiet when I took pictures. My thought was that you don't want to bother anyone so I pretty much kept to myself. However parents would seek me out as I had my 80-200mm or 300mm lens attached to the camera. At the end of the baseball season I presented my pictures to the team and I was surprised when I was asked if these images could be put in the sports yearbook. Of course I said yes.

Still bored at work, out of the blue I decided to contact photographers that were local to my area to see if they might have any work. I was invited for an interview by a photographer about five miles from my home and he asked that I bring a portfolio of my work. I scrambled to put something together. At the end of the interview, he said that he had a job for me as a high school sports photographer. I guess he took one look at the portfolio and realized that I was great with action pictures but couldn't shoot anything that was sitting still. So, he didn't want any team pictures (he said he would take care of that), just action shots. When taking youth sports pictures, there is usually what is termed T&I or team and individual pictures. Team meant the kids sitting still, so I was only on individual action shots.

So, a couple of days a week I would grab my Fuji S2 Pro (not nearly the quickest digital SLR at about 2 frames per second) as well as a few lenses and flash. I had a blast. Nothing like taking pictures of high school basketball one day, track the next day, mix that up with some wrestling and soccer, and my favorite sport, hockey. I had the long lenses and the wide open aperture lenses for indoor basketball. Maybe the best part of all is that even though I would have taken the pictures for free, I was paid well for my images.

A couple of years later I found myself taking pictures of the Chicago Blackhawks and talking to the players as they left the ice. Today, a few of those same players are competing for the Stanley Cup. If you've ever thought about changing your career or following your passion into photography while making good money at it, I don't think you will find a better time if you learn how to shoot sports photography.

Studio Lighting For Photography

When it comes to doing indoor photography, you want to make sure that you get the right studio lighting. In some shots you can get away with (and make good use of) natural light. In other instances, you want the full studio effect (you can spend good money on this or do it on the cheap). You may be shooting a portrait, model, food, jewelry, items for Ebay, etc...

The sun, when at full noon is often a harsh light. In studio photography, we want to create and then soften that light. That usually involves a strobe, umbrellas, reflectors, and softboxes. You may even want a filter or two to either soften the light or change the color. Please don't forget the correct background and um er willing subjects.

Now I've shot items for Ebay while using my own custom made box (shooting light through it while filtering with see through paper) and I've done the full studio lighting thing for models. Continuous lighting is better controlled and it may suit certain subjects better than others, like jewelry. When shooting portraits, you will be shooting from eye level or slightly above. You'll not only achieve a better end result with your portrait images but the catchlights (in the eyes) will have that fancy supermarket magazine look that you see.

The bottom line is this. Studio lighting for photography can make what would otherwise be a drab image, into one that you are proud of.  If you've ever thought of turning your passion into one that will put money in your pocket, I highly recommend this freelance photography guide!!!

Perfect Lighting For Photography

First of all, if you ask a professional photographer they will tell you that there never is perfect lighting for photography. The one exception you may hear is when that lighting is controlled. Photography requires a few skills to make your prints look professional. One part of making a print professional is that lighting. Lighting in photography takes a little planning and understanding of a few techniques. You best subject or object might not turn out that way if the proper light does not help to illumiate the area. Below are a few tips on using light to your advantage.





First you must decide if you will use artificial or sunlight. If you are using sunlight you will rely on the Kelvin scale to determine the temperature of light and therefore the color of light. You may also want to do a white balance check on your camera. Most digital SLR's today allow for white balance adjustment or correction. The color of light is important to maintaining the colors you see around you. For instance the warmer the light the more red/orange the light will be, thus you may need to pick the time you will go out and shoot photographs. Outdoor lighting offers so many different times to take pictures depending on your need. I personally like the first 2 hours the sun is up and the last hour or two before sunset.

Next a photographer needs to understand the sun’s color scale. Pictures tend to lead the viewer towards certain feelings; often softer colors evoke more emotion. So understanding the suns impact on the colors will help you find the correct time of day. The sun evokes blue hues in the morning hours, while closer to noon you will find more neutral colors. The neutral colors can take away some of the definition you want in your print. Knowing how you want the image to turn out will also help you determine when you wish to take the shot.

When using natural light you will need to work with the angle and direction of the sunlight. If the sunlight is broad and diffused you will have softer shadows while the more narrow the light is focused the more shadow you can create. Often at noon when the sun is in mid arc you lose definition of the subject. The subject could look grainy. This is why shadow is used; the shadows can give you more quality to the print if used correctly. This adds to the beauty of your pictures.

You can also modify sunlight through certain techniques. Modifying sunlight when taking portraits outdoors requires the use of a background or reflector. I personally have a reflector that is silver on one side and white/gold on the other side. At other times you may wish to diffuse the light. Come to think of it, even when you do not have the perfect lighting for photography, its amazing what you can do even when the sun is at full force if you have the right equipment (or make that equipment yourself). You may need to block the sun if it interferes with you or your subject’s sight. You might also bring in a white surface to fill the shadows. Landscape photography requires less work as compared to portraits. In fact using natural sunlight for landscape photography without modifications can yield you a better photograph.

Landscape photography uses nature to provide the light and shadows. This is why you need to understand the light scale and temperature. Time is the most important aspect of using sunlight. To understand natural lighting you need to understand the affects the sun will have at certain times of the day. When shooting portraits, you can always move around your subject to find the best angle with the sun.

Photography is an art that requires techniques and practice. Lighting is a major part of photography, especially when you are using natural light. Sunlight can bring plenty of shadows or take them away depending on the time of day. Photography is an interesting hobby and profession which when practiced properly will give you plenty of prints and gratifying moments which can be shared for a lifetime and beyond.

Whether photography is your passion or hobby, you owe it to yourself and family to take the best possible pictures that you can. You may simply want to take better images or make money doing something you love. This ebook can help with both.



Whether you are a professional or novice photographer, with the right knowledge and guidance, you can produce some exquisite pictures with the proper lighting. With this in mind, choose your lighting according to your needs and the needs of your subject or object. You may just find that you make the perfect lighting for your photography.