Making a Camera Pay For Itself
How do you justify buying a Canon 5d Mk2? Not only to yourself but, most importantly, to your other half.
How about arguing that it will pay for itself. Consider an average trip to Venture Photography can set you back a couple of grand then, if you could produce something similar to what they do, you've broke even. Right?
The three shots above I took last week on the 5d. I then tweaked them in Adobe Lightroom 4 and had my friend/neighbour who's a professional photographer and owner of a pro-grade printer print them out. Quick trip to The Range to get some cheapo frames and the job's done. Total cost 15 pounds.
The argument is flawed in our case though as we'd never go to Venture nor pay their prices. But, hey, if it helps me feel better about how much the camera cost then I'll buy it.
For me the true value is being able to look at the pictures hanging on my office wall and think "Yeah, I did that". It's amazing what quality you can get out of the 5d.
I'm not saying they're professional quality, but, I am pretty chuffed with them. Here are the images used.
Felix's "Wii" face
Minnie's "Surprise" face:
Evelyn's "peekaboo" bath-time face:
I like these three shots as they show the kids as they are. Not as they would be if told to jump around and "walk toward the camera" in a white-washed studio somewhere.
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Great shots, any reason why you went with the mk ii instead of the mk iii (other than money!)? I have the orginal 5d and I am drooling over the mk iii, just can't pull the trigger yet.
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Thanks Howard. It was purely a money thing. I don't know enough about the differences between the two to justify the extra cost. The mk2 is too good for me as it is.
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I detect a 'hint' of parental pride ;-)
Excellent photos, definitely professional quality to my eyes.
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Is it that blatant ;)
If they're professional quality then that just shows that a lot of what Venture-like photo studios do is reliant on the technology at hand, rather than the skills of the individual.
If you have a professional-grade camera and take a lot of photos with it you'll get some good results sooner or later. If you then process them with tools like Lightroom you can get results equal to, if not better than, what the studios do. Obviously you need to have some element of creativity in you, but don't we all!?
Maybe when Rockall's work dries up I can get in to over-charging proud parents for half decent monochrome close ups of their rugrats ;)
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love the photos
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Nice pictures
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OMG!!! I've never heard of that camera before, but Googling I see why.
Like you say, if you take a lot of pictures or have them taken a lot it might be worth it.
They are awesome pics, but I'm not sure if it is the camera, the photographer, but I'm really thinking its the models :)
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As I see it, every man needs a hobby. As I recall, yours is weight-lifting (?) which I guess involves buying either the kit or paying a monthly gym membership. Either way, over the years, all hobbies cost thousands. Apart from my other hobby, running, which costs me a new pair of shoes every year or so.
Photography though is a particularly expensive hobby. You could could spend tens of thousands (dollars or pounds) easily on all the kit available. I'm currently trying to convince myself I don't need a "pocket dolly".
But, the camera is the main initial outlay and I hope to get 3+ years out of it. Over the time the cost-per-month should even out and make it no more pricey than most hobbies...
You're right though - having photogenic kids helps!
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Nice work, Jake. You've done it right, getting down to their level and catching them in their moment. I thought at first they were pro.
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Jake, why did you choose the 5d rather than the 60d or 650d???
what sort of lenses are you using as they can make a vast difference as well...
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Video. Do those models do hd video? To be fair I didn't look in to the alternatives in as much detail as a geek should for an outlay of this size.
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Went with the kit lens 24 to 105 usm. Since bought a 50mm prime Canon f/1.4 which I'm using almost always.
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Hang on a minute.
I just realized you're using the same justification women use when they want to go shopping because they have a coupon. "But I'll be *saving* money!" "Don't be daft, you'll be spending money just to save." I know, I know. They always get away with it. So I guess you're justified.
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Wow, lovely shots Jake! Very professional looking.
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Brilliant shots - you should teach me how you get these sometime :)
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