Justify your spending...!

I picked up my first DSLR 9 months ago.

I then spent 20k on camera equipment, because I'm in a lucky position (and it's tax deductable, but also because I wanted to turn it into an income.
My approach was / is that if my pictures suck it certainly isn't the equipment.

I now have 3 websites covering different areas of photography and wedding bookings into next year.

My sites are:
www.chrisgilesphotography.co.uk
www.booheads.co.uk (still tweaking)
www.sussexboudoir.co.uk (still tweaking)

Fortunately I went all in and have no other job to distract me from learning.
Before buying a DSLR I had a sony cybershot T10 which had faulty autofocus, needing a new camera as well as getting a puppy started it all off.

I have a long way to go.
 
nope - no justification what so ever. I don't do anything specialist like nature (long lens), sports (fast AF), macro (1:1 magnification), buildings (tilt and shift). I have a 5D2, 24-70 f2.8 and a flash


Daysleeper40 said:
So what I want to see is a shot you have taken that justifies a purchase you have made - no matter how extravagant or modest it was. I'll kick off with this justification of my SB-600 flash and off camera lead

Can you justify your spending?
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My kit is for me and if I want it and can afford it and won't go without a necessity to get/afford it, I'll buy it!

A pic that I took over the weekend that I couldn't have got with my older kit.
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Handheld at 8:30 in the evening. OK, I could have used the D70 and a tripod but the tripod may have had to go in the hold and caused us delays waiting for it to appear on the carousel at both ends rather than just travelling with hand baggage.
Plenty of others werew snapping away at it with their compacts - I'm pretty sure their pics will be as good as mine - after all, full auto and a teeny weeny flash make all the difference!
 
gman said:
Were you in Afghanistan?
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That was my fifth Tour there, this one lasting five months.
I've also done about six trips to Iraq to cover elections and stuff as well as two six month Tours there...

I've also covered operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, Beirut, the Rwandan genocide and fighting in DROC.

To be fair all my kit was supplied - it just so happened that it was the same kit I'd have chosen if I were paying for it myself - which I now have done as I'm leaving that employer and going freelance in December.

I'm currently working up the paperwork and accreditation for a return trip to Helmand next March/April to cover the poppy harvest and the Government's grain initiatives which supposedly offer farmers alternative crop options...
 
without my 1Dmk3 and sig 120-300 f2.8 id never have gotten this (or other shots) in the gloomy indoor arenas ive been working in this year..



the 20D simply would not have coped with indoor work and at high ISO would be noise-tastic.
 
There is no way any of my pics justify the ££'s I've spent on kit, but I've enjoyed spending it and I've never had to go without. Hard to justify it to hubby sometimes too!!!
 
neil_g said:
without my 1Dmk3 and sig 120-300 f2.8 id never have gotten this (or other shots) in the gloomy indoor arenas ive been working in this year..



the 20D simply would not have coped with indoor work and at high ISO would be noise-tastic.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but that is nice light, even if there's not much of it...:thumbs:
 
I think the hardest thing for me to justify buying would be the 15mm Fisheye, then I shot this for a wedding last year and now there is no stopping me...

]
IMG_1758.jpg
 
The only person I have to justify anything to is myself cos there's just me and the dog..and he doesn't bitch about me spending money on camera gear.

I do however try to maximise what money I do have, when I have any.
Recently I have been lucky, I sold some old items and had an insurance payout, I like to think I have invested it wisely in the gear I currently have and plan to get.

The odd thing is the only photo I have ever won anything with was taken with my old Samsung GX10 and kit lens.
To me its not about achievements or accolade its just the sheer enjoyment I get out of what is about the only hobby I have left that I can still do, other than that life is just about the net, the tv and the radio, there is nothing else I can physically do any more.
 
I have made mistakes...... My youngest takes great pleasure in encouraging me to buy lenses I dont really need so I bought and sold a Sigma 10-20 and a Sigma something to 70. (He has a Canon 400D so mothers lenses fit just fine). Just as I cottoned on to the fact that these were not properly thought out purchases he "encouraged" me to go for a Canon 100mm 2.8 macro and I love it. Me and my tripod have been stalking hoverflies and bugs all summer.

 
My justification was... I had one lens, the bog standard canon 18-55mm and the AF didn't work. I had 5 FD lens sat in my room collecting dust. I did some research and bought an adapter... then I got this...

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I'm now very pleased... I suddenly had 5 more lens than I did have... all ranging from 18 - 600mm! All for £35! I can now delve back into my joy that is wildlife, as I borrowed and had to return a sigma 150-400mm! I now have a macro lens and a lovely 1.8 50mm too!

I feel this definitly justified it! Its all decent glass as well! :)
 
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Well a lot of you know I have had a few life threatening times in hospital and I have now today invested in a D700 It is probably way above my limited experience and skill level but as a great friend told me "there are no pockets in shrouds". So I'm going to try to grow into my newish/secondhand kit and not worry about if I can justify it. Stunning photo's to follow :lol:
 
Nigey said:
I think the hardest thing for me to justify buying would be the 15mm Fisheye, then I shot this for a wedding last year and now there is no stopping me...

]
IMG_1758.jpg
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this shot made me feel a little ill with trying to work out where i was looking :gag:

i dont think i can justify the money i spent, i carry the camera around all the time and i still manage to get shots that dissapoint... im sure there must be some luck coming my way soon... anyway, it might have to go soon being unemployed and all...
 
I think too much is thought about kit, and not enough about learning the art of photography. I had a Canon 350D for a while, with a 50mm prime some of the shots are still awesome, also had a 17-70mm and that gets me lots of nice shots unc 2 magazine covers (albeit ony for a local estate agents countywide mag).

I do still hanker for better kit all the time though, its never-ending I guess.

Its all relative as to how much you have and how much it means to you, I personally wouldn't think twice about spending £1m+ on a car if I had the money, others would see it as insanity.
 
If you think you need the latest and greatest camera body and lenses to get get photos...

Check this guy's photos. Most seem to be shot on a Nikon D40; a camera you can pick up used for less than £200.
 
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