As always, I will be speaking from experience when I go into this subject today. It is not always what some people might think of when they read but starting from the beginning sets a good starting point and lets you know that I have gone through many of the issues most people are going through or will be going through in their photography journey. In my first years I spent an awful lot of time on trying to get my photography to up to standards or at least what I thought was the standard. This went on for years if I was guessing I’d say about three years of so. I will not say that this was a complete waste of my time because it was not. I will say that there are other things I could have been doing that would have really helped set me up for future success in the business.

In this blog, we will look at the real-time it will take you to become a great photographer. Resources found in this post may be affiliate links, which pay me a small commission without you paying a penny more, which helps me keep this blog going. As a new photographer, it is all-new, fun, and exciting. With all these thoughts of producing fantastic photography, you might forget that becoming a great photographer will be a long, sometimes frustrating, and expensive road, to say the least.

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Canon 24-105mm f4

Well, thanks for taking the time to read my Blog, it is greatly appreciated and I always try to share my thoughts and ideas straight from the heart. I went onto eBay so I could record a video about buying used camera gear when I came across a very clean Canon 20D and I just could not stop myself from buying it, What did it cost, I know your thinking. Try $25 and an $8 delivery fee, which brought my total cost to $33 for a camera which cost $1,500 at the time of its original release in 2004. Wait a 20-year-old camera? Yes, and it only has 8 megapixels and can shoot a blazing 3 frames a second. My question was, but is it still good now in 2024? Well, let’s see.

For the first time in many years, I feel like the business of photography is ending. Not dead but forever changed. It has changed in a way that I feel that being profitable is next to impossible the way I do it. You see I am just a good old-fashioned, no-nonsense, photographer who cares about customer service, reliability and accountability. I know my craft because I have honed my skills to not only recognize every possible situation but to be able to handle every situation with the confidence of 20-plus years in the business. I carry three full bags not to look cool but to always be prepared for whatever situation may present itself to me on any given day. I may not need any of it but if I do, you can rest easy knowing that I have you covered.

This may seem like an odd post from a lifelong Canon user but the Sony A9 III has broken the sensor readout barrier and I can now see the writing on the wall. Sony has been pushing the boundaries of photography for over ten years now and boy have they just taken the lead in my opinion. Canon has been sitting still for way too long and it has cost them the TOP DOG badge not in sales but in the cool kid’s statues category. They are losing the young, new and up and up-and-coming photographers. Canon has a really big situation on its hands and I really hope they are paying attention, this is not a drill.

What does looking good have to do with photography you might ask, and I would say everything. The way you present yourself every day in life is a direct reflection of who you really are. Don’t believe me?

In this podcast I talk about how to define your style and why it is important to your clients. You don’t want to confuse your potential clients with styles at are all over the spectrum. Finding and sticking to your style is what let’s your clients know exactly what they are going to get from you when they hire you.

How to take better night photography is the most asked question in photography. If I had a penny for every time someone asked, I too would be rich. Well, there are a lot of ways to take better photos at night but I am going to try and keep it simple stupid, and inexpensive for us new photographers out there. Before I get started, I need to explain what it is the camera is always trying to do. Your camera is programmed to take very bright and colorful photos every time regardless of the situation you may find yourself in.

Canon 1D MK lll at Mission Conception in San Antonio TX. In this video, I take a walk around one of San Antonio's famous missions and shoot some photos with my trusty Canon 1D MK lll paired with a Canon 24-105mm f4 lens. I have also looked at some of my photos in lightroom.

When we all start photography we seem to go down the same path in the beginning. We usually start by buying a kit from one of the popular brands out there from our local big box store. It will usually come with a lens or two, a battery, and maybe a bag that has the company name proudly displayed on the front, to let everyone know you mean business and your photos are important to you. Well even though this is a great start it is also a great investment for a lot of people, I should know after all. I took my income tax one year and purchased my first camera and my wife was ready to boot me out of the house for doing it. Little did I know what I was getting myself into in the beginning.

This is the age old question every new photographer is always asking. Do I really need a new camera? Well there isn’t a quick answer to this question because there are simply too many variable you need to include in your specific situation. My first response as a very skilled photographer with many years of experience is no you do not need a new camera if you already own a digital camera. The truth is that if you can somehow manage to learn the basics of photography it applies to every camera on the market regardless of brand. I like comparing it to cars because everyone understands what’s going on.

The pace at which events can move sometimes can be a little overwhelming. The wedding ceremony has just ended and you are now given the task of photographing many different groupings of family and friends sometimes given very little time to do it. These can be some of the most important photos of the event because some of our older relatives may not attend the reception or dance. They also allow the couple to remember who was a part of their wedding day.

So you think you have ironed out all the details? Well, that may be so for now but there are some things you will never be prepared for. I am not trying to make you second guess yourself, but rather want to prepare you for what could happen and more than likely will happen on your well-planned wedding day. Let’s start with the simple yet hard to accept the fact that we (all of us) are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I think we can all safely agree on that.

Enough is enough already, I mean who really cares anyway? The pixel wars are long over and most camera companies have settled at around 20 megapixels and for good reason. The average Joe photographer like you and me really has no reason for more than that and I would even venture to say that only the top 5% of photographers need more than 45 megapixels.

Quince Photography in San Antonio is some of the best you will find this side of Mexico. It is my personal favorite thing to photograph. I enjoy seeing the large Quince dresses of all sizes, shapes, and colors rich with our Mexican culture. I myself, have stood in on over ten Quinces in my teens and it was always so much fun. The dancing, the food and families and just being a part of the community. I have attended hundreds of Quinces in my lifetime yet everyone was special and unique. Photography has allowed me to help carry on the Mexican tradition that is the Quinceanera.

When I started my photography career I had it all wrong. I had somehow convinced myself that better photos and better gear would make me a more profitable photographer. Boy was I wrong and wishing I could go back in time to save myself. That is why I am sharing this cautionary tale, especially with new photographers who can sometimes be lead down the wrong path.

Finding and hiring a photographer can be a big hassle today. Not hiring one can be a disaster, you do not want to deal with. Worst yet is allowing a friend or family member with a camera to take your photos. Events are special moments in time and if you even thought about hiring and paying someone to handle your photography you should hire a professional photographer. Great photography is not by accident, it is by years of learning and years of experience. We handle photos on a daily basis and we invest in making sure our equipment is current and kept clean and ready for use at a moments notice with no excuses.

Here is a question older than photography itself, just kidding. Well at least since the digital age of photography, like the early 1990’s. Let’s face it people, our photos are rarely, if ever perfect. There are just too many factors that go into making the perfect image and you have very limited control over it all. You can have the best camera, the best lens, the best lighting and so on, Then comes the perfect photo opportunity when all of a sudden out of no where, a bird photo bombs or the wind suddenly blows hard or a cloud rolls in giving you some unwanted shade. We have all been there at some point and there is nothing you can do onsite to remedy the problem, it happens. Not to mention the fact that you can have exposure issues that can sometimes get in the way of a perfect images as well.

Flash, is one of the most important aspects of great photography. It can change the look of your photos and also allow you to take photos where you might not have been able to take photos without one. Adding a second flash opens even more opportunities for great photos and allows for you to really get your creative juices flowing to create a style that is all yours. I personally use Adorama for all my lighting gear, you can use my links to order your gear from them or any other links in this post, it won’t cost you any more and I earn a small commission from your purchase. Thanks in advance. You will have lots of options for flash and I do invite you to take a long hard look at all your options to make sure you are getting the best flash for you.