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Professional Photography With Compact Cameras
- Thread starter RT Panther
- Start date
pniev
Student for life
Jock Elliott
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Troy, NY
At the risk of blowing my own horn . . .
I use compact cameras professionally. As a fulltime freelance writer, I use compact cameras to shoot pictures to illustrate my stories.
If you follow this link -- Shooting Sports USA - October 2012 - 18 -- all of the pictures for this story (and the next one, if you keep clicking forward) were taken with a Panasonic FZ150. Over the past dozen years, I have had literally hundreds of pictures published in magazines and on the web (for pay), including many taken with a 3-megapixel Olympus D-550.
The point is that compact cameras are plenty good enough for magazine and web work. As I have said elsewhere on this forum: " I realize that I give up a great deal in sensor performance compared to cameras with larger sensors, but with the kind of photography that I 'commit,' the convenience of a long-range all-in-one package more than makes up for it."
There are many photographers on this forum who use a variety of cameras to take far better pictures than I do. But for my work, compacts are good enough to get the job done.
Cheers, Jock
I use compact cameras professionally. As a fulltime freelance writer, I use compact cameras to shoot pictures to illustrate my stories.
If you follow this link -- Shooting Sports USA - October 2012 - 18 -- all of the pictures for this story (and the next one, if you keep clicking forward) were taken with a Panasonic FZ150. Over the past dozen years, I have had literally hundreds of pictures published in magazines and on the web (for pay), including many taken with a 3-megapixel Olympus D-550.
The point is that compact cameras are plenty good enough for magazine and web work. As I have said elsewhere on this forum: " I realize that I give up a great deal in sensor performance compared to cameras with larger sensors, but with the kind of photography that I 'commit,' the convenience of a long-range all-in-one package more than makes up for it."
There are many photographers on this forum who use a variety of cameras to take far better pictures than I do. But for my work, compacts are good enough to get the job done.
Cheers, Jock
jloden
All-Pro
- Name
- Jay
Tangentially related, but I saw a video the other day of a Maxim magazine shoot from behind the scenes, and the photographer was shooting with 2 Canon G1Xs with one in each hand. I think he was using optical slave flashes and switching cameras in between shots so he didn't have to wait for the on-board flash to recycle, or maybe he just had them at different zoom settings.
Anyway, it just struck me as funny that no one probably has any idea that shots in a magazine published worldwide are being done with a fixed lens compact zoom camera. Meanwhile photographers (myself included for sure) sit around worrying about megapixels and lenses and resolution and print sizes ad nauseam. Sure it's a print magazine so resolution is not a huge concern, but that's kind of the point - for many applications compact cameras are more than sufficient.
The photographer obviously had this down to a system that worked well for him, and more power to him. He doesn't have to carry much in the way of gear and it is easily (and cheaply) replaceable & interchangeable. Heck, he can carry multiple spares without even making a dent in a typical gear bag. Pretty cool stuff.
Anyway, it just struck me as funny that no one probably has any idea that shots in a magazine published worldwide are being done with a fixed lens compact zoom camera. Meanwhile photographers (myself included for sure) sit around worrying about megapixels and lenses and resolution and print sizes ad nauseam. Sure it's a print magazine so resolution is not a huge concern, but that's kind of the point - for many applications compact cameras are more than sufficient.
The photographer obviously had this down to a system that worked well for him, and more power to him. He doesn't have to carry much in the way of gear and it is easily (and cheaply) replaceable & interchangeable. Heck, he can carry multiple spares without even making a dent in a typical gear bag. Pretty cool stuff.
pictor
All-Pro
This is an interesting topic. I remember starting a thread about this a while ago, maybe it is of interest: Great photographers and their compact cameras.
Jock Elliott
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Troy, NY
Pictor,
That is an excellent thread. I have read all of it and followed all of the links, and it should be an inspiration to all who use compact cameras. I know it was to me.
Cheers, Jock
Jock Elliott
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Troy, NY
Minor correction
If you use the link I provided and click through to the bucket shot story -- Shooting Sports USA - October 2012 - 18 -- the photo at the top of the page is a publicity shot from the studio.
The photo at the bottom of the page, however, was taken by me. It was taken at high zoom and illustrates the usefulness of a compact camera for what I do. The bucket target was 55 yards away. I would have been impractical and dangerous for me to "zoom with my feet" because this was a competition shooting range. Fortunately, a small sensor camera also means that a high-zoom lens can be relatively small and lightweight, and it allowed me to get the shot.
Cheers, Jock
If you use the link I provided and click through to the bucket shot story -- Shooting Sports USA - October 2012 - 18 -- the photo at the top of the page is a publicity shot from the studio.
The photo at the bottom of the page, however, was taken by me. It was taken at high zoom and illustrates the usefulness of a compact camera for what I do. The bucket target was 55 yards away. I would have been impractical and dangerous for me to "zoom with my feet" because this was a competition shooting range. Fortunately, a small sensor camera also means that a high-zoom lens can be relatively small and lightweight, and it allowed me to get the shot.
Cheers, Jock
Lightmancer
Legend
- Location
- Sunny Frimley
- Name
- Bill Palmer
Thing is, it's all compromise. Remember that wars used to be shot with 2 1/4" inch film and larger. 35mm was originally referred to as "miniature". Newsmen laughed at their colleagues who first started using Leicas and later Nikon and Canon rangefinders then SLRs to cover news stories at the time when the Speed Graphic still ruled. We've come a long way from Roger Fenton... The old "holy trinity" of quality, functionality and portability still holds true today and has driven development towards more and more housed in less and less.
john m flores
All-Pro
I'm what you might call a semi-pro; photography isn't my sole source of income but it's part of a virtuous cycle:
10 take photos
20 get paid
30 buy more cameras!
40 Go To 10
A serious compact always finds a spot in my bag when on assignment for RoadRUNNER Magazine.
This started in 2008 with a Ricoh GX100 and a desire to take photos from the POV of the bike and rider:
Scooting along in Southern Vermont by john m flores, on Flickr
This was the lede photo, filling much of a two page spread
And it continues to this day with the Pentax Q
On the Million Dollar Highway with a Victory Cory Ness Cross Country Tour by john m flores, on Flickr
This was a half page
L'Uccello Arrabbiato on the Mount Washington Auto Road, NH by john m flores, on Flickr
This is what it looked like in the layout
Pentax Q photo published in RoadRUNNER Magazine. by john m flores, on Flickr
The Nikon V1 has been added to the kit and takes some good shots as well
Riding up Cadillac Mountain on a 2012 BMW R1200RT, Acadia National Park, Maine by john m flores, on Flickr
This was a half page
The largest photo from a serious compact that I've had published was this one in VT
Fall Road by john m flores, on Flickr
This is what it looks like as the lede photo, a two page spread
Small camera, big picture by john m flores, on Flickr
This was taken with a Canon G10.
I continue to travel with the Pentax Q and Nikon V1 alongside my bigger cameras and they continue to get shots that I need.
Pentax Q
Riding through Algonquin Provincial Park by john m flores, on Flickr
Nikon 1
Kentucky Horse Country by john m flores, on Flickr
I foresee a day when i can travel with just two Nikon 1 cameras and 3 lenses (2 zooms and fast prime) and get the job done.
10 take photos
20 get paid
30 buy more cameras!
40 Go To 10
A serious compact always finds a spot in my bag when on assignment for RoadRUNNER Magazine.
This started in 2008 with a Ricoh GX100 and a desire to take photos from the POV of the bike and rider:
Scooting along in Southern Vermont by john m flores, on Flickr
This was the lede photo, filling much of a two page spread
And it continues to this day with the Pentax Q
On the Million Dollar Highway with a Victory Cory Ness Cross Country Tour by john m flores, on Flickr
This was a half page
L'Uccello Arrabbiato on the Mount Washington Auto Road, NH by john m flores, on Flickr
This is what it looked like in the layout
Pentax Q photo published in RoadRUNNER Magazine. by john m flores, on Flickr
The Nikon V1 has been added to the kit and takes some good shots as well
Riding up Cadillac Mountain on a 2012 BMW R1200RT, Acadia National Park, Maine by john m flores, on Flickr
This was a half page
The largest photo from a serious compact that I've had published was this one in VT
Fall Road by john m flores, on Flickr
This is what it looks like as the lede photo, a two page spread
Small camera, big picture by john m flores, on Flickr
This was taken with a Canon G10.
I continue to travel with the Pentax Q and Nikon V1 alongside my bigger cameras and they continue to get shots that I need.
Pentax Q
Riding through Algonquin Provincial Park by john m flores, on Flickr
Nikon 1
Kentucky Horse Country by john m flores, on Flickr
I foresee a day when i can travel with just two Nikon 1 cameras and 3 lenses (2 zooms and fast prime) and get the job done.
Jock Elliott
Hall of Famer
- Location
- Troy, NY
John,
Verrrry nice!
Serious compacts for professional work? The defense calls no further witnesses.
Cheers, Jock
Verrrry nice!
Serious compacts for professional work? The defense calls no further witnesses.
Cheers, Jock
davect01
Hall of Famer
Agreed, great to see professionals getting such great shots.
The reluctance comes from those clients that believe you have to have big bulky equipment to get good shots.
