Hello everyone !

[Tamara]

My name is Tamara, I'm 47 years old and I live in Belgium.
I've always been interested in photography but bought my first DLSR last year. So I'm quite new to this world and not very familiar with the technical aspect
My main goal is to have fun and to learn as much as I can.
I've discovered this forum and was amazed by all the beautiful photos... so I decided to subscribe

[Shadowman]

Welcome Tamara,

Glad to have you join us. Which camera model did you buy and which lenses do you have. Also, please tell us what type of images you prefer photographing.

My name is Tamara, I'm 47 years old and I live in Belgium.
I've always been interested in photography but bought my first DLSR last year. So I'm quite new to this world and not very familiar with the technical aspect
My main goal is to have fun and to learn as much as I can.
I've discovered this forum and was amazed by all the beautiful photos... so I decided to subscribe

[Tamara]

Thank you Shadowman.
I have used a Nikon D5000 (with a Nikor 18-200 lens) for a year. But I recently fell in love with the Canon Eos 550d... and bought it nearly two weeks ago. As I really wanted to start macro photography I added a Sigma 105 macro lens and a Tamron 18-270 lens.
I have no favorite subjects but if you want to have an idea of what I've done till now you can have a look here : http://tamara.aminus3.com/ These are the photos I've made with the Nikon.
But as of now, I would like to go more in-depth with the settings and the possibilities of the 550d so, I'm in learning process

[arith]

Welcome; just welcome. I like people that like to learn.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Tamara,

A big CiC welcome to you from me too

I think we're got most of the Canon / Nikon / technical / macro bases covered around here, so please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything we can help with. Often the best way is to just post some images in some of our competitions (or start a new thread) and get feedback from there.

No need to be shy

[Tamara]

Thank you all for welcoming me !
I won't be shy, I promise

[Shadowman]

Tamara,

Great series of photos on your blog. You cover a wide range of subjects, surprisingly no photos of people. Is that to circumvent any legal issues? Let's hope your Canon can equal the quality of your Nikon photos. Actually, I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to use a Canon, just cannot adjust to those white lenses.

Thank you Shadowman.
I have used a Nikon D5000 (with a Nikor 18-200 lens) for a year. But I recently fell in love with the Canon Eos 550d... and bought it nearly two weeks ago. As I really wanted to start macro photography I added a Sigma 105 macro lens and a Tamron 18-270 lens.
I have no favorite subjects but if you want to have an idea of what I've done till now you can have a look here : http://tamara.aminus3.com/ These are the photos I've made with the Nikon.
But as of now, I would like to go more in-depth with the settings and the possibilities of the 550d so, I'm in learning process

[Tamara]

@ Shadowman : Thank you very much for the visit to my blog. You're completely right... no photos of people. There are 3 reasons for that :
- I'm always a little bit shy to take people photos
- Legal issues also... you never know
- and maybe the most important : circumstances. I have to find a good opportunity, like an event or something, then I won't hesitate.
Concerning the lenses, I'm very curious too. I've taken a few shots with the macro lens which gives quite good results imo. For the Tamron lens, I can not tell yet... I only tried 2-3 shots so, too early to argue.
My budget was not important enough to buy Canon lenses unfortunately. Sometimes you have to make choices ! Let's hope for the best

[Shadowman]

Tamara,

One way to get over the hesitation of taking someone's photo would be to as you stated go to an event where your presence is less noticeable. Other ways would be to join a photography club where your members could go out on group assignments. This could be a bit expensive but it could help you take the plunge so to speak. Another way would be to take a group tour of your area or when you are traveling. One thing I've learned is that tourists with cameras are tolerated more than a lone photographer. And I guess the best way would be to just interact with the people you meet, better to approach a vendor at a flea market or bazaar than a total stranger. You could bring up the subject of a personal project you are working on while you are making a purchase, usually vendors are very friendly unless they are swamped with customers.
Good luck on adding people to your fine collection of images.

@ Shadowman : Thank you very much for the visit to my blog. You're completely right... no photos of people. There are 3 reasons for that :
- I'm always a little bit shy to take people photos
- Legal issues also... you never know
- and maybe the most important : circumstances. I have to find a good opportunity, like an event or something, then I won't hesitate.
Concerning the lenses, I'm very curious too. I've taken a few shots with the macro lens which gives quite good results imo. For the Tamron lens, I can not tell yet... I only tried 2-3 shots so, too early to argue.
My budget was not important enough to buy Canon lenses unfortunately. Sometimes you have to make choices ! Let's hope for the best

[Tamara]

Yes you're right, there are many ways to approach this kind of photography. But as you just said, in a touristic area people don't even notice your presence. And the vendor's trick is also working great usually. I'll try to work on it Thanks again.

[Shadowman]

Tamara,

I considered purchasing Tamron lenses for my Nikon but wouldn't be able to autofocus. Is the Tamron lens compatible with Canon's autofocus function or do you have to manually focus.
I have only one lens (50mm 1.8/D) that I have to manually focus and it leads to a lot of lost shots.

Yes you're right, there are many ways to approach this kind of photography. But as you just said, in a touristic area people don't even notice your presence. And the vendor's trick is also working great usually. I'll try to work on it Thanks again.

[Tamara]

Both lenses I bought are autofocus and completely compatible with Canon's AF functions. I wouldn't take the risk, as I still consider myself as a beginner. My uncle (who uses a Nikon D70) bought also a Sigma 105 macro lens, also fully AF compatible.

[Klickit]

Tamara,

I considered purchasing Tamron lenses for my Nikon but wouldn't be able to autofocus. Is the Tamron lens compatible with Canon's autofocus function or do you have to manually focus.
I have only one lens (50mm 1.8/D) that I have to manually focus and it leads to a lot of lost shots.

Shadowman - which Nikon do you have? I have the D80 and it auto-focuses fine with the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro and the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 Macro.

[rpcrowe]

Welcome Tamara. Thanks for the Happy Fourth Of July image!

We hope to see a lot of your images and comments. As for shooting people, use the longer side of your 18-200mm and you will be able to stand off and shoot people without violating their personal space. Getting used to your equipment helps also so you can shoot quickly and unobtrusively. OR GO TO CHINA... Everyone shoots everyone in that country. Here is a shot of a man with a Canon 5D who wanted to shoot a picture of me as I was shooting him. I shot a lot of people images in China and would go back in a heartbeat. Other China images are at: http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/



Shadowman: There are two Tamron macro lenses which are compatible with Canon's autofocus. The Tamron 90mm f/2.8 AF SP Macro and the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 AF SP Di Macro (there may be a couple more letters in this alphabet soup designation). I use the older non-Di model and absolutely love it. The Di model is "supposedly" optimized for digital photography but, if my Tamron were any sharper I would be in danger of cutting myself every time I opened an image.

[Tamara]

Thank you very much for your reply and for your advice Richard. Yes it seems that Asian people are taking a huge amount of photos (and not only people... when I see them on tourist spots I always wonder how they manage their batteries, maybe they have 4 or 5 spare batteries Unfortunately I don't have the opportunity to travel at the moment.
I just had a look at your albums, there are so much beautiful photos ! I'm really amazed ! I'll have a more in-depth look when I have more time, it's really worth looking at them one by one. And at the moment I'm a little bit too busy, but I'll come back soon, I promise
Btw the portrait of this man was very well taken, well balanced and nicely composed !
Have a great day

[rpcrowe]

Thanks for your kind remarks about my images...

Regarding batteries... Canon DSLR camera are very good on batteries; at least if you don't use the onboard flash. I usually bring two extra batteries for each camera on a trip and carry one extra out with me when I am shooting. I use both Canon OEM batteries and third party batteries and have noticed no difference in capability. I have never needed more than the one extra battery even when shooting hundreds of images during a day.

I was joking when I mentioned "go to China to shoot people". Most people cannot manage a trip like that. I am 70 years old and this April was the first time I visited that nation.

However, living in Belgium, you have the opportunity to visit other nations with different cultures by just traveling a reasonable distance. I'd love to shoot the european canals, marketplaces, cafes and festivals. Perhaps I might visit Europe again - my last visits were so long ago that I have no images left. I shot everything in black and white film at that time.

Among other things that I enjoyed in China was the freedom to shoot children. The Chinese are some of the cutest kids in the world and instead of considering you a pervert when you shoot their picture, the parents appreciate your interest in their children.

When I am doing walk-around shooting, I am sensitive to people's feelings. I was on a photo outing with my camera club and we passed a homeless person, dressed in rags. Although this was a very photogenic subject, I did not shoot the man because I did not want to take advantage of his misery. However, when I shot the old street musician in Xi'an China, I put 10 yuan (a little over a U.S. dollar) in his tip box. He would have let me shoot hundreds of images of him if I wanted to.

If you shoot people like street performers and street vendors at first, you can get used to shooting people without worrying if you will offend them. Festivals and celebrations are other venues where people expect to be photographed.

[Tamara]

I travelled a lot in the past, I had a very good job at that time so money was not really an issue. So I had the opportunity to visit Spain, Sicily, Turkey, Israël, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece, France, and last but not least Florida (I'm sure I must have forgotten some in my list Unfortunately things have changed and I can not afford these kind of things anymore.

Too bad digital photography didn't exist at that time... I have a huge amount of slides and photos. I've scanned them all but of course with heavy quality loss, even if I've tried to get the best out of my scanners (for slides I have this one : http://www.ionaudio.com/slides2pc and for films I have that one : http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/21554/canon-canoscan/ ) not the best in the world but they're affordable and did their job.

Other reason why I'm not traveling anymore : I have a Persian cat. That's my baby and I don't want to leave him alone (not even for a whole day). He's very scared of everything, only eats when I'm there, and worse : he has asthma and needs to be treated twice a day. Even if I know family can treat him as good as I do, I wouldn't leave him.
It can sound ridiculous that I'm so concerned about him but I don't care, that's just me

As you said, distances in Europe are more reasonable and we have a lot of photography opportunities nearby.
Although, the US have gorgeous National Parks, stunning cities etc etc... Florida was an amazing experience for me. One of my dreams was to visit California but haven't had the chance... maybe some day, who knows ?

Yes Asian kids are cute, you're so right ! Also their hair is always so special... they always make me smile.

Homeless and misery in the street is also something I respect. And there are enough other opportunities to take pictures. Vendors and street musicians make wonderful subjects too and you don't feel bad as you perfectly explained.

So... now you know a little bit more about me. Apart from my blog (http://tamara.aminus3.com) I have also a site (http://www.photo-tamara.net/) where you can see most of the photos I took over the last year. I'm planning to re-design completely the site during this winter (less photographic opportunities due to cold weather, more opportunities for site re-organization, photoshop work etc...)

Thanks for the chat Richard, have a nice day

btw : sorry if I made mistakes, english is only my third language and when I write a longer text... I make more mistakes !

[Shadowman]

I have the D60 which will not auto focus with a lens unless it has a built-in motor.

Shadowman - which Nikon do you have? I have the D80 and it auto-focuses fine with the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro and the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 Macro.

[Shadowman]

Richard,

The Nikon D60 requires lenses with an internal autofocus motor. I recently purchased the Nikkor AF 50mm 1.8/D which does not have the internal motor and I have to focus manually. I only paid $120.00 US and lens works best with a tripod so not a big disadvantage.

Welcome Tamara. Thanks for the Happy Fourth Of July image!

We hope to see a lot of your images and comments. As for shooting people, use the longer side of your 18-200mm and you will be able to stand off and shoot people without violating their personal space. Getting used to your equipment helps also so you can shoot quickly and unobtrusively. OR GO TO CHINA... Everyone shoots everyone in that country. Here is a shot of a man with a Canon 5D who wanted to shoot a picture of me as I was shooting him. I shot a lot of people images in China and would go back in a heartbeat. Other China images are at: http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/



Shadowman: There are two Tamron macro lenses which are compatible with Canon's autofocus. The Tamron 90mm f/2.8 AF SP Macro and the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 AF SP Di Macro (there may be a couple more letters in this alphabet soup designation). I use the older non-Di model and absolutely love it. The Di model is "supposedly" optimized for digital photography but, if my Tamron were any sharper I would be in danger of cutting myself every time I opened an image.

[Tamara]

You'll never believe me people... I took some people shots this weekend !!! Yes I did it ! There was a small "medieval event" in town and I thought to myself it's now or never
I'll share them with you asap (just a bit short in time atm)
Your comments have motivated me, thanks for that.