Let The Games Begin

When you buy a camera that doesn't come with a built-in flash, you know it's a serious piece of equipment. In fact, I've never considered myself a professional photographer - until now. Hello, my name is Mike, and I'm a professional photographer. I own a Canon 5D Mark 2.

 I've seen tons of exceptional images (particularly on flickr) that were taken with point and shoots. I've also seen unbelievable images taken with entry-level DSLRs. And of course, I've seen mediocre and uninspiring images taken with the kind of gear that would burn a permanent hole in anyone's wallet. I've come to a revelation. Fancy gear doesn't make you good. But when used correctly, fancy gear can propel your material to a level of quality that you couldn't even imagine. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like a more "mature" shooter. I've heard that it takes 10,000 hours of practice in order to learn how to do something really well. I suppose I'm at 5,000, so I am excited about all of my future opportunities to challenge myself.

Shooting with the 5D is extremely liberating. Towards the end of my Rebel xti days, I was feeling very "limited." I had ideas for shots and I just felt trapped by technical restrictions. The short ISO range was bringing me down. 1600 seems like such a small number to me now. And because of the Canon Rebel xti's average noise control, I was constantly paranoid of having to shoot even at ISO800. ISO1600 always felt like a funeral. To be able to shoot at higher ISOs without sacrificing quality is, in a word, amazing.

And perhaps my favourite thing about the 5D - the fact that I knew how to use it the moment I started using it. I can recall encountering a lot of frustration during my first few months with the Canon Digital Rebel. As a new shooter, I remember learning one technical phrase and then forgetting another. I couldn't understand what depth of field meant, and I couldn't wrap my head around why a low F number was a good thing (Big = good, right?) There was a long adjustment period that I went through, so it felt really good being able to take satisfying images right out of the box. Mind you, I had to get used to all of the 5D's controls. But because the basics were under my belt, did it ever feel good! I've still got a long way to go, and the uphill climb looks exciting.