Dees luver wrote:You can have a crappy camera and lighting but if you know how to pose a lady you can make a great pic regardless, just sayin
Totally agree, doesn't really matter if the pose is right.
Tighes1 wrote:Lighting is the key. As long as the photo has good lighting, the camera doesn’t matter.
I do my shoots as complex as using my 1D camera with multiple lights and editing done in Lightroom to the opposite end of the scale of using my iPhone with natural lighting and editing on the phones photo app. It comes down to looking for a certain style and sometimes the phone is the best option. Sometimes I just can’t be assed to get the lights set up and shoot with them that’s why some of my shots are done with my phone.
Understanding light is the key. I’ve used expensive lighting equipment to light my scene, but there are some shoots that just involve one of my dolls and a window at home to get the light needed.
So, the main question here is, do you go camera first or lighting first. Neither would be the right answer until you understand how light works, not lighting, just light. I’ve even used a table lamp as my source light. It’s all about how you want your shot to look. You don’t have to be a photographer to do that.
Think about how you want the shot to look and you will figure out what will be best. I’m in no way ashamed, as a professional photographer, to say I use a phone for some shots, it’s all about convenience and what will give the best result.
Here’s a couple of examples of photos shot on iPhone and photos taken with multiple studio lights. Both shots have appeal and give a certain result, but in my mind, are equally as good as each other. Just a different approach to equipment.
So in my mind lighting is paramount over what camera is used.
Tighes
Well said and excellent pictures to back it up!
I will say this based on replies in the thread where the majority suggest lighting is key and more important than a good camera. Also as the OP, something that took me a while to work out! As you say above Tighes, understanding how lighting works and how it can affect your pictures is more pertinent to the actual purchase of say studio photography lighting equipment.
What I have learned whilst being colour blind, a fact nobody thus far has really acknowledged, is that my purchase of lighting was integral to achieving much better picture results not just because it improved my lighting capabilities in the current set up but it also reduced the yellowy orange glow coming from my regular home lighting which I had failed to notice because of the said blindness to colour. After learning b/w film photography at college then continuing to study into colour film photography at university, the inability to spot colour hues that shouldn't be there is the main reason why I didn't follow a career into professional photography which is a shame as I love it so.
The lighting I now have coupled with the basic "pro" settings on my camera phone, mainly the white balance adjuster, means I'm now much happier with the final picture production. Please refer to the now WORKING link below to Amy's Eye Candy thread and judge for yourselves.
So to sum up lighting was more important for me than an expensive camera, though eventually I'll probably end up with one of those too...also another addition on the post editing conversation, I've tried this too but with not so great results, one more win for colour blindness there.
