Comments on: 9 Ways to Beat the High Cost of Photography

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:59:48 +0000

I have both a hiking rucksac (Berghaus Freelow 35+8) and a Lowpro Primus Camera Rucksack and although my hiking one has given me many miles of hassle free photography (and is a great bag anyway), the Lowe Pro one is just easier. With the custom made camera compartments and tripod holder it makes changing lens much easier.

SO – Whilst I agree a bag that screams – ROB ME! – is not the best choice, there are other more discreet ones, like the range from Kata etc.

By: Paul Stone

Paul Stone — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:52:27 +0000

This article is excellent with some very good sound advice. However, I would like to just make two points:
1. If you just have to get PhotoShop then get PhotoShop Elements – it costs 1/10th the proce of the full version & will give you all that you will ever use in the full version.
2. DO NOT buy a second hand camera body unless you definately know that it has been used very little. A highly used second camera is very likely to give you expensive problems in the end. Second hand glass is OK providing it is in good condition.

By: Peter Z

Peter Z — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:45:38 +0000

I would love to switch not just to GIMP, but to Ubuntu altogether. What is stopping me however is the batch processing in GIMP, I just don’t like the scripting bit. I’m sure it will be far more powerful than PS in recording mode, but I find it to much of a hassle.

Great write-up, cheers!

By: admin

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:38:24 +0000

That’s exactly right Kyan! Most people try to compensate for lack of ability by buying more expensive gear and it simply doesn’t work!

Thanks for the ideas on Elements!

By: Kyan Blue

Kyan Blue — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:37:14 +0000

Excellent article!

I’ve picked up photography as a hobby because I’m very inspired by the work I see on the internet (I spend a lot of time browsing Flickr, too, which explains part of it). However, many costs (Photoshop or Lightroom, a DSLR) are rather prohibitive for me right now.

I did get Photoshop Elements, though, which is fairly decent for most photo-editing, especially if you’re an amateur and not fully prepared to invest in a ton of software and equipment. There’s some functionality that you lose with PSE compared to Photoshop CS-something, but there’s a nifty set of actions called ‘Grant’s Tools’ that give you some helpful tools like Curves to process photos.

And hey, great photography doesn’t mean you need an expensive camera. You can’t really buy anything that teaches you good composition. ;)

By: Lowie

Lowie — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 06:56:07 +0000

@ admin : thanks! :)

By: Lowie

Lowie — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 06:54:38 +0000

@ healthhacker : Thanks! :)

By: admin

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:45:35 +0000

@Lowie – I was checking out the Nikon D60 the other day. It would certainly get a beginner started without breaking the bank. It has more limited settings than its more expensive cousins, but certainly has what you need to get to know how to use a DSLR – plus some of the pics people take on them are simply awesome!

By: Lowie

Lowie — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:28:39 +0000

@ healthhackers : Thanks for the advice :) Moreover, What Dslr cam would you suggest for a begginer like me?

By: healthhackers

healthhackers — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:37:09 +0000

Lowie – If you really want to learn photography, I’d suggest volunteering to help out a pro. Next best is to take a course with a pro. After that there are also plenty of great books aimed at beginners!