The Amazing Sony A1/A7/A9/APS-C & Anything else welcome Mega Thread!

For me, the FE85/1.8 has never let me down & does everything I need & want it to do.

Size, weight, AF, IQ, filter size etc are all perfect for me and I'd rather have those things than f/1.4

......... :oops: :$:eek::oops: :$:eek::oops: :$:eek:

There. I said it! :)
There must be cash (debt!) burning a hole in my pocket because shortly after 9am, weighing up all the 85mm chat I decided to stick with my 1.8 and (ironically given your post!) I succumbed to your subtle plugging of the 35 GM and pulled the trigger. Samyang is £499 and half tempted by Nandbytes’ glowing review but for now I’m good. Quite excited to try the GM, might keep the 35 1.8 too though given its compact form (and before anyone flags it, PLEASE don’t tell me about the focus breathing! Fed up of watching ‘photography’ video reviews chatting about film. I’m a photographer not a filmographer!)
 
PLEASE don’t tell me about the focus breathing!

50 f1.2 owner here. It's become almost the only lens I use these days, but focus breathing is a horrible flaw and incredibly annoying. I recently shot a bunch of double images with the subject in and out of focus, and it's just a mess when I combine the images. The OOF (close focus) versions effectively zoom in, making for smudgy shadows when the images are combined. In other situations it's great, but for this kind of work it's simply useless.
 
50 f1.2 owner here. It's become almost the only lens I use these days, but focus breathing is a horrible flaw and incredibly annoying. I recently shot a bunch of double images with the subject in and out of focus, and it's just a mess when I combine the images. The OOF (close focus) versions effectively zoom in, making for smudgy shadows when the images are combined. In other situations it's great, but for this kind of work it's simply useless.
Oh fair point on the focus stacking, hadn't thought of the implications there. But every damn YouTube review just slates the GM for focus breathing and it gets so tiresome
 
There must be cash (debt!) burning a hole in my pocket because shortly after 9am, weighing up all the 85mm chat I decided to stick with my 1.8 and (ironically given your post!) I succumbed to your subtle plugging of the 35 GM and pulled the trigger. Samyang is £499 and half tempted by Nandbytes’ glowing review but for now I’m good. Quite excited to try the GM, might keep the 35 1.8 too though given its compact form (and before anyone flags it, PLEASE don’t tell me about the focus breathing! Fed up of watching ‘photography’ video reviews chatting about film. I’m a photographer not a filmographer!)

Focus breathing is there yes. But I don't think it's ever been an issue for me.
 
If anyone else would like to sum their photography year it might be interesting.

Happy New Year to EVERYONE. Lets hope for (even) better in 2025.
Happy New Year to you too.

As for summing up my photography in 2024 that's a tricky one. The first word that springs to mind is frustrating. I'm rarely happy with my photography, which in itself is frustrating :LOL: I wish I was one of those people who could see merit and big up their own work. I constantly see photos on FB and Instagram where someone says "I took this awesome photo at....." or "I'm really happy with this photo I took......" etc. I read these and think I'd never say anything like that. But why not, why am I so critical, why do I feel that every photo I take should be up there with the best and then get disappointed it's not, why can't I just be happy that it's a nice photo? Seems a bit crazy when I 'say' it out loud :oops: :$ :LOL:

I also get frustrated that even after all these years I still cannot create a preset I am happy with despite endless hours of trying. I think I've created one, but then apply it to a different set of photos and it looks pants, I can't tell you how many times this has happened and how many presets I have created. I tend to just revert back to my 'true to life' preset, which is always a good place I guess as it's not something that will age like other styles may, however I do like subtle film like processing but haven't created on yet that works 'across the board'.

All this being said, there was actually a photo I was happy with this year, I think mostly due to the fact is that I had an idea of what I wanted beforehand and it turned out as I wanted. It's rare that I have an exact idea in mind and execute it, normally I 'roll with it' at the time and 'wing it'


A1_9538 Re-Edit by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr




And then a real boost was my recent Photographer of the Year award via Session Days. I don't do photography for anyone else but myself, but I'm not going to lie winning that gave me a real boost and it is nice when others pass compliments. Clearly I must be doing something right, which brings me back to the above, being able to see merit in my work. I'm going to really work on this in 2025 and try to stop being hyper critical.
 
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Happy New Year to you too.

As for summing up my photography in 2024 that's a tricky one. The first word that springs to mind is frustrating. I'm rarely happy with my photography, which in itself is frustrating :LOL: I wish I was one of those people who could see merit and big up their own work. I constantly see photos on FB and Instagram where someone says "I took this awesome photo at....." or "I'm really happy with this photo I took......" etc. I read these and think I'd never say anything like that. But why not, why am I so critical, why do I feel that every photo I take should be up there with the best and then get disappointed it's not, why can't I just be happy that it's a nice photo? Seems a bit crazy when I 'say' it out loud :oops: :$ :LOL:

I also get frustrated that even after all these years I still cannot create a preset I am happy with despite endless hours of trying. I think I've created one, but then apply it to a different set of photos and it looks pants, I can't tell you how many times this has happened and how many presets I have created. I tend to just revert back to my 'true to life' preset, which is always a good place I guess as it's not something that will age like other styles may, however I do like subtle film like processing but haven't created on yet that works 'across the board'.

All this being said, there was actually a photo I was happy with this year, I think mostly due to the fact is that I had an idea of what I wanted beforehand and it turned out as I wanted. It's rare that I have an exact idea in mind and execute it, normally I 'roll with it' at the time and 'wing it'


A1_9538 Re-Edit by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr




And then a real boost was my recent Photographer of the Year award via Session Days. I don't do photography for anyone else by myself, but I'm not going to lie winning that gave me a real boost and it is nice when others pass compliments. Clearly I must be doing something right, which brings me back to the above, being able to see merit in my work. I'm going to really work on this in 2025 and try to stop being hyper critical.
Well said Toby. Burn the lab coat. Also, enjoy the process more. For me so much fun is in the creation. Never mind the results.
 
Happy New Year to you too.

As for summing up my photography in 2024 that's a tricky one. The first word that springs to mind is frustrating. I'm rarely happy with my photography, which in itself is frustrating :LOL: I wish I was one of those people who could see merit and big up their own work. I constantly see photos on FB and Instagram where someone says "I took this awesome photo at....." or "I'm really happy with this photo I took......" etc. I read these and think I'd never say anything like that. But why not, why am I so critical, why do I feel that every photo I take should be up there with the best and then get disappointed it's not, why can't I just be happy that it's a nice photo? Seems a bit crazy when I 'say' it out loud :oops: :$ :LOL:

I also get frustrated that even after all these years I still cannot create a preset I am happy with despite endless hours of trying. I think I've created one, but then apply it to a different set of photos and it looks pants, I can't tell you how many times this has happened and how many presets I have created. I tend to just revert back to my 'true to life' preset, which is always a good place I guess as it's not something that will age like other styles may, however I do like subtle film like processing but haven't created on yet that works 'across the board'.

All this being said, there was actually a photo I was happy with this year, I think mostly due to the fact is that I had an idea of what I wanted beforehand and it turned out as I wanted. It's rare that I have an exact idea in mind and execute it, normally I 'roll with it' at the time and 'wing it'


A1_9538 Re-Edit by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr




And then a real boost was my recent Photographer of the Year award via Session Days. I don't do photography for anyone else by myself, but I'm not going to lie winning that gave me a real boost and it is nice when others pass compliments. Clearly I must be doing something right, which brings me back to the above, being able to see merit in my work. I'm going to really work on this in 2025 and try to stop being hyper critical.

I think that's where the X100f things have came in for me this year - I've shot so much with it. And a good job too because if I hadn't been, my Sony images have been very thin on the ground!! Yes, the Fuji stuff isn't as perfect, not as technically good, more snapshot'ish...... but, it's a great experience. I have found the 'general' shooting & the street stuff very enjoyable even if the images haven't been as WOW or popular with other people.

Which sort of ties in with my frustrating thing.... And that is the editing of the Fuji files. I keep swinging back & forth myself trying to find something that I really like & can settle on, but so far..... :ROFLMAO:
 
Well said Toby. Burn the lab coat. Also, enjoy the process more. For me so much fun is in the creation. Never mind the results.
Yeah, I do enjoy the process which is mostly why I do it.

I think in truth some of it is a self confidence thing as I find myself often feeling embarrassed rather than proud sharing my work. But this is true of everything. For example I dabble in music production and have had a few releases in the last couple of years (nothing commercial as it’s more underground ‘dance’ music), one’s even on vinyl yet I’m a bit embarrassed by it wondering how other people perceive it.

Part of me thinks I’m approaching my fifties in the next few years and I should just accept who I am, but part of me thinks I should try and work at it. I guess time will tell which part of me wins :LOL:
 
Yeah, I do enjoy the process which is mostly why I do it.

I think in truth some of it is a self confidence thing as I find myself often feeling embarrassed rather than proud sharing my work. But this is true of everything. For example I dabble in music production and have had a few releases in the last couple of years (nothing commercial as it’s more underground ‘dance’ music), one’s even on vinyl yet I’m a bit embarrassed by it wondering how other people perceive it.

Part of me thinks I’m approaching my fifties in the next few years and I should just accept who I am, but part of me thinks I should try and work at it. I guess time will tell which part of me wins :LOL:
You are overthinking it. Do what makes you happy.
 
2024 was an okay year in terms of photography.

We shot 47 weddings if I include elopements as well, 12 engagement sessions, 4 family sessions and a few commercial shoots.

I usually work with my wife but I purposely booked some weddings for myself this year to try and take the pressure of her a bit as she had some health issues the year before. I shot 11 smaller weddings by myself this year. While I have shot some by myself before, this was the first year I have done so many and I really didn't enjoy it. It's a very different job when you are on your own and don't have someone else to bounce off.

It was a strange end to the year, after having a couple of weddings cancelled early in the year for December, I should have been finished up in late November, but ended up having a late wedding booking and some other stuff come in, a proposal and some commercial work, so ended up working till the end of the year.

Picked up 2 awards for work stuff, neither mean anything but they can be useful for marketing. It was a strange year in terms of work really. Usually we have a few weddings where we think they were absolute bangers but can't say we have really had that this year, everything has been a bit humdrum. Maybe because we didn't have many new venues to visit this this year. It felt like it was a quiet/slow year for work, although we did a decent amount of numbers. The commercial work we shot was all arranged through my brothers business, I purposely didn't chase any as I couldn't really be bothered.

Around the start of the year, I purposely wanted to get back to just shooting stuff for myself, so I bought an A7CII and some smaller cheap lenses for that and at first it went great and it really invigorated my interest again. However then the busiest part of wedding season hit and I just didn't have the time and it's been difficult to get back into again. I have free time now but the weather always seems crap and I haven't been able to get motivated.

I plan on working less this year I have some health issues of my own to deal with so want to keep weddings under 40 and probably dropping to 30 odd over the next couple of years. At the moment I have 9 weddings to shoot on my own this year and am dreading those a bit. Have also told my brother that I will be doing less work for his business and can hopefully escape having to do any family photos etc. only really do them for couples whose weddings we have shot previously. Maybe that will help free up some more time to just to shoot some stuff for myself.

In terms of gear for work I haven't changed much this year compared to normal. I changed out an A9 for the A9III which was a very nice upgrade, love that camera. I also changed out my Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 for the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 and my Sony 85G.M for the Sigma 85 f/1.4. Can't see me changing out to much this year either. I will probably change out my last A9 for either another A9III or an A1 II at some point and maybe the Sigma 85 f/1.4 for the Sony 85G.MII. I would maybe consider something exotic if there was something new launched like a tilt shift etc.

Of the gear I bought to use for personal stuff I really liked the little Sigma 35mm f/2, its not stellar lens by any imagination but it's just a nice thing to use. The little Samyang 75mm f/1.8 I also like for photos of the dogs. I also really liked the little Viltrox 20mm, part of that was maybe because its was so inexpensive.
 
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2024 was an okay year in terms of photography.

We shot 47 weddings if I include elopements as well, 12 engagement sessions, 4 family sessions and a few commercial shoots.

I usually work with my wife but I purposely booked some weddings for myself this year to try and take the pressure of her a bit as she had some health issues the year before. I shot 11 smaller weddings by myself this year. While I have shot some by myself before, this was the first year I have done so many and I really didn't enjoy it. It's a very different job when you are on your own and don't have someone else to bounce off.

It was a strange end to the year, after having a couple of weddings cancelled early in the year for December, I should have been finished up in late November, but ended up having a late wedding booking and some other stuff come in, a proposal and some commercial work, so ended up working till the end of the year.

Picked up 2 awards for work stuff, neither mean anything but they can be useful for marketing. It was a strange year in terms of work really. Usually we have a few weddings where we think they were absolute bangers but can't say we have really had that this year, everything has been a bit humdrum. Maybe because we didn't have many new venues to visit this this year. It felt like it was a quiet/slow year for work, although we did a decent amount of numbers. The commercial work we shot was all arranged through my brothers business, I purposely didn't chase any as I couldn't really be bothered.

Around the start of the year, I purposely wanted to get back to just shooting stuff for myself, so I bought an A7CII and some smaller cheap lenses for that and at first it went great and it really invigorated my interest again. However then the busiest part of wedding season hit and I just didn't have the time and it's been difficult to get back into again. I have free time now but the weather always seems crap and I haven't been able to get motivated.

I plan on working less this year I have some health issues of my own to deal with so want to keep weddings under 40 and probably dropping to 30 odd over the next couple of years. At the moment I have 9 weddings to shoot on my own this year and am dreading those a bit. Have also told my brother that I will be doing less work for his business and can hopefully escape having to do any family photos etc. only really do them for couples whose weddings we have shot previously. Maybe that will help free up some more time to just to shoot some stuff for myself.

In terms of gear for work I haven't changed much this year compared to normal. I changed out an A9 for the A9III which was a very nice upgrade, love that camera. I also changed out my Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 for the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 and my Sony 85G.M for the Sigma 85 f/1.4. Can't see me changing out to much this year either. I will probably change out my last A9 for either another A9III or an A1 II at some point and maybe the Sigma 85 f/1.4 for the Sony 85G.MII. I would maybe consider something exotic if there was something new launched like a tilt shift etc.

Of the gear I bought to use for personal stuff I really liked the little Sigma 35mm f/2, its not stellar lens by any imagination but it's just a nice thing to use. The little Samyang 75mm f/1.8 I also like for photos of the dogs. I also really liked the little Viltrox 20mm, part of that was maybe because its was so inexpensive.
Really interesting read, thanks for sharing. As someone who shoots mainly for himself with a few paid for weddings here and there as a side hustle to my corporate job, it’s really interesting to hear the year through the eyes of a full time wedding photographer.

One day I want to quit the corporate world and semi retire into wedding photography but from your post I’ve taken that it’s important to keep the numbers low to maintain the love of it - something I’ve always been fearful of losing.
 
Really interesting read, thanks for sharing. As someone who shoots mainly for himself with a few paid for weddings here and there as a side hustle to my corporate job, it’s really interesting to hear the year through the eyes of a full time wedding photographer.

One day I want to quit the corporate world and semi retire into wedding photography but from your post I’ve taken that it’s important to keep the numbers low to maintain the love of it - something I’ve always been fearful of losing.

I don’t know if keeping the numbers low helps with keeping the love it.

My reason for starting to reduce the number of weddings is more due to health issues. Some of my favorite years for weddings we have shot 60 plus.

I don’t think wedding photography is a good fit for semi retirement it’s a young persons job really.
 
Really interesting read, thanks for sharing. As someone who shoots mainly for himself with a few paid for weddings here and there as a side hustle to my corporate job, it’s really interesting to hear the year through the eyes of a full time wedding photographer.

One day I want to quit the corporate world and semi retire into wedding photography but from your post I’ve taken that it’s important to keep the numbers low to maintain the love of it - something I’ve always been fearful of losing.
That's interesting, it's something I've always tried to avoid. I did do one this year but that was because it was family and I felt like I couldn't say know, but I've turned down numerous over the years for a few reasons really. Firstly, it's not something you can wing obviously, there's a lot of time and effort in the prep work beforehand, plus the experience of organising the guests and knowing how to get the shots that are going to tell the story of the day. All the people who have asked me have said tehy just want some photos of the day and would be happy with anything, but we all know it's not as simple as that. I don't think people appreciate the work and skill involved.

Secondly I just don't want that kind of pressure. I've got a pretty high pressured job at the moment kowing that one mistake could negatively affect someone's life/health, not to mention get sued for all I'm worth, I don't want any more pressure. If I wanted to retire and take on something to keep me 'ticking over' I presonally wouldn't choose something as pressured. I'd much rather get into motorsport photography, or even portrait photography (dog portrait photography would be even better).

I appreciate we're all different though. I was actually discussing what wedding togs charge with a fellow tog yesterday and we worked out this particular person we were discussing probably earns close to £400/hour when you factor in prep work and editing time. Now I get that not all togs will charge the fees this person does, but even if you charge 1/4 of what they do that's still £100/hour. Not too shabby, and if my health deteriorates to the point I can't continue to do my current job this is certainly something that I could revisit, I could just work weekends and still earn more than I do now. Of course again, it's not that simple as you need to build a reputation and this would require a wedding every week, but it could certainly be a consideration.

Sorry for the ramblings, I'm a bit under the weather and am bored :LOL:
 
Yeah, I do enjoy the process which is mostly why I do it.

I think in truth some of it is a self confidence thing as I find myself often feeling embarrassed rather than proud sharing my work. But this is true of everything. For example I dabble in music production and have had a few releases in the last couple of years (nothing commercial as it’s more underground ‘dance’ music), one’s even on vinyl yet I’m a bit embarrassed by it wondering how other people perceive it.

Part of me thinks I’m approaching my fifties in the next few years and I should just accept who I am, but part of me thinks I should try and work at it. I guess time will tell which part of me wins :LOL:
I think it's just who you are and while I can appreciate it can be frustrating the other side of it is that you've probably reached the levels of photography you have because you've been motivated to continually improve. I hope over time when you look back at your older photographs you can step back a little and appreciate them better than when they were current where you were likely more critical.
 
I think it's just who you are and while I can appreciate it can be frustrating the other side of it is that you've probably reached the levels of photography you have because you've been motivated to continually improve. I hope over time when you look back at your older photographs you can step back a little and appreciate them better than when they were current where you were likely more critical.
Thanks, I think you’re right and hopefully I will look back and appreciate them. I certainly do with my holiday photos, or more to the point look back with fond memories rather than critique the photo. I do lose sight of the fact that photos are a moment captured rather than a ‘technical masterpiece’ (y)
 
I took a couple of 8 second exposure pictures the other morning but I managed to botch the framing each time (I was freezing cold but the pocket warmer was burning my leg, that's my excuse) and had given up on them but today I suddenly thought I'd try a stitch and after stitching and some cloning I'm quite happy with it. So, I seem to have rescued a couple from the I tried but it's disappointing folder and created one I'm happy with :D

A7III and 40mm f2.5 at f4, 8 seconds, ISO 100.

1-Untitled_Panorama-1.jpg
 
Nice read Alan :)

I've not been out for much dedicated photography this year. Had a few things going on, the weather hasn't been the greatest when I've wanted it to be - we've had lots of nice weekdays & crap weekends - and I've only done a handful of sunrise shoots in the past few months. I have shot a lot of street photography on the X100f though - that has been enjoyable to get into for the photography, the places & the exercise!! I've also only done a handful of night skies this year, that's mainly been down to the weather/cloud cover too!

Anyway, I've been out in the fog/low cloud this morning for some trees/woodland stuff :) You can see those too because they were on Sony :) Voigtlander 40/1.2 - man, I LOVE that lens - and the Tamron 70-180mm. Tomorrow is supposed to be bright & sunny [fingers crossed] so we are going to Bradford on Avon for the day :)

I had one of those as it was the first to come out but I sold it and got the 35 and 50mm f1.2's. I'm now thinking about selling them and rebuying the 40mm as the 50mm is a nice lens but I'm mostly 35 or 40mm these days and the 35mm whilst suiting me more is IMO the less good lens out of the 3. It's a bit soft wide open IMO. I don't think it's just my copy, I think they all are.

I think this proves we should never sell anything.
 
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I've removed an irritation from using my HX90.

For a while now, I've been annoyed by the lens extending of its own accord. This would happen whenever pressure was exerted on the top plate or sometimes the front. It turned out to be my not using the eye level finder often enough...

Sony HX90 ELVF extended front view TZ70 P1040095.jpg

Simply opening the finder with the sliding switch on the rear left hand side (usefully labelled "finder" with a downwards pointing arrow) opens the finder and resets the switch...

Sony HX90 ELVF extended rear three quarters view TZ70 P1040096.JPG

Definitely a "Duh" moment on my part. :thinking:
 
That would be nice, but often we need to sell things to afford new things ;)

My recent family issues and the death of my mother and indeed a friend being taken ill yesterday all make me think we should enjoy life if and when we can and if that involves spending money and we can afford to then so be it. I know some aren't in a position to spend spend spend and I have been there.
 
That's interesting, it's something I've always tried to avoid. I did do one this year but that was because it was family and I felt like I couldn't say know, but I've turned down numerous over the years for a few reasons really. Firstly, it's not something you can wing obviously, there's a lot of time and effort in the prep work beforehand, plus the experience of organising the guests and knowing how to get the shots that are going to tell the story of the day. All the people who have asked me have said tehy just want some photos of the day and would be happy with anything, but we all know it's not as simple as that. I don't think people appreciate the work and skill involved.

Secondly I just don't want that kind of pressure. I've got a pretty high pressured job at the moment kowing that one mistake could negatively affect someone's life/health, not to mention get sued for all I'm worth, I don't want any more pressure. If I wanted to retire and take on something to keep me 'ticking over' I presonally wouldn't choose something as pressured. I'd much rather get into motorsport photography, or even portrait photography (dog portrait photography would be even better).

I appreciate we're all different though. I was actually discussing what wedding togs charge with a fellow tog yesterday and we worked out this particular person we were discussing probably earns close to £400/hour when you factor in prep work and editing time. Now I get that not all togs will charge the fees this person does, but even if you charge 1/4 of what they do that's still £100/hour. Not too shabby, and if my health deteriorates to the point I can't continue to do my current job this is certainly something that I could revisit, I could just work weekends and still earn more than I do now. Of course again, it's not that simple as you need to build a reputation and this would require a wedding every week, but it could certainly be a consideration.

Sorry for the ramblings, I'm a bit under the weather and am bored :LOL:
Did you factor in admin and marketing? Things like the time involved backing up images etc

That will drop that £400/£100 an hour dramatically.

During busy periods I easily do over 100 hours a week.
 
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One thing I would worry about is if earning a living from photography would affect how I see it as a hobby.

Doing computers and wider electronics as a career did ruin it as a hobby to the point that I really have no interest in any tech now apart from photography related tech.
 
I had one of those as it was the first to come out but I sold it and got the 35 and 50mm f1.2's. I'm now thinking about selling them and rebuying the 40mm as the 50mm is a nice lens but I'm mostly 35 or 40mm these days and the 35mm whilst suiting me more is IMO the less good lens out of the 3. It's a bit soft wide open IMO. I don't think its just my copy, I think they all are.

I think this proves we should never sell anything.

One lens. The Leitz Tele-Elmarit M 90/2.8 thin version that I had :headbang:

What a b3ll3nd :rolleyes:

I started off my Sony journey with the A7, that 90/2.8 & the Voigtlander 40/1.2 Classic all in M mount with a helicoid adapter.
 
One lens. The Leitz Tele-Elmarit M 90/2.8 thin version that I had :headbang:

What a b*****d :rolleyes:

I started off my Sony journey with the A7, that 90/2.8 & the Voigtlander 40/1.2 Classic all in M mount with a helicoid adapter.

I have 4 Sony mount Voigtlanders (and 1 M mount), the 35mm f1.4 is by far the most used and I've probably taken more pictures with that lens than with any other but it's not without issues so I thought I should have a better Voigtlander for the times when I'd put up with the extra bulk and weight to gain more image quality.

I'll have to have a long think. I have the 35mm f1.2 and f1.4 and the 50mm f1.2 and f2. Maybe the 35 and 50mm f1.2's should go and be replaced with the 40mm giving me the small and light 35mm f1.4, the 40mm for better IQ and maybe the 50mm for just about perfection when I want 50mm.

Or just keep them all and add the 40mm :D Oh, and 28mm f1.5.
 
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I have 4 Sony mount Voigtlanders (and 1 M mount), the 35mm f1.4 is by far the most used and I've probably taken more pictures with that lens than with any other but it's not without issues so I thought I should have a better Voigtlander for the times when I'd put up with the extra bulk and weight to gain more image quality.

I'll have to have a long think. I have the 35mm f1.2 and f1.4 and the 50mm f1.2 and f2. Maybe the 35 and 50mm f1.2's should go and be replaced with the 40mm giving me the small and light 35mm f1.4, the 40mm for better IQ and maybe the 50mm for just about perfection when I want 50mm.

Or just keep them all and add the 40mm :D Oh, and 28mm f1.5.

Might get them in the January sales :ROFLMAO:

Which happen in November now I think :rolleyes:
 
I can't decide if I need the 28mm or if I just want it. I have the Sony 28mm f2 and I have Voigtlander 35mm's so maybe they should be enough.
 
Did you factor in admin and marketing? Things like the time involved backing up images etc

That will drop that £400/£100 an hour dramatically.

During busy periods I easily do over 100 hours a week.
We didn't factor in everything. It wasn't a serious look into it, we were more just saying how crazy some of the prices were, especially this one particular tog and guestimated he likely made in the region of £400/hour. Of course, we don't know this for sure, they may spend days reccying the venue, spend hours upon hours editing etc.
One thing I would worry about is if earning a living from photography would affect how I see it as a hobby.

Doing computers and wider electronics as a career did ruin it as a hobby to the point that I really have no interest in any tech now apart from photography related tech.
This would be my worry too. It's one of the reasons I've not seriously looked into a media pass for motorsports, I don't want to be tied into going to every event, I want to pick and choose when I want to go.

A similar kind of thing is that when I learnt to DJ is ruined my raving days, instead of enjoying the music I subconsciously listened to what the DJ was doing instead and stopped enjoying it as much.
Might get them in the January sales :ROFLMAO:

Which happen in November now I think :rolleyes:
I doubt I'll be buying any camera gear in 2025, purse strings need to be tightened. I'm not complaining though, I've already got a lot of amazing gear and don't 'need' anything else ;)
 
We didn't factor in everything. It wasn't a serious look into it, we were more just saying how crazy some of the prices were, especially this one particular tog and guestimated he likely made in the region of £400/hour. Of course, we don't know this for sure, they may spend days reccying the venue, spend hours upon hours editing etc.

This would be my worry too. It's one of the reasons I've not seriously looked into a media pass for motorsports, I don't want to be tied into going to every event, I want to pick and choose when I want to go.

A similar kind of thing is that when I learnt to DJ is ruined my raving days, instead of enjoying the music I subconsciously listened to what the DJ was doing instead and stopped enjoying it as much.

I doubt I'll be buying any camera gear in 2025, purse strings need to be tightened. I'm not complaining though, I've already got a lot of amazing gear and don't 'need' anything else ;)
Prices have definitely went up in the last couple of years. The job has changed a lot in the same time frame though in terms of the work most need, to put into marketing.
 
One thing I would worry about is if earning a living from photography would affect how I see it as a hobby.

Doing computers and wider electronics as a career did ruin it as a hobby to the point that I really have no interest in any tech now apart from photography related tech.
I guess it varies on the person, I work in IT and still do lots of technology stuff in my own time and I find they compliment each other well. There's cross over between work and personal use so that skills earnt in either help the other and I have setups I wouldn't have otherwise like an ESXi server for my home lab stuff, really useful for work but often handy for testing software or operating systems for personal use. Similarly camera equipment for work use could be used for personal use whereas now it's difficult to justify much of what I'd like to buy because I know I won't get the use out of it to justify the cost or worse, not sure if I will.

With photography as a job I wouldn't like the pressure of having to get the photos correct every time on one off occasions and I'd be particularly concerned about the commercial viability of it. When I was younger and might have considered photography as a career there were a couple of occasions where I had managed to get photos no-one else could due to timing and as my Dad worked for a newspaper, he offered them to the right division. They laughed them off without even looking because their own photographer would do better, however they couldn't and they ended up having to use a stock photo instead. I wasn't even asking for money so that really killed any idea of doing photography commercially. More recently when I was at the Silverstone MotoGP a guy running the KTM media side spotted the A9 and came over to have a chat, he used an A7Rsomething and showed me a number of exceptional photos and said he'd had them featured in a number of places. However he couldn't make a steady living out of it and hence still doing the KTM job as his main one.

It clearly is possible to make money from photography but aside from lacking the required skill I wouldn't manage finding the work.
 
I guess it varies on the person, I work in IT and still do lots of technology stuff in my own time and I find they compliment each other well. There's cross over between work and personal use so that skills earnt in either help the other and I have setups I wouldn't have otherwise like an ESXi server for my home lab stuff, really useful for work but often handy for testing software or operating systems for personal use. Similarly camera equipment for work use could be used for personal use whereas now it's difficult to justify much of what I'd like to buy because I know I won't get the use out of it to justify the cost or worse, not sure if I will.

With photography as a job I wouldn't like the pressure of having to get the photos correct every time on one off occasions and I'd be particularly concerned about the commercial viability of it. When I was younger and might have considered photography as a career there were a couple of occasions where I had managed to get photos no-one else could due to timing and as my Dad worked for a newspaper, he offered them to the right division. They laughed them off without even looking because their own photographer would do better, however they couldn't and they ended up having to use a stock photo instead. I wasn't even asking for money so that really killed any idea of doing photography commercially. More recently when I was at the Silverstone MotoGP a guy running the KTM media side spotted the A9 and came over to have a chat, he used an A7Rsomething and showed me a number of exceptional photos and said he'd had them featured in a number of places. However he couldn't make a steady living out of it and hence still doing the KTM job as his main one.

It clearly is possible to make money from photography but aside from lacking the required skill I wouldn't manage finding the work.
I’m not sure the quality of work necessarily goes hand in hand with being able to make a living from it. I’ve seen some pretty poor photographers make a living from photography, they’re just very good at selling themselves and working in the media. Of course there are many great photographers too.

From my perspective I think wedding photography is the easiest ‘in’ along with family portraits as you can just set up yourself and start doing it. Things like sports require some form of acceptance and/or accreditation. I’ve discounted wildlife and landscapes as I’d imagine the odds of being able to make a decent living are pretty low.

Of course there’s no guarantee you can make a living or any money at all from wedding photography or portraits, I’m just saying that you likely have a better chance compared to the others.

I’d love to know how to blag it with some arty farty nonsense and sell photos for silly money like the Rhine II :LOL: How someone managed to convince the art world that was worth $4.3m I’ll never know :oops: :$
 
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That's interesting, it's something I've always tried to avoid. I did do one this year but that was because it was family and I felt like I couldn't say know, but I've turned down numerous over the years for a few reasons really. Firstly, it's not something you can wing obviously, there's a lot of time and effort in the prep work beforehand, plus the experience of organising the guests and knowing how to get the shots that are going to tell the story of the day. All the people who have asked me have said tehy just want some photos of the day and would be happy with anything, but we all know it's not as simple as that. I don't think people appreciate the work and skill involved.

Secondly I just don't want that kind of pressure. I've got a pretty high pressured job at the moment kowing that one mistake could negatively affect someone's life/health, not to mention get sued for all I'm worth, I don't want any more pressure. If I wanted to retire and take on something to keep me 'ticking over' I presonally wouldn't choose something as pressured. I'd much rather get into motorsport photography, or even portrait photography (dog portrait photography would be even better).

I appreciate we're all different though. I was actually discussing what wedding togs charge with a fellow tog yesterday and we worked out this particular person we were discussing probably earns close to £400/hour when you factor in prep work and editing time. Now I get that not all togs will charge the fees this person does, but even if you charge 1/4 of what they do that's still £100/hour. Not too shabby, and if my health deteriorates to the point I can't continue to do my current job this is certainly something that I could revisit, I could just work weekends and still earn more than I do now. Of course again, it's not that simple as you need to build a reputation and this would require a wedding every week, but it could certainly be a consideration.

Sorry for the ramblings, I'm a bit under the weather and am bored :LOL:
I’ve done a few weddings over the years and I absolutely love it. Don’t feel any pressure, just the rush of it all, I get such a buzz from it. You’re absolutely right, there’s loads to think about and lots to prepare - not least with the client - but I love it.

The pressure I don’t want though is the business side of things. I’ve always been conscious that I wouldn’t enjoy this and equally conscious that this is no doubt the vast majority of the ‘job’. Plus I’m probably better at my day job, and so get best of both worlds - security of a salary, and to still enjoy my hobby!
 
I’d love to know how to blag it with some arty farty nonsense and sell photos for silly money
For a while I had prints for sale on my website at what I considered to be very affordable. I got zero orders so have now set them to silly prices. I still get zero orders, but I feel better about it!

Maybe I need to go even sillier in case one day someone REALLY likes one of them :banana:
 
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I’ve done a few weddings over the years and I absolutely love it. Don’t feel any pressure, just the rush of it all, I get such a buzz from it. You’re absolutely right, there’s loads to think about and lots to prepare - not least with the client - but I love it.

The pressure I don’t want though is the business side of things. I’ve always been conscious that I wouldn’t enjoy this and equally conscious that this is no doubt the vast majority of the ‘job’. Plus I’m probably better at my day job, and so get best of both worlds - security of a salary, and to still enjoy my hobby!
Yeah I hate the business side of things too.
 
For a while I had prints for sale on my website at what I considered to be very affordable. I got zero orders so have now set them to silly prices. I still get zero orders, but I feel better about it!

Maybe I need to go even sillier in case one day someone REALLY likes one of them :banana:
The difference is your photos are very good, I just don’t get it with things like the Rhine II. To me it looks like some junior school kids art work, and to think it was heavily photoshopped too. The only good thing with it is the size of the print.

I do wonder if I’m missing something :thinking:
 
The difference is your photos are very good, I just don’t get it with things like the Rhine II. To me it looks like some junior school kids art work, and to think it was heavily photoshopped too. The only good thing with it is the size of the print.

I do wonder if I’m missing something :thinking:

I'm sure there a similar but IMO better high value painting a bit like that but I forget what it is at the moment. It might come to me.
 
Inspired by the 2024 reviews a few people have shared, I've done one too. Although the trigger to do it was this thread, I'm afraid I decided to kill two birds with one stone and take the opportunity to post on my blog - something that has been unloved for a while! I tried copy pasting, but the bbcode didn't work, so hope you'll excuse my laziness of just sharing a link: https://www.simotre.co.uk/blog/2024/12/2024-in-review

A great exercise, and thanks to those who inspired it. Only thing I'll add here is the gear side of things. a few big moves from me this year. Firstly, the trip to India convinced me to pick up the Tamron 50-400 as a travel alternative to my 200-600. Given there were going to be limited opportunities to shoot wildlife (and that Etihad have a ludicrous 8kg hand luggage limit!) the 200-600 just wasn't going to make it.

For my hike in April I decided to switch out my Sony 16-35 f4 for the Tamron 17-28 and very pleased. I also made the switch from my pair of A9s to an A1 given lack of wedding jobs in recent years meaning I've been without a pair of matching bodies for the first time in 10+ years. So far very pleased with the upgrade, but of course I also immediately got booked for a job in May, so an A1 will need to be rented for that weekend!

And then I've also been on a bit of a prime upgrading mission, trialling a 50mm which is a focal length I've never really liked, but was pleasantly surprised by the Sigma 50 1.4 I picked up here for around £200. So much so that I decided to move it on and switch to the Sony 50 1.4 given the unruly weight of the siggy - the Christmas and student offers also helped. Then last week I was also convinced to upgrade my trusty 35 1.8 that I've enjoyed for the last 6 years or so to the GM. still waiting for delivery, but excited - hopefully tomorrow!

On the accessories side of things, Santa brought me a macro diffuser via aliexpress which I've been blown away with. Bordering on a necessity with the Laowa 2.5-5x, and already taken some cracking shots without too much effort.
 
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