My Sunday Series on Outdoor Portraits remains remains on hiatus as I consider changing this day’s theme to Available Light Portraiture, which is what today’s post is about.
Thought for Today by Joe Farace
“I don’t think about what camera I should use that much. I just pick up the one that looks nicest on the day”— William Eggleston
It may come as a surprise to some of you but I believe that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on equipment to make high quality glamour or boudoir photographs. Of the three mirrorless camera bodies —one Panasonic, two Olympus—that I regularly use only one of them was purchased brand new.
When a new digital camera is launched, there are lots of photographers who want to be the first kid on their block to own the newest camera and will often trade in their older cameras so they can have the latest model. This is the best time to buy that previously latest camera and let the other person take the depreciation hit. Or even buy them new. Sometimes dealers, even Amazon, will mark down the price of the older model to make room for the newer models, so you can but the older camera that’s brand new in the box for a good price. That’s how I purchased a new Olympus E-M5 Mark I for a substantial discount after the Mark II model was announced.
How I made this shot: I photographed Erin Valakari in the doorway to a butler’s pantry—I don’t have a butler—in my home using a combination of daylight from a large window at camera right along with fill from a 32-inch round reflector. The camera used was a Panasonic Lumix GH4 (that was a gift from my wife) with a M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens and an exposure of 1/50 sec at f/5.6 and ISO 400.
There are also subsets of used cameras called demo and refurbs. From time to time camera stores offer demo gear for sale so it pays to have a sales person that you work on a regular basis to keep you informed of these bargains. Refurbs are similar but somebody may have previously owned it and there may or may not be a factory camera warranty in the package. That hoe I purchased my Olympus Pen F. Used cameras are available from many sources. For thirty years, I’ve purchased used equipment from KEH and they remain a dependable source of used gear for me.
Local camera stores, if you’re lucky enough to have one, often have a selection of used gear and some camera clubs or organizations sponsor photo shows where you can actually see, hold and buy used gear. Don’t forget that your friends are a good source of used cameras too. It’s a win-win for both of you.
I’ve sold some cameras and lenses on eBay as well as purchased a few, some from as far away as Japan. And while the bargains that abounded in eBay’s early years have pretty much evaporated, it remains a great place to buy hard-to-find items. With my new focus on film photography, I’ve been checking out eBay for an Olympus OM film (or maybe Minolta) SLR. I’ll keep you posted if I find one—I’m picky, I like’em to look good too—and will post a review here.
The final point is that I don’t care if the cameras that I buy are used because I’m going to use them anyway. It’s like getting a door ding in a new car, the first one is painful but you soon get over it. With used equipment—cars or cameras—I don’t mind if maybe they already come with that “first dent,” now I can just use it happily shooting and making photographs.
Note for my Patreon Subscribers. After looking at all of the images in this series, I realized that I could make a Bonus post using some of these images of Erin for one of my uncensored Password Protected posts. If you are interested in seeing some of the other images from this session, click CONTACT and let me know. If you are not yet a Patreon subscriber—it’s surprisingly inexpensive—details on how to sign up can be found here.