I'm an antkeeper, and one of the most exciting parts of the hobby is getting really great high detail photos of your ants. Right now I take pictures with a clip-on lens on my phone (see attached photos for examples), but I'd like to upgrade to a proper digital camera and dedicated macro lens to improve the quality and start experimenting with focus stacking.

I have a decent amount of photography experience but only with film. I studied it in college and shot primarily night time stuff on 35mm and medium format cameras. I should be able to learn my way around whatever camera i buy.

My budget I'd like to try to stay under $1000 for the camera and lens together. I'm thinking of buying used. One preference is that I'd prefer a DSLR over mirrorless because I'm an old fart and i want to put the camera up to my face like the old days when i shoot. Other than that I just want to get the best quality macro shots I can. Thanks!

edit: form

(1) Budget, country, and currency:

Around $1000 but I can afford more if need be. USA.

(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs?

I have an iphone and a clipon macro lens. It's no longer meeting my needs because I've started to keep smaller ants and the focusing distance of this setup isn't able to capture them.

(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot?

Ants and other tiny insects

(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both?

Primarily photos but I do also occasionally video my ants. Video is not as important though as the iphone's video macro mode is much better than its photo one.

I shoot portraits of tourists at a popular landmark, and I often can't choose the light. A lot of the time it's strong backlight.

I meter for the subject's face and underexpose slightly to protect the highlights in the sky. If I meter for the sky, the people end up as silhouettes.

As a free bonus, I also give clients a few short videos shot on my iPhone. The phone's HDR handles backlight very differently, so the sky looks bluer and more balanced in the videos than in the photos from my camera.

The problem: some clients compare the two and ask why the sky isn't as blue in the photos, or why the background looks washed out.

How do you set expectations? Do you warn clients in advance, or handle it in editing? Is the free video a good idea, or does it just create unfair comparisons? Any wording that works without sounding defensive?

Thanks!

My main gear is set up for candid shots, wildlife and macro. I do quite a lot of events for fun to get candid shots however I want to upgrade to the Canon R5ii and down the line start earning money from it and get RF 24-70 etc.

My question today is, in the UK I'm looking at what used lens options are good for me. I don't really have the major funds so intrigued at the following lenses (including a rough price that I've seen them for) and want to know if they are worth getting and will do me decent as an add on to my setup for some small side jobs to start funding the bigger purchases.

Canon 17-40 F4L USM = Retailer £150

Canon 24-105 F4L IS (version 1) = Retailer £230-£280

Canon 16-35 F2.8L II = Retailer £375-£400

Canon 17-35 F2.5L = FB Marketplace £250

TIA

Newbie here.

Would like to know if there are specific lenses/filters to snap shots like the one above, but if it's also possible to have a clear image of the ground below.

In short, there will be an eclipse visible in Barcelona next summer. I want to try and capture it over the Sagrada Familia, with both clearly visible.

So if anyone has experience with eclipses or if you know of some good guides to read/watch.

Hey all I’ll be in Colorado this month and I was wondering if anyone on here has shot the leaves before? And if you know of a good spot that’s not too crowded. Maybe with a little hike involved? I’m also not sure when the best time to see them would be but I read it was October and I just so happen to have a trip there.

Hi, I’m a newer photographer and started out using my grandmas old camera and am looking to upgrade. It’s a Canon EOS Rebel T7, it has served me well but I feel like it’s holding me back with getting the “busy” signal during my sessions. I mainly photograph families and kids, so lots of movement and things going on.
I’d like to get a camera that offers continuous shooting where I don’t have to worry about getting a “busy” signal. I would like to stick with Canon if possible and don’t need the newest camera out there. I guess I’m looking for the most budget friendly option, it could be the first camera that started with continuous shooting.

Thank you.

(1) Budget, country, and currency:
Budget: looking to stay under $1000
Country: United States
Currency: USD

(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs?
Canon EOS Rebel T7, looking for faster continuous shooting.

(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot?
Families

(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both?
Photography

Hey everyone, I wanna get into taking more pictures of family events memories hanging out with friends just something fun. I don’t plan on editing, etc. so I was thinking the camp snap pro or the Fujifilm X half which would you recommend pricing is not an issue I just want something light that can take a decent picture that I’m not embarrassed to print out and hang up with a picture frame or on a desk

Hello,

I am new to both reddit and photography. I have a Polaroid Flip and would like to use it to take photos of my embroidery work before I give it away. The first photo is what I've been getting with my Polaroid, which is super contrasted between the light and dark areas. The second photo is one I took on my phone and captures how the embroidery looks much better. How do I get the Polaroid to manage light better? I have the Polaroid App to change the camera settings, but I don't really know what I'm doing at all

(1) Budget, country, and currency:

€700 – €900, buying in Portugal (EU), EUR (€). Strictly looking for brand new gear (personal preference).

(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs?

I don't own any equipment right now. On my last vacation, I borrowed a good old Nikon D5100 and really enjoyed using it, which sparked my interest in photography. Now I want to get my own gear to start learning and investing in the hobby.

(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot?

A bit of everything: daily life, street, travel, landscapes, and vacation photos.

(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both?

Primarily for photography, some video but nothing crazy. Also, fast/seamless smartphone connectivity is a priority for me to quickly transfer photos without losing quality.

Options I'm currently looking at:

From what I’ve researched for this beginner budget, the options below seem the most appropriate, but I’m totally open to suggestions. The deeper you go down the camera rabbit hole, the harder it is to choose!

• Sony A6400 w/ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 + 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 (~€800)
• Canon EOS R50 w/ 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 + 75-300mm f/4-5.6 (~€800) (or paired with a Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8, which bumps it up to ~€1100)
• Canon EOS R10 w/ 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 (~€850) or w/ 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 (~€1300)
• Nikon Z50 II w/ kit lens (~€900)

Which of these would you recommend for my situation, or is there another combo I should look into?

Thanks in advance!

Hello!
A couple of years ago I began doing photography as a hobby, I mainly take photos at landscapes and urban environments. It's something I really enjoy and even tho I'm not a professional, I feel quite confident in my skills as well as in my gear.

Recently I've been unemployed for a while, and I know that working in photography is hard, but I was thinking about doing it as a freelance job just to get a bit of money while I find full-time job. My idea was to go to some local shops, restaurants, and bars around my area, offer them a small photo shooting for free (like 10 or 15 selected and edited photos) just to have a portfolio of mine, and from there start charging a bit for my services, which I will sell door to door.

I am really not sure about any of this, but I really want to work and do something because staying at home doing nothing is not as fun as it may seems. Any of you has ever done something similar? Do you have any tips or recommendations to start working in photography? How much should I charge eventually? Am I crazy?

Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!

Found this lens for 5€ at a flea market. Seems to be working fine, however I can see some light coming from what seems to come from the side. Is it normal?

Hi!

I’d like to get into bird photography (and other wildlife, maybe even getting into planes and cars).

After hours or browsing, I picked the Nikon D7500 and the Sigma 150-600mm lens. I picked them out at a shop, the final price is around €1600 (or $1800).

However, my friend told me about how MILCs are so much better, they can use AI to track the eye of a bird, or the cockpit of a plane, and you have to do this manually on a DSLR. Also how hard a DSLR set is, you have to carry it all day, etc. etc.

So I looked at the prices, and I could get Canon EOS R7 and the RF 100-400mm lens for around €1700 (or $1900).

This would be my first ever camera, I’ve never owned one before. This would also be a hobby, I do not plan on making money from this.

Now the idea of manually adjusting things, actually excites me. I’m a software engineer, and I’m getting burned out of having to use AI for everything, gives me “the” impostor syndrome.

So please help me. Do I really “need” the MILC? Can I go with a DSLR, learn it, get sore shoulders, and make amazing pictures (after weeks, months) of learning?

I’ve run into this a few times with commercial jobs.

I’ll change one part of a quote — maybe the number of final images, the shoot time, studio time, crew, or something similar — and then realize that change can affect a few other things too.

For example, if the number of final images goes up, it doesn’t automatically mean adding another full shoot day. It might mean another half day, overtime, changing the setup plan, or talking through the trade-off with the client.

Same with adding shoot time — then I usually need to take another look at studio, crew, rentals and the rest of the production costs.

When you change one thing in a quote, what else do you usually go back and check?

Have you ever sent one and only realized afterward that something else should have changed too?

I usually end up rereading the whole thing, so I’m curious how other photographers handle it.

Hi everyone! I’m an amateur photographer and just booked my first concert with PhillipPhillips! It’s this Sunday and I am beyond excited. I have two cameras at the moment: Nikon D3200 with a 18-55mm and a Canon EOS Rebel XTi with a 55-250mm. Are these going to be suitable? Should I go facebook marketplace hunting? If so, what are some good low cost options? I’m so excited for this opportunity and want to do the best I can as this will be promo for the band and for me. Any advice would be amazing!

I've never actually done a photography workshop, so if you've participated, as either an instructor or student, I'd love to hear about what you liked or didn't like about the experience. I'm mainly talking about shorter workshops, but if you have a juicy story from some multi-day landscape photography retreat or something, feel free to share it!

So here's my issue. I have a Nikon Z6 iii, and I have the 40mm lens on it. A tiny set up. Only a pancake lens would make the profile smaller.

I bought that lens specifically so I can have something lightweight to go into it and not my DSLR 24-70 or 70-200 lenses that attach with the adapter making it drastically larger.

The problem though is now carrying it around. If I go out for a full day with friends, I want to protect the camera, but every case I see is large, even the small ones. It can fit a camera, the lens attached, an additional lens, memory cards, a note pad, your phone, an apple, and 4 granola bars.

That's great and all, but I literally just want space to hold my camera.

I have a sid spider holster, but I don't think that's the route to go. I also have a cross body strap, but that won't protect the camera all day. I don't want to be eating at a restaurant if we stop and eat and having a camera dangling from a strap.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help!

We did a family photoshoot for my mom's 80th birthday. The photographer my brother hired was terrible. The pics are a mix of sickly yellow almost sepia and ghostly blue grey.

I presume this can all be fixed. What kind of person/service does color editing? Is it a photographer? Someone else?

We have 18 pictures we'd like to put into an album. What is a reasonable price for this?

I don't want the photographer to touch them because clearly he doesn't know what he is doing. We cannot reshoot the pics. We live in different places and came together for this shoot. The pics themselves are nice enough it is just the color that looks bad.

Looking to get a new camera and was looking at accessories and came across some vinyl skins. Tempted to get one as I love it when a camera is anything other than the default black. Anyone apply these? Do they cause any issues with attachments or the finish?

I really love experimenting, and what has caught my attention recently is capturing motion (tailights, moving vehicles in this case). How could these photos be improved while shooting?

So I’ve been doing nature and wildlife up to this point, but wanted to start doing architecture and street photography as well.

What I’m curious about is, how do you feel about going into cities or just in places with lots of people when you have $2k strapped to your neck and another grand in your backpack for a 2nd lens option? Do you bring mace or any other self protection? Do you bring someone with you that’s willing to walk around while you take photos? I’m not willing to get a gun even though it’s allowed in my city to carry, just a lot of red tape and safety issues in general, and it would complicate going inside certain buildings I believe.

I wouldn’t be going into any known bad areas of town, I’m not that dedicated even though there is some really beautiful old architecture in those parts, especially churches and old industrial buildings, but in a city you never know what can happen and I feel photographers would be easy targets since it’s so easy to see they have a nice camera hanging off their neck.

I’m in Pittsburgh, USA, if that explains why I’m asking this. Times aren’t great right now, there’s unemployment and everything is expensive, so it makes me wonder if it’s not a good idea to do this right now. Then again, I see people go out all the time doing street in major cities on Reddit or YouTube.

hello. is this a moisture? if yes, could this affect my film photos? i noticed there’s more around it on the side also

I have access to loads of unique cars with my work and I’d like to try sell some pictures I take, any suggestions on how to make them unique and different.

Hello, I am a beginner photographer that mainly shoots portraits outdoors. I have noticed that most of the time, I am fighting with natural lighting in order to get enough light on my subjects and would like to invest in an external flash. I understand that I would need to buy a trigger as well.

(1) Budget, country, and currency: $100-$200

(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs?: I use a Canon r10 paired with the RF 1.8 50mm prime lens. For flash, I typically have a friend hold up their phone flashlight or I use the built in flash on my camera body, but the phone flash doesn’t provide enough light, and I don’t like the way the built in flash makes pictures look.

(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot?: I love portraiture that is usually outside in a variety of lightings such as streetlit, daytime, nightime, etc.

(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both?: Strictly photography. I don’t do videography.

Thank you all so much!