What does a new photographer do for equipment?

I was recently asked the question as to equipment. If I own my own and how I afforded it. Did I purchase when I was in the military or after I got out and how.

I thought the question (and answer) is a good one and thought to share on the blog.

The answer can be made in many different ways by many different people. Most importantly is what you are comfortable with. With owning gear you have the ease of having a camera whenever you want the ability to shoot with little overhead, etc. The bad part is now you have something that has to be upgraded every few years. In the past a film camera could last for years. Now you buy a digital camera, in 2 years it will be outdated. The same goes with computer gear. It all seems to work together. The newer the camera, the larger the files. Therefore you need a faster computer to process everything.

There are different thoughts on this. Some simply rent equipment and bill the client, while others have a basic kit and rent when the need arises (like me). Others buy everything they want and end up with a trunk full of stuff.

Then comes insurance. What if you destroy a camera on a shoot and have no insurance? A certain person at the DC shoot off mentioned this, but he didn't seem to be too bothered about loosing a new camera without insurance. I hope to get to that point with a disposable income, but not be that careless.

I won tons of cameras during my Navy career from MILPHOG. I then sold them and bought a Hasselblad medium format kit. I wasn't planning on getting out until my 20 years, but I got hurt. When I was on Limited duty, I started saving and buying when I could doing small jobs here and there. I sold my Hasselblad for more than I paid for it (the beauty of Hasselblad) and purchased a D2X. That was 2 years ago.

I am working on a 2 year plan where every two years I upgrade to a new kit. The initial investment is always hard, but it also teaches you to take care of your gear better when the budget is tight. We had it good in the military. Almost too good.

I am now selling my D2X and planning on getting a D700. My D200 is on Ebay right now. I just bought a D90 kit at costco and selling the lenses that came with it.

eBay Seller: ansarov: Cameras Photo items on eBay.com

Right now, the D200 kit is at $450 and will most likely go up today and tomorrow. The lenses are most likely going to sell for more than their listing price too.

I spent $1300 on the D90 kit that came with a D90 and 2 lenses.

If I sell the two lenses at their asking price I will make $280.

I bought the D200 2 years about for $1300. It is selling right now for $450. That puts a total of $720 (so far) in selling of gear.

This means that I actually bought the D90 for $580. And the price is going to go down further as the ebay sells for more.

This is a camera that does everything needed for studio, location, video, and more. On top of that it is 12 MP which is exactly what my D2X does. I bought the D2X for $5000 2 years ago.

I hope to make $1700 from it so I can buy a D700. Then onto a D3X or D4 this year.

Two years from now, how small and advanced do you think gear will be?

My recommendation is to be realistic on your budget. Don't overspend. The economy is shit right now. Don't put yourself in debt. EVER!!!! It's a great thing to pay cash for something and an even better thing to not be able to pay cash and realize you REALLY DON'T NEED THAT RIGHT THIS MINUTE.

I think you did that kick ass portrait session at the DC shoot off with bare minimum lights, right?

Since the new SB-900s came out, there are guys upgrading and selling their SB-800s. You can buy Alien bee light kit for little money. I was buying wood stripping at Lowe's and muslin at Wal-Mart to make backdrops. This was only 7 years ago. Natural light is nice too. 

It isn't the gear! Ansel Adams once said, "The most important part of the camera is the 12 inches behind it.

That said, He would be pissed too to find the D3X costs 8K. 

All that said, there are other photographers that say if they could do it all over again, they would have taken a $60K loan and start off right. This is dangerous in my mind fir a few reasons. You aren't ready yet. Do you have any business sense yet? Do you know how to bid for a job? Estimate properly? Know how much to charge one client and not another?

My suggestions for many guys getting out is to shotgun and shoot as much as you can. Go out there and pound on doors. Make it happen. Shoot like crazy. Make a portfolio of something YOU want. The money will come. If you are not honest with your images and who you are then people will see this. The images will lack in soul. If you put passion behind your work then it will show also. No one cares or asks what brand of light you used or what camera you had. If the quality is good that is. That is also important, but like I said, If I can buy a 12 megapixel D90 kit at costco for super cheap, then anybody can. But that doesn't make you a professional.