Welcome back to RMSP’s newsletter! The past few months RMSP has devoted its time and energy to the 2010 Catalog and new website. During this time the newsletter takes a slight hiatus. Thank you for your patience and rest assured we are back with more great information from Neil about equipment, an assignment gallery, a new assignment for December and information about the happenings in the RMSP Gallery.

A Quick Note from Neil

For two reasons it has been a while since I last wrote. First, I just underwent major surgery, which I am happy to say was a success. I am quickly returning to “normal” and feeling great. I thank everyone for the love and support shared during this time—it has meant a great deal to me and my family. The second reason is that for 11 to 20 weeks each summer through early autumn, RMSP is bustling with students studying to become professional photographers. During this time I put nearly all my energy into these wonderful risk takers who are here in Missoula taking steps to change or enhance their lives. I think that so many people grow up with dreams that they never realize because they are unwilling or too afraid to make a career change. The people who spend the summer with us are often stepping outside their comfort zone to follow a dream—or at least give it a try. This year our students ranged in age from 17 to 73 and came from 31 states and 5 countries. And this past summer, just like every year, I am grateful to be inspired and surrounded by such capable, artistic and courageous people. Thank you class of 2009—we miss and love you.

In addition to Summer Intensive and Advanced Intensive, I am teaching two workshops this upcoming year. The first is Basic Photography at the end of January co-taught with Heather Yoder. I love teaching new students, watching them as they learn one thing after another for the first time. It will be winter here in Missoula, a beautiful time in the Rocky Mountain West, and the 12-hour days will be filled with a variety of lectures, shooting scenarios and critiques. By the end of the week, these photographers will have a new and exciting hobby that might change their lives—and, who knows, might even become their career.

The second workshop I am teaching is The Spirit of Boulder. I will be co-teaching with Mark Johnson in his hometown of Boulder, Colorado. This workshop is for more advanced photographers who are looking for new ideas and angles to experiment with. Consistently, Mark gets the highest recommendations from students and teachers; he is a joy to be around and I look forward to this opportunity to work with him.

Equipment Tips for Holiday Shopping, Part I: DSLR Cameras

With the holiday season approaching, it’s as good a time as any to talk about new equipment and what to look for when purchasing a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera. First, let me preface this discussion with a bit of advice about buying a new camera. Just because there is a newer model doesn’t mean that you need—or even want—it. So often the differences between successive models are rarely significant enough to warrant a new purchase. In fact, I considered selling my Canon 1D Mark III this summer to an SI (Summer Intensive) student knowing that the Mark IV was pending release. After some reflection I opted not to sell, thinking my camera was just fine. Now that the Mark IV is out, I am very happy with my decision. Sure there are new features, but they’re not worth the extra expense for my purposes.

For those of you looking to buy your first DSLR or upgrade to a new model, I highly recommend considering the following features:

1. Brand. All DSLR brands are great. If there is a chance you end up taking pictures professionally some day, I recommend Canon or Nikon because that’s what most professionals use. I love and use Canon but also realize that Nikon is of the same caliber. In fact, I issue caution when taking someone’s word about one of these two brands being far superior to the other. These statements are based on biases, not truths. I remember Ansel Adams’ response to a student’s question about what brand he considered superior. His answer, "It’s not the camera but the photographer that makes images great." That said, I’ve quite enjoyed watching the “battle of brands” between Nikon and Canon, one always trying to top the other, which has kept each company on their toes and resulted in better products.
    
2. Quality of the Body. The quality you need depends on your plans. Will you always shoot for fun or do you foresee yourself becoming professional? Do you envision yourself traveling? Will you be shooting in all kinds of weather? Will you be on the move or working with relatively still subjects? To meet these needs, I put DSLRs into these categories:
   
   • Entry level cameras for new photographers or those just interested in great snap shots
   • Advanced amateur cameras with more features
   • Semi-professional cameras that aren’t as rugged as the best, top-of-the-line cameras but still high quality
   • Professional cameras that are the workhorses of top professionals

   For most photographers, I recommend investing in high-quality lenses and less expensive bodies that fall into the first or second category above. I do want to say that with the price of entry-level DSLRs so low, I would definitely recommend an entry-level DSLR over a good point-and-shoot entry level unless size is an important variable—the point-and-shoot being the more compact option. In almost all cases, a DSLR will yield a higher quality photo.

3. Durability. This is especially important if you travel frequently or would just prefer a more durable, rugged camera. In these cases, I would go to the third or fourth tier of cameras listed above. Some things I consider in terms of durability are:
   
   • Actual Camera Strength. If you anticipate being in situations where you may drop or treat your camera harshly, go with a professional level camera, which costs and weighs considerably more than the first three.
   • Shutter Cycles. The very best Canon and Nikons will last for more than 300,000 shutter clicks, which is typically the first feature to wear out. That said, most of us upgrade well before this point.
   • Auto Focus. For photographers who shoot sports or any fast action, this is of utmost importance. Newer and more expensive models come with faster and more accurate auto focusing. For a landscape or macro photographer, however, this often isn’t an important consideration.
   • Weather-proofing against rain, snow and sand. Again, you’d be smart to go with a more professional or semi-professional model as these are extremely usable in even the harshest of conditions. NOTE: If your camera is built to endure more harsh conditions, make sure your lenses are, too. Not all professional lenses are weather sealed; no amateur lenses are.
      
4. ISO. The range of your ISO is not nearly as important as how much noise (lack of quality) the camera has at higher ISOs such as 800, 1600, 3200 and 6400. In the last few years, this has been one of the most important improvements in digital cameras. Some of the newer models can go up to very high ISOs with almost no noise—it is amazing! What this means is that you can often buy a much slower lens (one stop or more slower) and therefore reduce your expense considerably. The quality of the lens may be the same, though you will lose the ability to have a more shallow depth of field with the less expensive lens. As an example, consider the price difference for these two Canon lenses, the main difference being that the more expensive lens is one stop faster, but the quality of the images are the same: Canon 70-200 mm IS USM, F 4 ($1,235) and Canon 70-200 IS USM F 2.8 ($1,950).
    
5. Number of Pixels. New photographers often consider the number of pixels the most important feature when purchasing a new camera; in reality, however, it is one of the least important for most amateurs. Most new DSLR cameras have 10 megapixels or more, which is plenty for almost all applications. The difference between 10 and 12 megapixels can barely be seen with the naked eye. Only those photographers who produce extremely large photographs need 20 megapixels or more. NOTE: If you do have a camera with a high number of pixels (18 megapixels or more), you also need lenses that can handle this high-quality sensor.
    
6. Sensor Size. This is important to understand. Few cameras have full-size sensors—sensors that are 24 X 36 mm or the same size as a 35mm film frame. These cameras are the Canon 1DsMarkIII, Canon 5D Mark II, Nikon D 700, Nikon D3s, and Nikon D3x. Most other cameras have what are called APS-C sensors. These are smaller sensors. The larger sensor usually gives somewhat higher quality images, but as DSLR development and technology progresses, this is becoming less of an issue because all DSLRs are high quality. The issue of sensor size has a lot to do with choosing lenses, a topic I will cover in the next issue of the newsletter.
    
7. Custom Functions. Setting custom functions is a way to adapt a camera to a particular photographer and shooting situation. Many custom functions generally help make shooting easier and more creative. A more expensive DSLR will likely have considerably more custom functions that you can set. To this end, beware - custom functions can require a whole new skill set in order to set and use properly. 
    
8. High Definition Video. Many of the newer DSLRs in any price range now have built-in high definition video. Although many photographers may not use this up-and-coming feature, it will likely be one of the most important features as technology evolves—especially for sports, weddings, photojournalism and wildlife photographers. Like the previous point, however, this feature requires some education and practice before being utilized to its potential. 

Finally, I have included a chart for current Canon and Nikon DSLRs. I have not included other brands although they are usually equally good in quality though, they won’t have the range of accessories. There are also many professional photographers that use medium-format digital cameras and large-format cameras, though these tend to be much more expensive.

July Assignment Gallery

The July Assignment Gallery has some fantastic images. The assignment, Interesting Details, required the contributing photographers to focus on and direct their audience’s gaze to a particular item, a relationship, or detail. People were strongly encouraged to take time and truly explore their subjects by making many different photographs and techniques. I would like to thank the photographers who shared their images and experiences for this assignment.

November Assignment - Capturing Motion
Cameras have the unique capacity to freeze motion or show implied motion by producing a blur. The visual effects of both of these techniques are fascinating and quite different. It’s amazing how two images of the same subject can feel completely dissimilar when you show the subject blurred with motion verses stopping it mid-movement. This is your chance to play with the camera’s amazing ability to exist on either end of motion’s spectrum and every inch in between.

See Assignment Details.