Camera

It's not the camera but the photographer who pushes the button. Wether you use analog or digital, a compact, a hybride, an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) a Hasselblad or a large format camera, you are welcome. The only real requirement for a camera is that it functions impeccably. A decent digital compact is sufficient for the beginners course or photo holidays.

SLR

But an SLR is more versatile, because you can interchange lenses. The SLR adapts to its subject, which makes it the best choice for general photography.

Specialised cameras are for specialised subjects. Unless your main subject asks for it, a panorama camera or a fish-eye lens are beautifull toys, but they will account for only a small percentage of your photographs.They are hardly ever worth the investment.

Professional camera models are... for professionals. They often have the same properties as the top amateur models, but are built much more ruggedly with a metal alloy frame. They are meant for very intensive use. I once fell several meters with a professsional Nikon in my hands. I had health problems for several months, but the camera hardly had a scratch. An amateur model would have finished in the waste bin.

Brands

Nobody can detect the camera brand from a photograph. As long as you stay within the major brands (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony, Leica, Fuji etc.) you can hardly go wrong. But there are some exceptions. Read test reviews in magazines and on internet. And probably the best source of information is the camera repair shop. They really know which models to avoid.

Lenses

You cannot detect the camera brand from a photograph, but you immediately see the lens quality. Every camera is as good as the quality of its lens. Some modern compact and bridge cameras have excellent lenses, and are well suited for macro photography. And a cheap third class zoom changes a very expensive SLR (Single Lens Reflex) into rubbish.

Many modern zooms are of excellent optic quality. They permit you to react quickly without adding weight to your camera bag. For a small budget and light traveling, one trans-standard zoom like a digital 18-55/70 mm or an analog 28-70 mm covers most of your subjects. If you add a second 70-200 mm zoom you are able to photograph 90 % of all your subjects (including macro, wildlife at moderate distances, landscapes, portraits, architecture etc.)

Aperture

Professionals pay big sums for lenses with 2.8 or even bigger apertures. Specially in fast journalism and sports photography you gain several stops of light. And these professional lenses contain lens elements of special (expensive) glass which improve optical quality and sharpness. Do you need them? It depends on your kind of photography. Try not to buy lenses with maximum apertures smaller than 5.6.

Specialized lenses

For specialised subjects and techniques nothing equals specialised fixed focal length lenses and specialised cameras. But for most Phot-O-Vergne workshops you don't need them.

An exception is the 50 mm macro lens which becomes a 75-80 mm small tele on a digital SLR. This makes it excellent for portraits, landscapes, plants and insects, etc. A very versatile lens which forces you to compose better than zoomlenses do.

Pixels or Film ?

Each of these techniques has its pros and cons. Both are welcome at Phot-O-Vergne. Let your preferences decide. Remember that a good photograph is a good photograph. No matter what technology you used !

Digital

Pros

• You can control, select and show your images immediately
  
• Lightweight memory cards pass airport customs without hassle
  
• You can send images by mail quickly
• Many modern digital lenses are very sharp
• Change of ISO in low-light situations is easy
• You can shoot as many photographs as you want
• The crop factor turns lenses into telelenses. Very useful for landscapes and wildlife

Cons

• When you're out of batteries, you're out of photography
  
• Visualising images and flashing are voracious on batteries
  
• You need a (laptop) computer
  
• Dust on the sensor can drive you mad
  
• Professional equipment equivalent to film is still very expensive
  
• Many compact cameras show inertia, which is a big nuisance
• Bad viewfinder quality, except for digital SLR's
  
• Noise when shooting low light without flash
• Digital retouching takes time. Very much time !
• Digital photography is much more expensive than film.

Analog

Pros

• Older cameras don't need batteries.
  
• High quality at a low price. A € 0.20 negative equals a € 2000 sensor
• Medium and large format image quality is simply impossible in digital
• High quality analog photo equipment has become very affordable
• Dust on mirror or groundglass doesn't affect the image
• Older lenses can have a romantic quality modern lenses don't have
• You can digitise your images once back home
  
• Total manual control of the process from shot to print
• You are forced to get it right the first time
• You have a large choice of affordable wideangle lenses

Cons

• You have to bring a stock of film and batteries (weight)
  
• You cannot check or show results immediately
• When you're out of film you're out of photography
• You are forced to get it right the first time

Preparing for Film

Important things to put in your camera bag when you are shooting analog :

Bring the color negative, slide, or black & white film you are used to. Count on 2 - 3 films per shooting day. 100 or 200 ISO is often the best in most cases. At home, film is best kept in your refrigerator. During the workshop always have enough spare films in your camera bag. Leave them in their plastic containers to protect them from dust and moisture. Bring two sturdy plastic bags (ziplocks). One for exposed and one for unexposed film

Batteries

Before you leave home, put new batteries in your camera and other equipment (exposure meter, flash). And bring enough spare batteries. You can buy most kinds of batteries here. But Murphy knows that ofcourse the one your equipment uses cannot be found locally. Be sure not to miss out on photographs only because you don't have enough spare batteries.

Cleaning

It is very important to keep your equipment in pristine condition. Clean your camera every evening. Rain, dust or sand can endanger the next days shoot. Bring a soft make-up brush. Preferably the kind in a closed container. Bring an optical "microfibre" cloth too. Beware of spectacle cloths because they can contain corrosive chemicals. A camera repair shop exists at 60 km from Phot-O-Vergne, but you lose a days shoot if your camera breaks down. With the actual prices of (used) analog photo equipment, it can be smart to bring a spare camera.

Mobile Phone

Bring your mobile phone if you have one. It prevents you from loosing the group during a photo shoot on location. Don't forget the battery charger.

The manual !

Have mercy on your teacher, because he isn't a psychic medium. Nonetheless his long experience, he doesn't know all camera models of all manufacturers. And many models tried to reinvent the wheel in just another way than their competitors. By the way, participants often discover camera features in the manual, they never knew about. So, don't forget to bring the manual ! Even if you know your camera very well.

Preparing for Digital

Important things to put in your camera bag when you are shooting digital :

Memory cards

Bring enough compatible memory cards. You can find the right type of memory card in your camera manual. We will shoot at the highest image quality your camera permits. So you will need lots of memory. Fast memory cards are better for high velocity shooting. In all other situations it's useless to spend your money on speed. Memory capacity is far more important. Bring at least 3 memory cards of the highest capacity you can afford. Think about a replacement for a defective memory card too.

Stocking your photos

We don't push you to make more images, but to make better images. Count on 75 to 150 photos a day nonetheless. To stock them you can either bring more memory cards, download them to your computer harddisk, or download them onto a portable image storage device (imagetank).

Batteries

Bring spare batteries. And test them before you leave home ! At your hotel you can recharge the spare batteries while you are at a shoot. Ofcourse, don't forget the charging device...In France we have 220 Volt electricity.

Cleaning

It is very important to keep your equipment in pristine condition. Clean your camera every evening. Rain, dust or sand can endanger the next days shoot. Bring a soft make-up brush. Preferably the kind in a closed container. Bring an optical "microfibre" cloth too. Beware of spectacle cloths because they can contain corrosive chemicals. Your camera sensor is the  most vulnerable part to clean. Only do this yourself if you need to, and if you have practiced it before. A camera repair shop exists at 60 km from Phot-O-Vergne, but you lose a days shoot when your camera breaks down.

Mobile Phone

The manual !

Have mercy on your teacher, because he isn't a psychic medium. Nonetheless his long experience, he doesn't know all camera models of all manufacturers. Specially in digital photography where every new model seems to reinvent the wheel in just another way than their competitors. By the way, participants often discover camera features in the manual, they never knew about. So, don't forget to bring the manual ! Even if you know your camera very well.

Computers

Without a computer digital photography is useless. So, most workshop participants bring their own laptop computer to the workshops.

Phot-O-Vergne has two Linux computers to use, if you cannot bring a laptop.

Software

Software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom have become the worldwide standard for photographers. If you have a copy, please bring it. But Photoshop is rediculously expensive, and excellent cheaper alternatives exist. Most of them do the job just as good, sometimes even better. To name some : Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, Nikon Capture, Bibble Pro, or Lightzone all do an excellent job. Some excellent free alternatives are Google's Picasa (for beginners), Canon DPP, The Gimp, Digicam, etc. Please keep working with the software you are used to. But know that very satisfying alternatives exist.

Open Source

Phot-O-Vergne switched to Open Source software in 2005. Since then our computer efficiency has greatly increased, and costs have been decimated. Not only because Open Source software is free of charge. But because hardware updates are needed less frequently, and software failure has been virtually non existent. Open Source software simply works and ik keeps on working. And although a linux alternative for Lightroom / Aperture doesn't exist (yet), we are perfectly happy with the existing Open Source photography software. If you want more information, just ask.

Quick Reference

The reference below can help you find the right equipment for your kind of photography.

Attention ! In digital photography the focal lengths of lenses are multiplied with the crop factor of your camera. E.g. a 50 mm lens becomes a 75 mm on a Nikon D300 or a 80 mm on a Canon 40D. But on a D300 or a 5D they stay 50 mm. You can find the crop factor in the manual of your camera.