The Evolution of a Photographer, Part IV
After the D90 walked away, I was kind of lost. I had to start out from scratch and do the research again. Except this time, the technology changed again. I didn't want another D90 because that was three years old by this point.
During my research, I stumbled across Jared Polin, aka FroKnowsPhoto on YouTube. I saw his unboxing of the Canon 60d and preview, and put it on the top of my list. I was also looking at the Nikon 5100 at the time, but when I handled it I could tell it was going to be small in my hands. As fate had it, Costco had the Canon 60d on sale the next week and the rest is history.
I continued following FroKnowsPhoto and was determined to learn more about my camera. My first step was changing my file format from JPG to RAW. That one change gave me total control over the photograph. It took some getting used to, because using RAW meant I had to process every photograph. Processing my first batch of 1200 photos convinced me I need to be a little more judicious in my picture taking. I might miss some, but at least I wasn't shooting 4.5 frames per second on every shot!
Watching Jeff Cable on YouTube also gave me the confidence to get out of "P" mode and at least take some control over my environment by switching to "Aperture Priority" mode. I was finally getting control of my camera!
After about a year, the kit 18-200mm lens wasn't going to cut it. I invested in a 17-55mm f/2.8 EF-S lens and that gave me a lot better photos in lower light conditions. I like the f/2.8 lens so good that the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS came home about 6 months later.
I shot the 60D for about 3 years and then traded it in on a 7D Mark II. But that's a story for another day!
Some shots from the 60D.
Catherine and Valerie at our first LeMoyne Lacrosse game.
Could never get this shot with a Point & Shoot.
Rowing on the Charles River.
A balloon attendant at the Stamford Thanksgiving Parade.
Playing around with my favorite subject.