Jeff,
I don't know what kind of camera you have and unless you have something really primitive I would continue to spend your money on Randall Knives. Just for fun I tried a little experiment today and pulled out my very first Digital Camera. Over 12 years old and considered rather low end even in 1998. A 2.2 Megapixel Kodak DX3600 Point & Shoot. 100% Auto, no manual settings whatsoever and here is the result with a few photos for the SHAG Thread. These photos are not on the same planet when compared to Ken's and are inferior to my current camera but I think this demonstrates that you don't need a Hot Rod Camera to take decent, respectable photos.
In Ken's Photography Tips Thread he said:
Quote:
About lighting, photography is all about light, and one's ability to capture it effectively. Everything else is a distant secondary concern, including equipment.
And I agree with this statement 100%. It's all about lighting. I take all my photos outside on a table on my patio out back. I always try to work with an overcast sky or when the sun is behind the clouds or I can set a small table on a side of the house where the direct sun is blocked. Obviously, if the weather is bad I am out of business but sometimes I can get enough light in my garage with the door open, I just try to avoid direct sunlight. Other than light I always tell people using digital cameras to take tons of pictures at different angles, views using different backgrounds, they are all free and easy to delete, if you get 10 out of 100, that's worth it. Lastly, it really helps to have a decent Digital Photo Processing program on your computer and in that regard Ken is very knowledgeable as well.