[LexInVA]

I have a 5D Mark 3 and a bunch of L-series lenses. Anyone else serious about photography here?

[4Martini]

I enjoy playing with my camera- but am not super serious. If you are looking for a unique vacation though- I went to the Crested Butte Wildflower festival a few years ago and took some wonderful photography classes! There were a ton of super serious photographers (a lot of pros) and classes down to beginner classes. The scenery is amazing! If you like hiking too they have amazing hikes and 4x4 tours even horse trail ride tours.

https://www.crestedbuttewildflowerfestival.com/

[Murphy's Mom]

Yes! I'm poor though so only have an Olympus E-30 with an Olympus E-500 for backup. As for lenses....I have the two kit lenses that came with the E-500 (a wide angle and a modest zoom), a 50 mm macro (my favorite, it's good glass), and the 'uber zoom' 70-300 (it's fun for wildlife photography but not very good glass so I don't use it much). Some day I'd like a full frame Nikon but that will only happen if I win the Lotto.

Mostly I shoot animals. I'm probably best with dogs but also shoot horses, cats, goats, and poultry. I have all on my farm so they are my best models. I also do some landscapes. I live in a great area for that. I realize some people don't think that pet photography is "real" photography but you must shoot what you love or that lack of interest really shows.

Once upon a time I was hoping to make some money in pet portraits but people around here aren't willing to pay anything for it. They think my "fancy" camera is the reason I take good photos. If I got a dollar for each time I heard "I'll give you $20 and you can just give me a CD with all the photos on it" I'd be rich! I also have people (some I barely know) call me and say they'll give me the "privilege" of shooting their new foal or their kid at a horse show.

So, I'll stay strictly amateur for now. I've had photos in a couple of juried photography exhibitions and in a couple of books so that is fun. I also enter a few competitions to challenge myself and keep my ego in check. I really suck compared to a lot of photographers out there. That's ok though since it just makes me try harder and keep learning.

[Backstage]

I suppose you'd have to define serious! Its definitely a hobby I enjoy, though I mostly take pictures of horse-related things. I have a couple of bodies (40D and 30D) and some decent glass. I will probably upgrade some lenses in 2013, but my self-imposed rule is that the photography must fund itself for the most part. I don't mind kicking in a few dollars here and there when I really really want some new toy, though. I've resisted seriously considering upgrading to full-frame since I'd then have to re-examine my entire lens set-up as well.

[BigBayHanoMare]

I was. Got burnt out shooting weddings with my dad and haven't picked up my camera in over a year.

[clanter]

iF you are in New York City and want to do fashion work my son is needing some interns, this is a paid position

also needs some freelance digital techs... they have four teams now that travel the world

http://www.capturethisnyc.com/about

[Tom King]

I guess I'm not so serious now, but do still have some decent equipment.

When I was in High School in the 10th through 12th grades, I was very serious. That was 1966 - 68. My bedroom was also turned into a darkroom. I printed pictures most nights, and carried the camera every day. That was all black and white, except for developing some color slides

I sold pictures (8x10s) to the local newspaper for $1.50 each, and they sent me on some assignments. I took the money I made in the newspaper office across the street to the pool room, and actually increased my earnings.

Our High School yearbook won first priize Nationally for photography.

I guess sleeping breathing developer, and fixer didn't end up hurting me. When we switched to shooting all color, I kind of lost the touch and now am probably only an average photographer, but do understand the whole process.

[Alagirl]

I am pretty serious.
I have been shooting the high school band for two seasons now, but there is no money in that....Started shooting a second band, pft, not even feedback.

I also crawl around in the front yard, shooting ants or mushrooms....that way ward lizard at Walmart....my scouts, my friend's soccer team....erm, the daughter's soccer team.

I need to learn a lot more, but I am having a blast...and you can expect to get a few pictures from me on a good day....like 400, maybe more....oh sigh.

I have my camera handy most times...I just can't say no to a pretty sky.

I actually won 3rd place at an exhibition one time

[Bogie]

I love photography. I wanted to be a pro for many years. In college I took photos for the paper (for $$), took pics at shows, experimented with fashion shots . . . spent a lot of time at the Parson's School of Design and the International Center of photography. After college I had a few shows.

Eventually I decided that I didn't want to take the kinds of photos that I would need to take and live the life of a photographer.

I still love photography and wish I had more time to devote to it. I've sold most of my higher end equipment and embraced the digital world. I've also started to have a lot of fun using Photoshop and making digital collages. I collect vintage (pre-1923) hunting and equestrian photos and am making some equestrian themed artwork that combines the vintage and contemporary images.

[ako]

A couple medium-format Mamiyas sit in my closet, one of which is an antique I should probably clean. I like the square 6x6 shape especially and the waist level view-finder.

It's tougher to find film and get negatives developed and prints, so I've kind of fallen out of the habit.

I'm just torn over what to do digitally. I would love a nice medium-format Mamiya or Hasselblad with digital and film backs, but no way will I spend $35,000 on that when that is a lot of horse $!!

So I have thought about it periodically and not invested in anything really cool.

[Sanely Eccentric]

I come from a family where everyone has a camera and enjoys photography to some degree. At my daughter's wedding we had the official photographer take a photo of the extended family and all our cameras.

I personally enjoy capturing a moment in time, a story in a series of shots, and whatever strikes me. I do not want to count how many photos I have on the computer, much less how many negatives and prints I have.

So I guess you could say the family is serious about photography in order to document our lives.

[two sticks]

Yep, professional photographer here. "Day job" is creating educational content for a photography software company.

[LAZ]

Me, I've always loved it but I've gotten borderline OCD about it over the last year. I shoot several times a week, everything from the horses to bugs to scenery.

I swear my camera bag weighs 40 lbs--I have L series glass and the only lense I think would be fun to have that I don't have would be a 500 or 600, and at $12,000 that ain't gonna happen! I think it would be handy to have another body but I haven't been able to talk myself into that.

[SAcres]

I'm in art school, a photo major.

Unfortunately I am also poor at the moment so I mainly shoot with a Nikon D60. It's not much but it does what I need it to. I'm seriously looking into the Nikon D800 though. When I do portraits I shoot with a 50 mm fixed lens w/ a max aperture of 1.4. Love love love that lens. I have a telephoto that I use for photographing animals and a wide angle for...well actually I never use the wide angle.

[Kestrel]

I have a Canon 5D Mark II, a couple L series lens and a couple others. I've been taking classes to improve my technical skills and plan to keep taking more. I do a lot of travel photography (Japan, Bolivian jungle, Peruvian Andes and jungle, Galapagos Islands and Antarctica) and horse stuff of course. I've had one photo published in an auto magazine. I enjoy it, but don't anticipate making any money off it. I've been saving up and sometime this year will be ready to order either a 500mm f/4L or EF 600mm f/4L lens. Today we were drive across the Skagit Valley and found Snow Geese right up by the road, as well as two bald eagles sitting in a nearby tree (picking out their dinner) so I stopped and got several hundred shots. Then we spotted some Trumpeter Swans, but I really needed a bigger lens, as they are much more skittish. Say, which website does everyone like for hosting photos you want to link to? I need to start doing that soon.

[Alagirl]

I am using photobucket, have been for about 6 or 7 years now.
The new layout is a bit crappy, but the functions are ok.

[spaceagevalkyrie]

I enjoy photography, I just suck royally at it.

[BearRock]

Share your pictures! Here are a quick recent few of mine that I like. I shoot with a Canon 60D and either a 17-55 f2.8 or 50mm f/1.4. I also LOVE film and have two older film cameras.

Digital:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...73357541_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...30668039_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...00503800_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...91817393_n.jpg

Film:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...61195171_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...19654383_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...28505527_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...42605466_n.jpg

I could talk about this all day!

[SFrost]

I am! There is something about the feeling you get when you get that perfect shot., I just love it. Not only that but the value of having a great picture to remember an event, or even something random is so fun to me.

I set up my own website and blog to share my pictures and hopefully get some business down the road. It was so fun to create a "brand" and to have a way to show off my pictures. I hated that Facebook made it so easy to have some stranger just steal my pictures. I know it happens still on my site, but it makes it bit more time consuming.

I plan on taking some workshops this year to learn more. I am self taught, from taking the pic to editing. I love the challenge and the visual of the end results.

Right now I don't charge for any profit and I try to do most things for free if I can. (People do have to pay for prints and DVDs if they want them though,) Since I know I have SO much to learn I felt this was a great way to get people to have sessions it really helps me improve as a photographer.

My site is in my signature line. Please go have a look and tell me what you think! I would LOVE some feedback!!!!! Even better, I'd love for y'all to "like" my page on Facebook too! My blog links get sent over to the page to grab a wider audience.

[kathtray]

By "serious", do you mean "invested a lot of money into equipment", or "talented", or "enjoys it a lot"?

I haven't invested loads, and I think talent is up to other people to judge, but I do enjoy it. I grew up with a darkroom, love film photography, but shoot mostly digital for convenience.

My favourite cameras are my Hasselblad 500C and Pentax Spotmatic- the more manual, the better. I also have a digital Pentax that I attach my old glass (and a few new ones) to.