Photography Minute

I reached out to Pat O’Brien (www.obrienstudios.com) last month to ask him some questions about his photography, his approach to this passion of ours and his thoughts on where the field of photography is headed…below are Pat’s questions and answers.

Pat has some great insight into the industry…looking forward to see what comes out of his camera in the future.

Q: Tell me about yourself (bio etc)?

Hello, my name is Pat O’Brien and I consider myself a “professional amateur” photographer. What I mean by that is, photography isn’t my full time job, so that makes me an amateur. It’s a passion of mine and I’ve been lucky enough to have a few paying assignments which have been published, so that’s where I like to tack on the professional title.

Q: How did you get started in photography?

When I was younger I would play around with my parents camera, and finally I got my own 35mm film camera. I remember taking pictures of everything. I tried to get newer cameras as I got older and had some money. When I was in the Army, my unit Commander noticed my interest, and wanted a photographer to take photos of unit assemblies and field training to be used for public relations. So I was sent off to a simple and quick Army photography course. Unfortunately I was assigned the position late in my Army career and didn’t get to take any interesting photos of my unit. When I got out, however, I took that training and kept going. Since that course, I have mostly taught myself what I know through a lot of reading and online resources.

Q: What type of photography interests you most (landscape, people, etc)?

I’m into many different forms of photography, and while I have done portraiture and product photography, I mostly enjoy taking photos of landscapes. For me, I enjoy being outside with beautiful weather and hiking around the landscape to find the right angle, and get “the shot”. Most of the time I’ll hang out until near sunset to capture some HDR sunsets of the landscape as well. When the weather is bad, I’ll tend to do product photography. I find that since the subject doesn’t move much, I can experiment more to get a better angle.

Q: Where do you see the field of photography heading in the next 3 to 5 years?

In the next 3 to 5 years I see the photography industry having more of a shift to DSLR hybrid camera bodies that can do video as well. We already see that now with the Canon 5D Mark II, and the Canon 7D. As more of these camera bodies will be produced it will become more cost effective to use them in more applications – such as making movies.

Q: Do you see the field of photography and professional photographers growing or constricting?

In sort of the same light as the previous question, I believe the field of photography will be growing. With camera bodies coming out with video, and the newer bodies getting even better (e.g. faster processors, higher ISO with less noise, and faster FPS), I see the field growing considerably. Again, as technology progresses, these features will become more cost effective to manufacture, and that’ll draw consumers in.

Q: Canon or Nikon?

I shoot all Canon equipment. I’m not sure why, to be honest. My first DSLR camera was a Canon 10D, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve had some great luck with Canon.

Q: If you could put together your ‘dream’ setup of camera and lens(s), what would it be?

At this point in my photography life, I’ve recently purchased my ‘dream’ setup. I have the Canon 5D Mark II, with the Speedlite 580EX II and Canon 24-105mm f/4L. I also have the Canon 50mm 1.4, and the Canon 70-200 f/4L. Of course, I guess the dream can live on… I’d love to be able to own the100mm Macro, the 24-70 f/2.8L for low light, and a nice super telephoto such as the Canon 500mm f/4L to get those long range landscape shots.

Q: Is it the camera/lenses or the photographer?

I believe it’s the photographer. Sure having nice equipment can get you a good looking photo, but having some sort of artistic vision of what you’re trying to achieve is going to be better in the long run. The camera isn’t able to “think” for you, so it won’t be able to get the best possible angle. That’s where the photographer comes in!

Q: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I invite you to check out my portfolio website (www.obrienstudios.com) and follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/obrienstudios)!

I hope to make this a regular feature of the blog…if you’d like to be featured (or know someone who would, please let me know).

Related posts:

1. Outdoor Photographer announces “Assignments”
2. Photography Links for June 13 2010
3. Canon EOS 7D Digital Field Guide Book Review
4. Field Sparrow – Spring Creek Nature Preserve
5. Off-Camera Flash + Beautiful Sunset