Photography Questions I’m Always Asked

Being so involved in the photography world for such a time, and having hands on experience with so many different cameras over the years I get asked questions on a regular basis. This blog will answer those questions in the hope that they can help some of you.

Here are some of the most asked questions that I get in-person and online at a regular basis.

“How long have you been doing photography?”

This is an easy one to start with. I was given by my father a 35mm Zenit camera when I was around 9 or 10, and I caught the bug. I’ve had a camera in my hand of one kind of another for the last 45+ years since.

“Do you get paid for your photography?”

Although a lot of the work I do is community based (including group walks, workshops, one-on-one help, articles and more recently our magazine), my entire income is through my work with photography.

This is everything from weddings, events and portraits through to commissioned shoots and tutoring.

“What camera do you use?”

My main cameras are the Nikon ZF and Nikon Z6ii, although up until recently I’ve been shooting with various Fujifilm and Olympus cameras.

Quite often I also shoot with older CCD point and shoot cameras (I own quite a few!) and of course my mobile phone. I have zero bias on cameras or sensor-size (as the amount of groups I run for various cameras shows!) I use in my spare time, and just enjoy picking up a camera and using it. On group meets and tutoring for example, I will often play with and use other cameras, such as my recent experiences with the Nikon P1100.

“What do I use to edit my photos?”

For work I now exclusively use Luminar Neo. Like many I have left Adobe, and along the way I had used ON1 Photo Raw, Capture One and DXO. I have stayed with Luminar Neo because for the work I do it offers the best of all worlds.

For times when I’m chilling and doing things for me I use RapidRaw and Darktable, although I’m using Darktable less these days because of RapidRaw.

“What editing software do you recommend?”

I’m a great believer in using what suites your needs best. Although I spend a lot of time tutoring different packages, I always tell people to use what suits them best. Every software package is more than capable these days and every single editing package offers a free-trial.

“What camera do you suggest for xxx photography?”

This is a very frequent question, and I’ve seen people change systems because I have changed systems. However the question is quite a broad one and I have a few answers covering most things. 

For a general hobby, with no particular direction (just enjoying taking photos), just hold a few cameras and see which feels best in the hand. Generally, the sensor doesn’t matter, the make doesn’t matter. What matters most is that you are comfortable with it. 

When asked about street photography I always suggest a small camera, be it a Ricoh GR series, a small Fujifilm or something like the Nikon ZF with a small lens.

When asked about wildlife or travel, I always suggest them to get the best micro four thirds camera they can.  These can be nice and small, and with the right lens plenty of reach. 

A question in relation to this question is often what camera for getting into work with photography (and get paid for their work). For this I will always suggest a modern full frame camera if they can afford it. In particular the Nikon Z5ii which is highly praised for all the right reasons. I’ve seen too many people over the decades start work on smaller sensor cameras, only to realise that light and noise are the biggest killers of professional quality images. Of course, there are caveats to this for some specific fields, but those are few and far between for those who want to work in photography.

“What is your favourite camera?”

I was lucky enough to buy my favourite camera last year. The Nikon ZF is the most beautiful camera with performance to match. I can throw it in any scenario and it just hits right. Plus it’s bloody sexy to look at. 

Most importantly though, it’s raw files (which are renowned to be a thing of beauty) are in fact a thing of beauty. The manipulation you can do, the look you get and just about everything else from the sensor is mind-blowing.

“What is your favourite focal length?”

For decades it was 35mm, these days it’s 40mm (although of course I still love 35mm!)

“Why don’t you share much black and white imagery?”

I’m not a fan of black and white. I see in colour, I love colourful things and colour for me tells a story. That is not to say I don’t do the occasional black and white image though… but it is rare!

“Why did you move from Fujifilm to Nikon?”

I still get asked this a lot! Simple answer quickly, I moved from Nikon to Fujifilm, spent 6 years with Fujifilm and missed Nikon (the colours, the sensor, the performance etc) so went back to Nikon. 

“Why do I write so many blogs?”

I have a lot to share my un-biased knowledge working with photography the way I do. I meet a lot of people, I see a lot of things and I like to educate people. I never write about anything I don’t or have not used, and I keep bias out of everything and just state facts from a working photographers perspective. There is much more to photography than test-charts and stats, the reality is much different as all of us know who have been doing photography for any amount of time.

I often think about giving it up and just sharing photos, but my funny little traits mean I just can’t stop as my brain is always running at 100mph. Before photography it was gaming and tech blogs, but I always managed to sneak in a photography blog here and there!

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My name is Mark G Adams and I run Photography By Mark G Adams. I am a professional photographer from South Wales, shooting weddings, events and portraits as well as running meets and workshops. For fun I like to shoot landscapes, wildlife and occasionally do street photography. Enjoy my website as I share my knowledge learned over decades of working and having fun in photography.
You can find all the latest articles and blogs on my homepage here.
My main photography social media page is my Photography By Mark G Adams page.
Nikon Recipes for the Z system can be found here.
You can find a complete list of my gear here.