Scott Bourne and Frederick Van Johnson answer viewers photography questions.
Q&A Podcast Questions

1. From James in Sacramento, CA

I want to buy a new camera because I want to start making professional photographs. But I noticed several of the portfolio shots posted by Photofocus authors are made with older cameras. Is it possible a five year old DSLR is good enough for “pro” work?

2. From Patti in San Diego, CA

Which is more important in acquiring autofocus? The body or the lens or both?

3. From Arnold in Boston, MA

I have a paid assignment (my first) involving travel photography to another country. I need a guide or a helper who knows the language and customs of the area to help me get the coverage I need of the area. Any idea on how to find one?

4. From Tommy in Lancaster, PA

When I look at my images on the back of my DSLR on the LCD am I seeing a JPEG or the RAW file?

5. From Annie in Prescott, AZ

I have to make photographs of my son’s fourth grade class. Do I need to worry about re-touching such portraits?

6. From Henry in Paris, France

Why do photographers who shoot video always use ND filters?

7. From Willy in Toronto, Ontario

What do you say to models in order to relax them? Some of the people I photograph are so uptight when I make their portrait that it ruins the picture and I need some advice on how to calm them down.

8. From Chris in Oklahoma City, OK

I use a calibration tool on my Mac monitor. Do I need to mess with this on my iPhone and iPad too?

9. From Kevin in Santa Fe, NM

I know you’ve covered this before but with all the changes in Photoshop (now Creative Cloud) can you recommend that photographers start out with Lightroom and then decide if they need Photoshop or just bite the bullet and get both?

10. From Ken in Atlanta, GA

I hear that on M43 cameras, your depth-of-field is doubled meaning f/2 is really f/4. Does that impact how much light hits the sensor?

11. From Larry in Kokomo, IN

Regardless of what cameras/lenses you’re using now, if you had to start all over and had all the budget you wanted, what camera system would you buy and why?

12. From Al in Garden City, New York

This is for Scott: I’ve listened to you for many years and have learned so much from you. I have often wondered but never heard from you directly on how and when you decided to concentrate on bird photography. What is it about the subject of birds that made you devote so much of your time and energy towards them?

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