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| FAQ's / GENERAL |
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Who are you and where are you from?
Q
A
My name is Tommy Simms. I am a freelance photographer and I live in Atlanta,
Georgia. I was born and raised in New Mexico (it IS a STATE in the U.S.). I take my
camera with me everywhere I go, always looking for a photo opportunity. I take
frequent planned "photo trips" out of town and enjoy being outdoors.
Georgia. I was born and raised in New Mexico (it IS a STATE in the U.S.). I take my
camera with me everywhere I go, always looking for a photo opportunity. I take
frequent planned "photo trips" out of town and enjoy being outdoors.
Q
A
How did you get started in photography?
I suppose one could say that photography runs in my family. My GREAT grandfather
ran a photography business in Wonewoc, Wisconsin (many, many years ago) until it
was destroyed by fire. And If my grandfather were alive today he would be what is
called a "serous hobbyist".
My interest in photography began when I found a discarded Kodak Brownie when I
was about 5yrs old. I pretended to take photos with this camera until my mother gave
me a camera that belonged to my grandfather (an Argus C3 with ALL of the
attachments) when I was about 13 yrs old. I learned photography using this camera
and several other hand-me-downs from family and friends until I purchased my own
(Pentax K1000). I currently shoot completely digital with Canon being my brand of
choice.
ran a photography business in Wonewoc, Wisconsin (many, many years ago) until it
was destroyed by fire. And If my grandfather were alive today he would be what is
called a "serous hobbyist".
My interest in photography began when I found a discarded Kodak Brownie when I
was about 5yrs old. I pretended to take photos with this camera until my mother gave
me a camera that belonged to my grandfather (an Argus C3 with ALL of the
attachments) when I was about 13 yrs old. I learned photography using this camera
and several other hand-me-downs from family and friends until I purchased my own
(Pentax K1000). I currently shoot completely digital with Canon being my brand of
choice.
Q
A
Do you "photoshop" your pictures?
What kind of pictures do you like to take?
Q
A
That is a great question! I try not to limit myself to one particular subject
or genre. I shoot and publish a lot of "Nature" photography. However, I
enjoy taking Sports, Portraits, and other "Event" photos. Out of respect
for the privacy of my clients, I do not publish or post them for public
viewing.
or genre. I shoot and publish a lot of "Nature" photography. However, I
enjoy taking Sports, Portraits, and other "Event" photos. Out of respect
for the privacy of my clients, I do not publish or post them for public
viewing.
Q
A
I'm looking for a camera. Which is the best one to buy?
Wow, lots of possible answers to this question. This is one of those questions that can only be answered by asking
several follow-up questions. Are you a casual photographer who just wants to take a few vacation snap-shots of
the kids and aunt Edna standing at the summit of Pikes Peak? Are you a serious hobbyist that hopes to maybe
turn "pro" someday? Or are you somewhere in between? If you ask a salesman at the camera store, you will get
one answer and if you ask a professional photographer you will more than likely get another answer. The point is
that for every different person that you ask, you will get a different answer.
What kind of photos do you want to take, sports, nature, landscapes, portraits? All of the above? What I have
found is that most camera buyers may answer that question one way today, but the answer may be different
tomorrow!
The best way to find your answers is for you to do your own research. The Internet is a great place to start. Join in
on some of the discussion forums and read the reviews posted by some of the users. Use as many unbiased
sources as you can find. Basically, you will have to decide (if we are talking digital here) between a Point and Shoot
or a SLR. If you are serious about photography or think that you might be in the future you would need to go with
an SLR. SLR's provide you with many different lens choices, whereas Point And Shoot cameras are just that...Point
and shoot. My only advice to a buyer of an SLR camera would be to check out your lens choices first! If you spend
your money on a $1200.00 SLR camera and put a $200.00 lens in front of it, you are going to get a $200.00 shot.
Conversely, I have seen some $500.00 to $600.00 SLR bodies attached to a $1600.00 lens that produce an
OUTSTANDING photo! You may want to begin your research at the following (EXCELLENT) website:
www.dpreview.com
several follow-up questions. Are you a casual photographer who just wants to take a few vacation snap-shots of
the kids and aunt Edna standing at the summit of Pikes Peak? Are you a serious hobbyist that hopes to maybe
turn "pro" someday? Or are you somewhere in between? If you ask a salesman at the camera store, you will get
one answer and if you ask a professional photographer you will more than likely get another answer. The point is
that for every different person that you ask, you will get a different answer.
What kind of photos do you want to take, sports, nature, landscapes, portraits? All of the above? What I have
found is that most camera buyers may answer that question one way today, but the answer may be different
tomorrow!
The best way to find your answers is for you to do your own research. The Internet is a great place to start. Join in
on some of the discussion forums and read the reviews posted by some of the users. Use as many unbiased
sources as you can find. Basically, you will have to decide (if we are talking digital here) between a Point and Shoot
or a SLR. If you are serious about photography or think that you might be in the future you would need to go with
an SLR. SLR's provide you with many different lens choices, whereas Point And Shoot cameras are just that...Point
and shoot. My only advice to a buyer of an SLR camera would be to check out your lens choices first! If you spend
your money on a $1200.00 SLR camera and put a $200.00 lens in front of it, you are going to get a $200.00 shot.
Conversely, I have seen some $500.00 to $600.00 SLR bodies attached to a $1600.00 lens that produce an
OUTSTANDING photo! You may want to begin your research at the following (EXCELLENT) website:
www.dpreview.com
Visitor Information
Orchid Symphony
Leafscape
are welcome!
As a reminder, all of my photographs are Copyright ©Tommy Simms. If you are
interested in using any of my photos, please feel free to contact me.
interested in using any of my photos, please feel free to contact me.
Return to FAQ
Wow, what a question! This is probably the most frequently asked question that I
answer and I could probably dedicate an entire page to the question. I suppose most of
the time, someone just wants to know if I "edit" my photos. Sometimes the tone of the
question is almost accusatory, as if I had committed some kind of high-crime against the
"purity" of photography. Sometimes the question is asked by those who would like to
know what they "should" use to edit their photos. One way that I might answer is: Do
you use a digital camera? If you do then your camera does most of the same
manipulation that Adobe Photoshop or any other image editing software does. "How can
you say that" you may ask? Most of the digital cameras on the market today have a
variety of user controlled settings for Color, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation,
Sharpness, White Balance, Quality, Size, etc., that can all be adjusted by the
photographer. Adobe Photoshop and other digital editing software all allow the same
user to control those settings/adjustments to suit his/her tastes themselves as opposed
to letting the camera do all of the work. If you shoot film then you leave those
adjustments up to a photo processing facility (if you don't have your own darkroom).
Either way, film or digital, your images ARE being manipulated! So, to answer the
question in a word, YES, I "photoshop" my images. In so doing, I am in complete control
of the final printed image from the time I push the shutter release until I remove it from
the tray of my printer. Digital cameras and image editing software have taken the
post-processing of images out of the chemicals and out of the darkroom.
answer and I could probably dedicate an entire page to the question. I suppose most of
the time, someone just wants to know if I "edit" my photos. Sometimes the tone of the
question is almost accusatory, as if I had committed some kind of high-crime against the
"purity" of photography. Sometimes the question is asked by those who would like to
know what they "should" use to edit their photos. One way that I might answer is: Do
you use a digital camera? If you do then your camera does most of the same
manipulation that Adobe Photoshop or any other image editing software does. "How can
you say that" you may ask? Most of the digital cameras on the market today have a
variety of user controlled settings for Color, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation,
Sharpness, White Balance, Quality, Size, etc., that can all be adjusted by the
photographer. Adobe Photoshop and other digital editing software all allow the same
user to control those settings/adjustments to suit his/her tastes themselves as opposed
to letting the camera do all of the work. If you shoot film then you leave those
adjustments up to a photo processing facility (if you don't have your own darkroom).
Either way, film or digital, your images ARE being manipulated! So, to answer the
question in a word, YES, I "photoshop" my images. In so doing, I am in complete control
of the final printed image from the time I push the shutter release until I remove it from
the tray of my printer. Digital cameras and image editing software have taken the
post-processing of images out of the chemicals and out of the darkroom.