I was somehow led to this post about Erin Kunkel on POP today. She discusses the her broad and successful career as a photographer here in the Bay Area, and how she came to realize how photography was her dream job. Just the advice I need…

POP: When did you decide to become a photographer?
I had been living in Europe, working on organic farms and shooting a lot just for fun. At that point I didn’t necessarily think of photography in terms of a career. When I returned to the Bay Area I planned to get a job working on sustainability issues, but I heard about a job working for National Geographic photographer Catherine Karnow, and amazingly she took a chance on me as a studio manager even though I had no experience in the photo world. I learned a tremendous amount from her, and it helped me realize that photography was my dream job.

Read the rest of the Q&A here >>

Eric Wolfinger’s Tartine Sessions.

Ken Beilman

“I own both the 5DMkII and the 7D. I just love the capability of going both extreme wide and and medium telephoto by carrying both camera bodies with me. Just a few zoom lenses (like the 16-35, 28-70, and 70-200) afford a tremendous versatility in shot selection. The 7D is a clear winner for action photography at about twice the fps as the 5DMkII and is $1000 less than the 5DMkII. The 5DMkII is a clear winner for wide angle photography and high ISO images. If I’m going to carry just one body, it is usually the 7D because I tend to favor telephoto shots.”

Erwin Marlin:

“If you’re comparing the 5D Mark I to the 7D, go 7D all the way. If you’re comparing the 5D Mark II versus the 7D, it sums up to this: if you shoot landscapes/architecture go with the 5DMkII, for everything else go 7D. If you’re comparing the video capability of 5DMkII and 7D, the 5D offer shallower depth of field and wider angles, but the 7D records better and much smoother, in several different fps and resolutions, and manages better camera panning and tilting during video recording.

P.S.: If you were comparing it to the 5D Mark II, I’d go for the 7D, save the extra $1000 dollars the 5D Mark II costs, and buy the 17-55 f/2.8 IS.”

Alan Krantz

“The 7d is an apsc and the 5d full frame. If your composition style favors isolation and shallow dof then the 5d2. The 7d has an advantage for sports/bird photography due to the more advance/faster af system.
In a year or two there will be something newer and better so if you are a gadget junkie you will not want either in a few years.

Basically the 7d is a newer camera with all the bells and whistle. The 5d2 primary advantage is full frame and lower noise at higher iso; but the body around the sensor isn’t that great.”