What makes a 'pro photographer' a 'pro'?

Yes, yes. People just simply say something that really annoys me some times - Hey look! There's a pro photographer there with his DSLR! Are you really a pro with the gear you have or is it the skill that counts? Go to YouTube, and you'll find a whole lot of users buying pro gear, but some how or rather they aren't pros. I find it a bit odd. Things aren't were they supposed to be. But to me, I feel pros are those who have skill.

One who is able to shoot with two primes or so, and still get amazing pictures - that's what I call a pro. To me, the more gear you have, the more 'incompetent' you are. Don't get me wrong; there are called pro gear for a reason. And buying more and more lenses isn't going to help, either.

To me, a 35mm and a 85/105mm is enough for any photographer to shoot almost anything. The 35 can handle wide angle and street or candid photography whilst the 85/105 will just handle everything else; macro, telephoto and portrait photography.

Should you buy third party gear

Third party gear/accessories have been quite popular recently. I think its a must have for beginners, since they're new to photography and they just want something cheap and practical. Pros use these too, but seldomly. Don't get me wrong, third party brands are there for a reason - to provide a cheaper alternative than the already expensively-priced manufacturer's lenses. Take the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 for an example. I'll compare it to Nikon's equivalent Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8. In terms of price, the Tamron is definitely cheaper which makes it a no-brainer. The Tammy(a nickname for Tamron's lenses) is priced around RM2,800 whereas the Nikon is priced at RM8,200. Yes, the numbers don't lie. The Tammy is about cheaper than the Nikon. Quality-wise, they're practically almost the same. Better yet, Tamron is said to be sharper than Nikon and its labelled Macro which allows it to get up close to get macro shots(not 1:1 reproduction ratio, sadly).

Free VS Paid Antivirus

Security for your computer, is a must have for you right? Good, you got the first part right. Is paying for that antivirus worth it? Let's see why, its not worth paying for something, you aren't getting.

Is it more secure?
You're paying for this antivirus, that you think is more secure. Perhaps, it has a better virus scanner? Well, sorry to dampen your spirits, but you're wrong. You're actually getting the same, as the free version. Forget AVG. They're completely the same as the free ones, in my opinion.

So why pay?
You're actually paying for features, more than safety. Kaspersky, Norton and all those companies that advertise, all you get from paying is the Sandbox Feature. You can even get this Sandbox Feature for free. Google Sandboxie, it's a non-profit software that does those sandboxing features that make paid antiviruses so much more special. Other than that, I don't see it being any different from the free ones.

How to choose your laptop/notebook/netbook

Choosing your laptop/netbook is a very time consuming thing. You wouldn't want to waste your hard earned cash, right? Follow this guide and you might save your hard earned cash.

Be sure of what you want
This is probably the most obvious thing, is to make sure what you want? Are you for complete mobility? If you are, then get a netbook or a 13" laptop. But be sure that you're getting a slower processor and limited RAM. Usually, people who get netbooks only wish to surf the Internet, do their Facebooking and chatting. 'Cause that's what its made for.

Or maybe you're for everyday computing? Its more powerful than a netbook. I have one, and it pretty does what I want it to do. Since I'm not a hardcore gamer, this will do for me. And I do photo editing too. It does get a bit sluggish some times, but its a cheaper alternative than another type of laptop which I'm gonna talk about later.

Extra security when it counts

Your antivirus is already pretty good, you think. But what you don't know is how much better it could've been with an additional software. Now, don't be all defensive and say your antivirus is the best. Yeah, we all know how great your antivirus software is, now shut up and leave this blog. This post isn't about antivirus softwares. It's about antimalware/antispyware softwares that aid your antivirus to find that undetected virus. In the year of 2010, so many were spawning with their own antimalware/antispyware softwares. Not all are good, so choosing the best is the best for you. Since I've been into this(researching and trying out different antivirus softwares), I recommend MalwareBytes Anti-Malware. They've been so successful, rumours have said that Iobit, an antivirus company has stolen their virus definition database. I'm not so sure whether the case is still ongoing, but that proves how successful MalwareBytes is.

Choosing your photography gear

Picking up photography is really addictive. That's how I got into photography. I actually started out with a Nikon Coolpix L18. After taking a few shots with this camera, it wasn't that good. Don't get me wrong, its a great camera to begin with. Especially at its price range(you can get it for $90/RM400-500 off eBay). Anyway, the camera system consists of :

• the camera body
• the lens
• flash