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Micah September 7th

My First (And Probably Only) Company Review

I took that picture. Its not the best, but its certainly one of the best pictures I have ever taken.

Why is that important? Its not. But what it represents is. I have always wanted to take good pictures. I look at the pictures of Thomas Hawk or Brian Solis or Robert Scoble and wish I could take pictures like that. I kept buying camera after camera and still nothing came out like the photos those guys shoot.

Near giving up, a dude by the name of Jared Kohlmann began to follow me on twitter. My friend, Andrew Hyde, told me about this great company here in Boulder that rented lenses and cameras. I saw Andrew’s photos and just assumed he was a really good photographer.

Then one day, over coffee, my entire perspective changed. Jared Kohlmann, owner of Pro Photo Rental, met with me for about an hour. During that hour, we talked about photography and equipment. We talked about what types of pictures I wanted to take, and why Jared had such a love of photography. At the end of the conversation, Jared offered to let me borrow a lens and take some photos.

While I appreciated the gesture, I figured it wouldnt make a difference. Was I wrong.

A couple of days later, his two kids in tow, Jared met me (again at a coffee shop) and handed my a carrying case with an Olympus 50mm Macro lens. I took it home, and it sat on my table for a couple of days. Finally, I pulled it out, put in on my Olympus e-510, and took a couple of shots.

This was the first picture I took, of my dog Taylor. I was blown away. Not the best picture in the world, but it was exactly as Jared said. The background blurred. The focus was entirely on Taylor’s eyes, and it was highly detailed.

Who knew?

I immediately fell in love with photography and this lens. I started clicking away. Ive made a ton of mistakes, and I still dont know how to adjust the F-stop on the Olympus (I need to spend some time on Google), but I am having a blast.

Pro Photo Rental was started, and boot strapped, by Jared. spending $150,000 of his own money to buy equipment, he has quickly grown his business to be a contender in the lens rental space.

His story is so indicative of success. He took something he loves to do, and made an easy way for others to experience the same joy.

If you are interested in photography at any level, give Pro Photo Rental a try. You might be surprised how quickly you become a good photographer…

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  • Jared saved Foodzie from horrible food photography. He not only let us borrow a couple of lenses, but gave us some crucial tips. He's made higher-end photography so much more accessible. His passion definitely comes through.
  • So many folks underestimate the value of a good lens. However I agree its hard to mentally justify spending 4x more on a camera lens then you spend on your Rebel xsi. It becomes even harder to invest serious dough on a range of fixed lenses when as an amateur photographer you are not taking pictures every day. So its pretty sweet I can rent these lens on the cheap. I'll definitely give it a shot. Thanks for the heads up.
  • The cool thing Jason, is that ProPhotoRental is local...makes it
    easier to get and return the lenses!
  • It is so rewarding for me to read a post like this. Why? Because I get a company mention? Not at all. While I do appreciate the write up, the thing that is so amazing to me is watching someone else discover the joy that a shared hobby can bring.
    I have a great love for photography, there's no doubt. But like most things in life, it is oftentimes more rewarding to share that passion with someone else than it is to engage in it myself. Micah, you are a perfect example of that. I can't help but smile as I read this post, picturing (in my head) the excitement you must have felt as you reviewed the first few pictures with the lens. It is palpable in your writing.
    Like the Nike Air Jordan commercials in the late '80's/early '90's, I don't always subscribe to the theory that better equipment = better performance. After all, handing the most expensive camera & lens in the world to a monkey will probably lead to pictures of steaming piles of poo than to Ansel Adams-like landscapes.
    However, I DO feel that we all reach certain plateaus in our photographic abilities, and sometimes it takes a new (or better) piece of equipment to break through that plateau and learn new things. The beauty of it is that it is generally backwards-compatible. That means that once you've improved your abilities, you will always be a better photographer, even while using the "old" equipment. Now you just know what to look for.
    I can't tell you how happy I am for you, Micah. It is a lot of fun for me to hear that you're enjoying photography so much more now. Keep up the good work!
  • Jared, I am really enjoying taking photos. The lens I rented from you
    has gotten me all jazzed. Look at this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/micahb37/2838726704/
    I never could have taken that prior to our conversation.
  • Sometimes the story behind a picture is what makes it beautiful. These photos are awesome. Thanks for sharing them.
  • Sometimes the story behind the picture is what makes it beautiful. These photos are awesome. Thanks for sharing them.
  • The pictures are just great. They focus only in the objects in this case the cat and the dog and not in the background. Thanks for sharing!
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