Advice for beginner

[Irina_Ser]

If they haven't done anything good then how would you expect to learn from some one who can't even practice what they preach?

I absolutely agree with you! If you are not a specialist in your field, you can`t teach others. I will see at works first and, maybe, reviews.

By the way here is a great teacher and he has a huge portfolio and is very successful in all aspects of photography.

Thank you!

 

[dasmith232]

As retail or resell access drops (being in a remote location), it's easier to stay with the really big names. Used equipment that goes back over decades can be found for either of the two big names, and even more so for Nikon because Nikon has continued to support the classic F mount. There have been many lenses from Russia that fit that mount. But, you've already decided to stay with those brands!

Is there anything like a "meetup" group there? Here in the U.S. (and in many other places) you can meet with other people that have common interests. Just getting a chance to meet photographers could be good. And meeting someone else might mean that you'd be able to get some hands-on experience. Not everyone would be open to sharing equipment, but here we do it quite often.

As an example, if you chose to go with Nikon and then met someone nearby that you "clicked with" and they used Canon, you wouldn't be able to share equipment at all, or specific techniques as easily.

 

[pgriz]

I've been doing photography for over 50 years, but the single biggest improvement that I can point to, is learning to see any scene as light. It sounds trite, but being able to recognize where the light was coming from, how it was reflected, where it is hard and directional, and where it was soft and diffused, what colours were contributed... was when I began to get a much better sense of what made an image work. Of course, painters and artists have known this for centuries, and yet, it is something that needs to be learned and relearned. There is a book called Light, Science and Magic (https://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Magic-Introduction-Photographic/dp/0415719402/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=) that covers the subject very well even though it's mainly about studio lighting.

 

[Irina_Ser]

Is there anything like a "meetup" group there? Here in the U.S. (and in many other places) you can meet with other people that have common interests. Just getting a chance to meet photographers could be good. And meeting someone else might mean that you'd be able to get some hands-on experience.

You know, we have some groups of photographs, but here, in Russia, not everybody are open to new people in a profession... I`m not sure why, but some people consider newbies as a competitor, so I feel myself better around foreign community But I have a friend here, who also gave me recommendations on choosing a camera.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Irina_Ser]

I've been doing photography for over 50 years, but the single biggest improvement that I can point to, is learning to see any scene as light. It sounds trite, but being able to recognize where the light was coming from, how it was reflected, where it is hard and directional, and where it was soft and diffused, what colours were contributed... was when I began to get a much better sense of what made an image work. Of course, painters and artists have known this for centuries, and yet, it is something that needs to be learned and relearned. There is a book called Light, Science and Magic (https://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Magic-Introduction-Photographic/dp/0415719402/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=) that covers the subject very well even though it's mainly about studio lighting.

Thanks, you have a really good point! Even I can see the "magic" the light is doing to my unprofessional photos. I'll read the resources, thanks again!

 

[Irina_Ser]

I think that A Nikon D3400 will a great choice for your plan

I hope so, thanks!