I am a beginner and I need HELP!!

[Bitter Jeweler]

"After some bad experience with customer service from the studios and feeling like were getting ripped off. We have finally decided to do our own thing."

Dear Roy,
Please read the above statement I quoted from you. Do you see the implication? Your expanded text describes your intent better. Thank you for respecting my opinion and remaining civil and not resorting to name calling. I shall do the same for you.

 

[JenLavazza]

Hi Roy!

I started my journey into photography last year after the birth of my second daughter and becoming a stay at home mom. I started with a Nikon D40. I just bought a Nikon D700. If you have the money...buy the D700 or a D300 to start. You can learn just as well on a nicer camera. I shoot mainly using natural light (this is why I dropped the 2 grand on a D700). I did however, buy a sb600 flash that I'll use sometimes if needed. I use a 50mm 1.4 D lens....I rarely take it off!!

Good luck and don't get scared off from TPF....

 

[DerekSalem]

Although there are a lot of people offering assistance and also complaints (and many others complaining that we shouldn't complain)...why has nobody even mentioned the *STICKIED* Tutorial FAQ?

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...rum-photo-gallery/123160-tutorial-thread.html

Every single one of your questions can be answered in that post and to much greater detail than any of the users have explained thus far. Not that we really mind questions or anything...but there's a reason many people get annoyed when they see those questions -- they're very redundant. At least 2-3 times a week someone comes in asking the same exact questions when they're *ALL* answered already in a sticked post.

Quick answers
Body: Canon T2i or Nikon D3x are great for multipurpose
Flash: for Nikon the SB-600s are an easy choice, for Canon the EX430
Lens: Nikon and Canon both make great 50mm lenses, and a good telephoto (18-200 is what I use but many go with 70-200).

Once again:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...rum-photo-gallery/123160-tutorial-thread.html

 

[DerekSalem]

And as for the Bitters thing...aside from the way he comes across he is completely right. Bitters knows a lot about photography and is often one of the first to help those in need...but like many of us he also believes Photography deserves a certain respect that many people do not give it.

It's admirable that you want to learn enough about photography to hopefully one day replace the professional (no matter what the reason), but you have to realize that (like it has been said) many people here have been working *YEARS* at the craft and constantly hearing new people come in and basically say they'll throw money at it if they can replace a professional is very off-putting.

Photography is easy to learn, but *very* difficult to master. Any idiot can pick up a camera, put it on Auto, and snap a few pictures to put in a family album, but lumping up every photographer into one class is fairly insulting.

 

[FattyMcJ]

Bitters knows a lot about photography and is often one of the first to help those in need...

:lmao::lmao: Good joke

 

[TheSolicitor]

Roy,

Welcome to the neighborhood. First off, I'd say that the general tone of your original post could be taken in a number of ways. And I can see both sides. I know what it feels like to have a certain skill set and have people I have worked for dump me and do it themselves (rewriting your own will after you've paid an attorney to do it, or using a Will-In-A-Box software kits from Staples or Office Max is a mistake...I'll stop lest I'll mount the soapbox). The other side of this whole thing is that you want to be able to capture your daughter as she grows up, and you're asking for help on how to do it. I'll explain how I got into this, and what I did.

I shot both Canon and Nikon film cameras in high school, and didn't really have a preference. After I graduated and lost access to those cameras, I kept asking my parents for a camera for birthday, Christmas, or for any other reason. They always said no. I decided to ask a local photographer what he used, and what he would suggest. He is a Nikon shooter and said that if I purchased a Nikon he'd be able to help, and not having a preference, that's the direction I went when I made my purchase. I looked at a variety of different cameras, played with them, fiddled with them, and eventually decided on the D5000. It's everything I needed as my first DSLR.

My suggestion to you is to find someone local who sells cameras, or find a chain camera shop (please no one throw fruit at me for that) and see what they feel like in your hand, what they do for you when you look through the viewfinder, and how you feel about the size, weight, and cost you're going to put into this. Alternatively, if you decide to go the route of a point and shoot, there are some seriously good offerings out from Panasonic, and Canon. Like I said before, I shoot Nikons, but my parents have a Panasonic and a Canon and love them both. For me, it's easier having to know only one set of controls.

Buy the camera first, then start thinking about lenses, but don't go bananas right away, lest you have spent a TON of money (this hobby/profession gets expensive in a HURRY) only to have found that you're just not that thrilled with it or don't have the time to dedicate to it. Take an entire weekend and go nuts--shoot everything you can find from your daughter to your wife to the neighborhood kids to the landscape around your neighborhood. Get to know your camera. Get to know what it does in certain situations and what it won't do. Take bad pictures, learn from them, and try again. Keep a notebook of what works and what doesn't.

Regardless if you buy a D3x or a point and shoot, if you can't compose a picture, a $7,000 camera and a $2,000 lens isn't going to make things any better. Lastly, if you buy a DSLR, go to a book seller and purchase the David Busch (like the beer) Guide to that camera. Read it cover to cover with your camera in your lap. Read it before bed. Read it on the john. Learn it--having some really cool features does you no good if you don't know how to use them!

Lastly, now that you may have acquired a DSLR, don't start a fan page for your photography as a number of people I know have done--just as owning a fast car doesn't make you Al Unser, owning a DSLR does not mean you can hold yourself out as a professional photographer. It's obnoxious, ostentatious, tacky, and dishonest. I am far from a professional photographer, but some of the trash these people are trying to pass off as professional level work really irks the hell out of me.

*Soap Box dismount...*
​

What's the point of all of this--have fun and get good at whatever you decide to do with whichever route you decide to take this. Point and Shoot or DSLR--it doesn't matter to us which you do, but we want you to shoot happily and shoot great photographs of your daughter for you and your wife to enjoy for many, many years to come!

 

[Fusion]

Hey the guy asked a simple question and his opinion about his local studio is only part of the reason he asked it. If he wants to take pictures and needs advice on a camera and lenses without all this psuedo pro v amateur bull then why not answer his question.

To begin maybe one of the Canon 40/50D with a standard zoom and maybe a flash (not totally necessary but a good option)

Does every Forum have a shrek ??

 

[katerolla]

I totally agree with you Bitter Jeweler

I’ve spent 4 year at uni learning photography, it cost around $16,000 Aus and about $20,000 in equipment, if you want to take professional photographs you need to spend a lot of time and money doing so, you’re not going to get this from asking a few questions on a forum. Look in to doing some local courses, a lot of professional photographers run them and it will only cost you fraction of the price I payed.

Good luck any ways

 

[jackieclayton]

for once... i gotta agree with Bitter... (shock!!! lol!) Bitter said everything i was thinking...

Roy, i know you have good intentions, but why are you feeling "ripped off?" you think you could do better? Yes, you could. With time, practice, and many years of experience. Its great that you're starting though, but i wouldn't hang it up with my "professional" just yet. you could learn a lot from him. i want some family portraits but obviously i can't do them myself just yet, so i'm thinking of hiring the best photographer on island and have him take our pictures and at the same time, watch his every move and learn from him. I'd research some beginner camera kits if i were you. i started with my Nikon D40x, kit lens and bought a 55-200mm lens for portraits (i was on a budget). my biggest mistake was just relying on natural light and not learning the true science and art of light... which i'm trying to work on now. its most important. get on the strobist.com for a great start. good luck, keep posting so you can get better... we'll do our best to give honest feedback. :thumbup:

 

[SrBiscuit]

...because photography is so easy, anyone can do it.

right?
i kinda resented that statement as well, bitt.

like others have stated, its not just as simple as getting a "good" camera...theres some good advice in this thread.

i have to ask, fatty, do you think bitter does NOT help those in need? i dont get whats funny there. where's the joke?

 

[FattyMcJ]

i have to ask, fatty, do you think bitter does NOT help those in need? i dont get whats funny there. where's the joke?

Show me where he helps someone, WITHOUT being a d-bag about it?

Show me where his first post is purely helpful to any noobie.

He does help...in a way. He helps by way of showing new people that there will always be someone that doesn't like what you do.

I'm not discounting his skills as a photographer, just the "helpfulness" or even "usefulness" of his posts, in general. It's rare that he's not included a snide remark, even in a "helpful" post.

 

[DerekSalem]

i have to ask, fatty, do you think bitter does NOT help those in need? i dont get whats funny there. where's the joke?

Show me where he helps someone, WITHOUT being a d-bag about it?

Show me where his first post is purely helpful to any noobie.

He does help...in a way. He helps by way of showing new people that there will always be someone that doesn't like what you do.

I'm not discounting his skills as a photographer, just the "helpfulness" or even "usefulness" of his posts, in general. It's rare that he's not included a snide remark, even in a "helpful" post.

I never said he's not a d-bag lol I just said he does help people. The only reason this topic was even created is because the OP didn't read the FAQ at the top of the forum section...something which the rules of the board state he was *SUPPOSED* to do. All of his questions could have been answered without even creating the topic and he would have gotten way more information than he even asked for (which, as I'm sure you can agree, is a very good thing).

Once again, I agree with being helpful...but I'm *very* surprised not a single person other than me has linked the FAQ...

 

[FattyMcJ]

I never said he's not a d-bag lol I just said he does help people. The only reason this topic was even created is because the OP didn't read the FAQ at the top of the forum section...something which the rules of the board state he was *SUPPOSED* to do. All of his questions could have been answered without even creating the topic and he would have gotten way more information than he even asked for (which, as I'm sure you can agree, is a very good thing).

Once again, I agree with being helpful...but I'm *very* surprised not a single person other than me has linked the FAQ...

True lol :thumbup:

 

[SrBiscuit]

i guess my take is that bitter doesnt sugar coat everything. he knows what he;s talking about, and gives advice and help without kissing ass and enabling peoples delusions. maybe it comes off as d-baggy to some, but bitters intentions are good, and i hope we can agree that he does have tons to offer.

 

[Boomn4x4]

... This thread is funny... :lmao:

I've only been a member here for about a week... and I have seen some INCREDIBLE photography work out of some amature photographers. When an amature can rip out photography the same as a "professional"... I don't blame you for feeling ripped off.

Roy, a few things... as an amature who got into photography for the exact same reason you did....photographing my son.

1. A better camera will take better pictures. I don't care what any of the the "pros" say. The quality of my pictures improved 10 fold when I stepped up from a point and shoot to a SLR.

2. Get yourself an entry level Nikon or Canon.. I personally have a Nikon D-40 (which is THE bottom of the line DSLR) and am more than happy with it. I'm just to the point where I can start to see some of the limitations of the camera, but its not significant enough that I have a need to spend more money on a better camera.

3. You MUST get yourself AT LEAST a 200mm lens... When you get your camera, you should be able to get one in a "kit" for a fraction of the price you would have to pay later. If you don't get it now... you'll be kicking yourself later.

4. You are going to want to also add on a flash. I don't have one... and lighting is the biggest limiting factor I have in photography. Relying on the onboard flash just plain sucks.​