where would i even start?

[sohosummer]

hey all.....

im a complete beginner. i know i have a good eye for composition and am creative but just havent taken the time to study the technical aspects of photography yet so please be gentle...

i know i love black and white with a passion so figured the best place to start would be to ask you to have a look at this link for a beautiful photographer that i love. i love the richness and the contrasts

my questions are pretty simple. where would i even start to take photos like this? would it take a super expensive camera or specifically expensive lenses? could i use a basic digital SLR like my Nikon D70s and do the rest in photoshop?

????? of Miyoko IHARA &Junya WATANUKI WEBSITE

Looking forward to any thoughts....

Cheers - Summer

 

[fokker]

Hello and welcome to the forum. You don't need a better camera to do that, just a bit of post processing (photoshop) can achieve photos like that - of course they have to be good photos to begin with!

What do you like photographing or want to photograph?

 

[templatephotoshop]

Learn lighting and Photoshop those are the 2 biggies you will need to start your own portfolio that emulates these images.

 

[Marmeduke]

Hi - yeh cool photos in the link.

Your Nikon D70 will absolutely be enough to take great shots like these. Plus, Photoshop removes the need - in many, but not all cases - to use filters, which produce cool effects when attached to lenses.

Increasing the contrast using the 'Levels' adjustment tool in Photoshop is one of the best ways to improve black and white photographs.

But, be warned... Photoshop will not turn a bad photo into a good one; just a bad one into one that's been played around with. It can, though, totally make a good photo a brilliant one.

So in your link photos, the white cat was a great subject because of the striking contrast it provides in black and white shots. That can then be exaggerated and brought out more strongly in Photoshop.

Best of luck, enjoy photography!

Check this page out for some ideas on composition to get the ball rolling: Photography Composition