Camera advice

[Obii]

So before i start i should let you guys know that i know very little about photography lol

Similar questions might have been asked before, so excuse me if so (i typed "photography forum" on google 10 mins ago lol)

My question is, how do i get pictures like these
Oliver El-Khatib on Instagram: “Happy Birthday @nickyrei”
Oliver El-Khatib on Instagram: “ @nickyrei”
Oliver El-Khatib on Instagram: “@champagnepapi JIMJOE 2015”
What type of camera would you recommend?

 

[Derrel]

Many of the paparazzi are untrained, self-taught folks who bought a Canon d-slr, and who use a Canon 580 EX-II flash on a VERY SHORT flash bracket. having a powerful speedlight with a power "Guide Number" of at least 100 or more, in Feet at ISO 100, gives that direct flash/minimal shadow look. This is high-powered flash, at night, with VERY rapid, extreme light fall-off.

A person can actually literally TAPE a speedlight right TO the barrel of a lens like a 70-200, connect the flash to the hot shoe with a TTL connecting cord, and get this same direct flash/minimal shadow look...it's sort of like a ring light, but without the hassles. This very "look", this paparazzi look, has been gaining in popularity the last few years. The very low side-mount flash brackets the paparazzi have adopted by the thousands, have made this look associated with "paparazzi photography"...a good example is the woman and man in the car, driving away...to get that look, you want the flash VERY close to the lens axis. As mentioned--you can actually TAPE the lens to the barrel of the lens!

 

[snowbear115 47]

I really like #3 - nothing like a shot of the back of someone's head.

Like Derrel said - bright flash.

 

[Obii]

Thanks for the response! As i stated before, i dont know a lot about photography so i could barely understand most of what you just said haha
Where do i start?
Whats the price range for the camera/flash/lens etc? (On a budget so i cant go crazy)
Should i go with a film or digital camera?
Much appreciated!

 

[Derrel]

Digital camera, Canon or Nikon. Does NOT need to be a fancy camera...say Nikon D3200, bought for $349 or so, and a longish zoom lens, like the 18-135mm lens, and a moderately powerful off-camera type speedlight, like the Nikon SB-600, and then a Nikon SC-28 flash-to-camera connecting cord.

You do not need a fancy camera...but you DO NEED a powerful flash unit, and it should be mounted very,very close to the lens--not the "proper" way of having the flash high above the lens, butt the 'wrong way', with the flash on a LOW, side-mount type flash bracket. See this:

side-mount flash bracket + Terry Richardson - Google Search

And for the flash-taped-to-lens paparazzi/fashion look, see this 2012 Strobist article:Strobist: On Assignment: On Camera, On Axis, On Budget

See this article on Terry Richardson's use of this HARD, harsh, on-camera flash look How to Shoot like Terry Richardson – (Part 2: The Setup)

Now, in this article they lay out ALL the neededstuff. I am old-fashioned, and use a TTL connecting cord to attach the flash to the camera; in this setup, they use a wireless connecting solution. Either one will work!

Just as an historical reference: Weegee made a CAREER out of this type of gauche, harsh, on-camera direct flash...this is a throwback approach.

"What was old is new again."

 

[Obii]

Thank you so much Derrel!