help and advice

pod501 · Aug 31, 2011

This is my first post on here so trying to figure out how to use this site,
i'm new to photography and want to take it up at a serious level, if anybody could give me some help and advice i would be realy grateful.
also could someone tell me a decent camera to use as ive heard so many different ones, my budget is around £600-£800. ive also been told its not so much about the camera its the lenses, so could someone please recommend me a couple of lenses i would need to start me off.
i'm mainly attracted to portrait, landscape, studio photography.

Stradawhovious · Aug 31, 2011

This might be a good place to start.

Find The Best Digital SLR Camera for You in 4 Easy Steps

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Aug 31, 2011

Start with a book or two on exposure and composition. More than the camera and lenses ( not that these aren't a huge part in many cases ) is the knowledge of the person behind them. When I first started, I ordered my camera and had 2 weeks before it arrived. So in those 2 weeks I read everything my library had. It helps a lot. I was still lost at times, but I think it saved me a lot of headache and probably at least several months of aggravation. I would look at either the Canon T3i or the Nikon D5100 with kit lens.

KmH · Aug 31, 2011

pod501 said:
....and want to take it up at a serious level....

If you are willing to take the kind of short cuts that make written communication less effective and readable, like skipping the ever so basic and simple step of using the shift key to make the appropirate capital letters, what kind of short cuts will you also be willing to take that diminish the effectiveness of the visual communication that photography is?

I recommend you commence a study that leads you to a sufficient technical understanding of the how the tools used for doing photography work, that you don't have to ask where to start or what lenses you might start with

How much money do you have to spend on lenses. The 3 Nikon zoom lenses I would recommend for serious portrait, landscape, studio work total about $7000 USD.

Wuzzi · Aug 31, 2011

I would recommend staying with Canon or Nikon since you have the broadest selection of lenses and accessories (both OEM and third-party) for these companies. You might want to look for a used body if you want to invest more money in lenses. Everything I have read or heard does say that lenses have a lot more to do with image quality than body. In part because most of the sensors in recent years are large enough that you can blow up an image to poster-size prints. There are improvements being made in sensitivity, etc., though, which increases dynamic range and lowlight sensitivity.

Curiously - how much experience do you have in photography? What have you shot with so far and what are your expectations going forward? I was given a DSLR for Christmas and have had to make do with cheaper glass for now - I don't have a lot of income. I'm perfectly happy with what I have because it is okay and I can get good images with it because I know how to use the camera (have read and reread the manual since getting it), understand the physics behind photography and how the settings I choose will affect depth of field, sharpness, etc. Though good lenses will improve image quality, a good understanding of how to use what equipment you have (no matter what the price), composition, etc., will do a lot more for the quality of your images.

pod501 · Aug 31, 2011

Thank you so much for your feedback, I will get down to the libary and get as many books as they allow me to get.

pod501 · Aug 31, 2011

Thank you.
And I have no experience what so ever in photography apart from doing it at school for GCSE, using a digital camera. i have never used a SLR before in my life, so in theory I'm a total begginer

pixilstudio · Sep 1, 2011

you can get a rockin deal for a used body like canon 50d or 40d for $500 us dollars. stick with nikon or canon my advice for getting better? shoot shoot shoot, working with others it the best for free or for little. post here and take the advice and learn. and please please dont shoot a wedding until you have been a second shooter for at least 5

WesternGuy · Sep 1, 2011

pod501, despite what others have said here, I am going to offer a somewhat different piece of advice - take it for what it's worth...

Since you are just starting out and know nothing about photography - "I'm a total beginner" (your words), think about buying a very simple point and shoot. You can probably get a fairly reasonable one, used, for about $100 US, or maybe even less (not sure what the equivalent is in £ or &#8364

. Get one that is less than 3 or 4 years old and make sure you can get an owner's manual with it. Buy a copy of the latest edition of Digital Photography for Dummies (no offense meant, the "Dummy" series are great books) and work through it chapter by chapter, working with your camera as you go. If you go to the library and try and read everything in site, you will probably only end up quite confused by the enormity of the subject. When you have worked your way through this, get a hold of a copy of Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson (latest edition of course), read it carefully and work through it with your camera. Peterson also has another book that I would recommend you read - Learning to See Creatively - a good introduction to composition for the beginner, in my opinion.

There are a number of reasons I am suggesting a point and shoot (P&S) to start:

- they are relativley cheaper than a DSLR, particularly if you buy a used one that is less than 2 to 3 years old.
- they are simple to learn - DSLRs can be a bit confusing and overwhelming if you have never used one before.
- they are easy to operate, much more so than a DSLR and if you buy a DSLR and only use it on automatic, then you might as well buy a P&S.
- you can learn the fundamentals of photography without committing a lot of money to the subject.
- this approach will give you some time to learn more about DSLRs and the lenses you might need to do the kind of photography that you are interested in.
- there are probably other reasons, but you get the idea.

The other thing you make no mention of, and that is - you will need something - a computer or access to one - to process your images - you can only go so far with getting them done at the local "photo-store" or whatever they are called over there...if you do get to use a computer, you will then need post-processing software, this can be what came with the original camera, or something like Photoshop Elements, regardless, there is stuff to learn in this area as well. I am assuming you have a computer, or at least access to one because you were able to post here, bu I thought I should throw this in for completeness. There is "photo-editing" software available on the web that is free, but I have never used any of it, so I cannot give you any advice there.

As far as P&S cameras go, any reasonable Canon or Nikon will serve the purpose, because, as I see it from what you have posted here, you have a lot to learn and small steps are better at first. As your knowledge and understanding grows, then maybe you can take bigger steps and practice, practice, practice and then practice some more leads to bigger steps.

That is my 0.02¢ for what its worth, and whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck and remember - the web is your friend - come back often and ask lots of questions - there is no such thing as a stupid question - that's how a lot of us started- asking stupid questions...

Cheers,

WesternGuy

pod501 · Sep 1, 2011

Thank you for your feedback.. and don't worry I am not planning on shooting a wedding anytime soon lol.. Thanks again for your advice, also I'm thinking of getting a Canon EOS rebel (550D) could you give me your feed back on that please?

pod501 · Sep 1, 2011

Cheers western guy..

some good advice!!!!

RichardsKitten · Sep 1, 2011

WesternGuy said:
pod501, despite what others have said here, I am going to offer a somewhat different piece of advice - take it for what it's worth...

Since you are just starting out and know nothing about photography - "I'm a total beginner" (your words), think about buying a very simple point and shoot. You can probably get a fairly reasonable one, used, for about $100 US, or maybe even less (not sure what the equivalent is in £ or ). Get one that is less than 3 or 4 years old and make sure you can get an owner's manual with it. Buy a copy of the latest edition of Digital Photography for Dummies (no offense meant, the "Dummy" series are great books) and work through it chapter by chapter, working with your camera as you go. If you go to the library and try and read everything in site, you will probably only end up quite confused by the enormity of the subject. When you have worked your way through this, get a hold of a copy of Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson (latest edition of course), read it carefully and work through it with your camera. Peterson also has another book that I would recommend you read - Learning to See Creatively - a good introduction to composition for the beginner, in my opinion.

There are a number of reasons I am suggesting a point and shoot (P&S) to start:

- they are relativley cheaper than a DSLR, particularly if you buy a used one that is less than 2 to 3 years old.
- they are simple to learn - DSLRs can be a bit confusing and overwhelming if you have never used one before.
- they are easy to operate, much more so than a DSLR and if you buy a DSLR and only use it on automatic, then you might as well buy a P&S.
- you can learn the fundamentals of photography without committing a lot of money to the subject.
- this approach will give you some time to learn more about DSLRs and the lenses you might need to do the kind of photography that you are interested in.
- there are probably other reasons, but you get the idea.

The other thing you make no mention of, and that is - you will need something - a computer or access to one - to process your images - you can only go so far with getting them done at the local "photo-store" or whatever they are called over there...if you do get to use a computer, you will then need post-processing software, this can be what came with the original camera, or something like Photoshop Elements, regardless, there is stuff to learn in this area as well. I am assuming you have a computer, or at least access to one because you were able to post here, bu I thought I should throw this in for completeness. There is "photo-editing" software available on the web that is free, but I have never used any of it, so I cannot give you any advice there.

As far as P&S cameras go, any reasonable Canon or Nikon will serve the purpose, because, as I see it from what you have posted here, you have a lot to learn and small steps are better at first. As your knowledge and understanding grows, then maybe you can take bigger steps an dpractive, practice, practice an dthen practice some more leads to bigger steps.

That is my 0.02¢ for what its worth, and whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck and remember - the web is your friend - come back often and ask lots of questions - there is no such thing as a stupid question - that's how a lot of us started- asking stupid questions...

Cheers,

WesternGuy

+1 on this.

I started with a Pentax Optio M20. I still have it and use it for quick snapshots. It's beat to hell, and its only 7MP, but it still churns out decent photos for its software. Using a P&S first, you tend to learn more about composition than technical accuracy. Composition will go further than technical accuracy IMO. A photo can be properly exposed, but if the subject matter is boring, technicalities dont matter much. This also gives you a chance to learn editing, before you jump into the DSLR pool. Right now your jumping in with swimmies on. Learn how to doggy paddle first. If you want a free version of editing software, you can Google Gimp. It's a lot like Photoshop, but it does have a steep learning curve. But if you can learn Gimp, PS will seem like a Godsend. ( This is what I did, and was amazed at how easy things were to do in PS, after using Gimp. )