what to buy first--recent graduate???

[alg]

Hello! Im soon to be a photography graduate and Im wondering the best piece of equipment to purchase first....I have my own camera, but where do I go now? Lights first or a printer? Or something else? Tips anyone?? thank you!

 

[Designer]

What kind of photography are you interested in? With portraiture, you're going to want/need lights. At least one speedlight that has a swivel head. You can get prints made almost anywhere, so not the printer unless you plan to print everything. Along with a flash, you're going to want/need some light modifiers, stands, and a way to fire the flash off camera.

What lenses do you have now, and again, what kind of photography do you want to do?

Editing software is pretty much a must-have for any type, assuming you are working with digital files.

A tripod is something often overlooked, but when you need it, you need it. Along with that, get an inexpensive cable shutter release.

 

[JoeW27]

It depends upon what you shoot.

1. The printer not only wouldn't be first on my list, it wouldn't be second or third. You can get prints done anywhere. And a printer becomes a continual expense (replacing ink, getting photographic paper, etc.).

2. I'd start with glass. If you're just starting out, you probably have a kit lens and not a prime. It's worth having a prime b/c it can shape how you see images and they're usually so sharp--so they're educational to you as a photographer, even if you don't end up eventually relying on it all the time. And there are a lot of primes that will have very wide apertures so you can play with DoF. If you shoot a lot of interiors and architecture, you'll want a wide angle lens (like 12-20mm). Sports...you'll want a zoom with an f2.8 and at least 200mm. Birds...probably something like a 300-400mm. Water drops or bugs...a macro lens. I guarantee you, you can't afford the best glass out there so almost all photographers spend their time upgrading their lenses.

3. Depending upon what you shoot, there may be other equipment that is a priority. Shooting landscapes or interiors of space...you'll need an excellent tripod. Shooting sunsets...a circular polarizer or a set of GND filters. What you shoot depends upon what your priorities would likely be.

 

[Derrel]

Here's a free tip. Work on improving your communications skills. Your question here shows a total lack of communications skills, and communications skills--plural, skills, will be essential in whatever areas you try to find work in. By posing a question here, you have access to many collective years' worth of photo-related knowledge, experience, and skills, but by putting a very skimpy inquiry in front of this group, you're wasting our time, and limiting the applicability of the answers you are offered.

 

[alg]

Hello! Im soon to be a photography graduate and Im wondering the best piece of equipment to purchase first....I have my own camera, but where do I go now? Lights first or a printer? Or something else? Tips anyone?? thank you!

Well...I was asking a general question as to the first piece of equipment that most people invest in other than their camera. I shoot sports and adventure photos.

 

[xenskhe]

I shoot sports and adventure photos.

So when you say lights, you mean speedlight(s)?
And what do you want to do with your pictures, when you say printer?

If you're purely digital from capture to print, maybe you want to start with a good monitor and calibration.

 

[Ihatemymoney]

Hello! Im soon to be a photography graduate and Im wondering the best piece of equipment to purchase first....I have my own camera, but where do I go now? Lights first or a printer? Or something else? Tips anyone?? thank you!

Well...I was asking a general question as to the first piece of equipment that most people invest in other than their camera. I shoot sports and adventure photos.

Go get your money back, the money you paid for photography school.
If you don't know what lighting to get and you are a photography school graduate you got ripped off.

What is your budget, what camera do you have ?

What is exactly adventure photography ?

So I have to ask ? what sports allow speed lights ?

You plan on doing this professionally ?

Most people invest into a tripod and ball head after the camera.

 

[Dave442]

First thing for me has always been either film or memory cards and batteries. Then a lens or two, flash, tripod or monopod and a couple camera bags. That's pretty much things I've had almost from the start with each of my camera systems.

I cannot imagine that I could possibly have given my sister any advise on what camera equipment she should have bought when she graduated from a photography program.

 

[snowbear115 47]

Welcome aboard.

Assuming you want to be a pro, the first thing you should probably buy are a couple of books on marketing and running a small business. After that, as some others have mentioned, a decent tripod and head, spare batteries and some memory cards.

 

[xenskhe]

Or something else? Tips anyone?? thank you!

Books of pictures by photo artists, documentary, fashion or other working photographers whose output inspires you.

 

[goodguy]

I am confused, you say you are a soon to be photography graduate and you are asking us what equipment to buy next.
Why does this sounds weird to me ?
I would think a graduate should have enough info and knowledge on what he/she need now that they are done.

BTW I would start with lenses.

 

[SCraig]

I would recommend that you save your money until YOU know what you need. Everyone has different needs depending on how and what they shoot. In reality you are the only one who can answer that question.

 

[jcdeboever]

Buy string.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Overread16 4]

Well...I was asking a general question as to the first piece of equipment that most people invest in other than their camera. I shoot sports and adventure photos.[/QUOTE]

There is nothing.

There are common things people invest in; but in the end what you should invest in is dictated by what you shoot; how you shoot it and what your end result is to be. Furthermore it should be defined by what you find are gaps in your setup; areas where you need to improve your equipment in order to gain better quality results given your experiences.


So what do YOU feel you're missing? What do you have no specifically; what kind of shots have you taken; what specific situations are you in? For action photography a go-pro might be the best thing to invest in (you're not taking a DSLR white-water-rafting - if you are chances are its a cheap one you don't care to lose - or you're on the bank - or you've got a good waterproof housing for it).

 

[OGsPhotography]

EVERYONE buys GLASS.

The rest is just accesories, /endrant