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Showing 1 of 40 conversations about:
futurelegend
2
Mar 28, 2018
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I am looking to get my toes wet in the photography game.Any recommendations for gear and tips that you would give to someone who is starting their first foray into photography
fluxus
10
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegendGo to a camera shop and play with cameras. Buy what feels best within your price range. You can get pretty much the same image from any camera when with enough experience, so having a camera you're comfortable with is probably the most important.
Set a budget, look at options within that range. Don't buy your first camera without physically touching it first if at all possible.
Set a budget, look at options within that range. Don't buy your first camera without physically touching it first if at all possible.
Dr.McCoy
345
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegendStart with a phone camera, compact digital camera, or whatever you have access to for free and some books on painting and/or drawing. Read about composition and color theory. If you like that, buy a camera that allows for full manual control. It doesn't really matter what brand (it can be old) as long as it allows you to shoot RAW. You'll need a program like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, GIMP, or CaptureOne to work with those files, but you'll have a lot better control than most free/cheap alternatives. Alternatively, buy a cheap film camera, some black and white film, and processing supplies*. Then start learning about exposure - buy yourself a meter. Now start reading about photography itself - start finding photographers who make the kind of work you like making and analyze their work.
*Scanning is a bitch and a half OR obscenely expensive - it's by far the hardest part of shooting film.
*Scanning is a bitch and a half OR obscenely expensive - it's by far the hardest part of shooting film.
TlanePhoto
0
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegendFirst thing to realize- photographers take pictures not cameras!
I have taken some excellent photos with very inexpensive (even CHEAP) cameras. Cutting edge gear is nice, but if you have a good eye for photography it really isn't nessesary. And if you you don't have a natural eye, or at least learn the basics, all the sexy gear in the world won't take good pictures for you. The violin does not play itself.
Incy
131
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegendCheck out Creative Live for some really good photography classes.
btimup
45
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegendFirst off, welcome to the world of photo! It's a slippery slope in a good way and bad. It's good in that you're going to become obsessed with images and composition, and it's bad because there's so much fancy and fun gear and you're going to want to try it all.
My advice would be to start small. It's so, so tempting to read reviews of gear and get swept up in making your first camera purchase a big one because hey, if you're going to get really into photo, you might as well start big right? That's certainly one way to do it, but I'm an advocate of learning what about photo you like the most first, then building up from there. Especially if you're mostly going to be posting on social media, it's better not to get caught up on megapixels or sensor sizes.
Dr.McCoy made a good point in starting with whatever's available to you. Phone cameras are ridiculously good now, and are the perfect tool to practice composition and how to look for the best light. Once you feel like you need more control over your settings, I think moving to compact mirrorless is the way to go. They're light and portable, and many of them are able to be set to full manual.
DSLRs are fantastic machines, but they are big, heavy, expensive, and you may not like the attention they bring once you whip them out (i.e. Uncle Joe sauntering over with his Nikon D850, trying to chat you up about the latest greatest lenses he read about online.)
All in all, just have fun and enjoy it. Read up on how to improve your photography, practice it, and learn to edit. Most importantly, find what works for you. I started with a Nikon D90 DSLR, and I didn't discover how much I really loved shooting until I bought myself a little compact mirrorless Fuji X30. That heavily impacted my next purchase for my next camera which I know will be with me for a long time.
Lastly, invest in your lenses, not the body. The sensor plays a role, but your lenses are what will truly make your images shine!
My advice would be to start small. It's so, so tempting to read reviews of gear and get swept up in making your first camera purchase a big one because hey, if you're going to get really into photo, you might as well start big right? That's certainly one way to do it, but I'm an advocate of learning what about photo you like the most first, then building up from there. Especially if you're mostly going to be posting on social media, it's better not to get caught up on megapixels or sensor sizes.
Dr.McCoy made a good point in starting with whatever's available to you. Phone cameras are ridiculously good now, and are the perfect tool to practice composition and how to look for the best light. Once you feel like you need more control over your settings, I think moving to compact mirrorless is the way to go. They're light and portable, and many of them are able to be set to full manual.
DSLRs are fantastic machines, but they are big, heavy, expensive, and you may not like the attention they bring once you whip them out (i.e. Uncle Joe sauntering over with his Nikon D850, trying to chat you up about the latest greatest lenses he read about online.)
All in all, just have fun and enjoy it. Read up on how to improve your photography, practice it, and learn to edit. Most importantly, find what works for you. I started with a Nikon D90 DSLR, and I didn't discover how much I really loved shooting until I bought myself a little compact mirrorless Fuji X30. That heavily impacted my next purchase for my next camera which I know will be with me for a long time.
Lastly, invest in your lenses, not the body. The sensor plays a role, but your lenses are what will truly make your images shine!
Kenny1007
11
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegend1st have to agree with btimup - Welcome. I would suggest the learning videos from Adorama. Mike Wallace and Gavin Hoey have tremendous top notch, reliable videos to answer a myriad of questions from beginner thru advanced. As for gear - that would be the million dollar question. So many different ways to go. It is not so much a matter of gear as it is a question of what you want to shoot and what you feel comfortable with. Size does matter. It is said best camera is the one in your hand! If you cannot use it easily or you feel it is to big to carry - you wont use it. Choice of point and shoot vs DSLR vs mirrorless. Then brand - all top brands (Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Olympus, Pentax - to name a few) are all good cameras.) will get the job done so which one fits your hand? which one has the menu system that most fits your style of organization. (for ex - I'm and android person - iPhones make no sense to me - haha) Top of the line cameras have features that will make no sense at all for a beginner - so save your money at first. As for lenses - possibly an all in one zoom such as the Tamron 18-270mm will give you a good starting point for learning. Good luck - photography is a wonder hobby that will grow with you at any rate you which to pursue.
Fukuro
98
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegendHonestly u don't need an expensive camera to take a good photo. A decent amount of it is to do with creativity and enjoying the hobby. U can start off with a cheap mirrorless or dslr, they are great starting points. I do however recommend using good lens which by the way doesn't have cost a ton and a viewfinder is quite nice(especially when outside in harsh light). I took the photo with a nex 3n(off ebay for 130 usd + 60 ish for a battery + sigma art 30mm f2.8 prime lens for 200 usd).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgnoI2BnhxV/
Napostrophe
57
Mar 28, 2018
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futurelegendGlass first, body second. If you're gonna buy equipment always put most of your money into the lenses you buy. Lenses can last forever, bodies will get replaced. Additionally, buy used: you can get last generation's professional gear for less than the current consumer gear's MSRP.
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