Lights, Camera,
…Uh, What Do I Do Now?
A Guide To
Photography For The Absolute Beginner
Forward
You’ve decided to take the
plunge and learn how to use that new camera you got for Christmas, birthday,
etc., or perhaps, you are still trying to decide what kind of camera would be
best for you. Through the course of this book, I hope we can answer that
question or, at least , steer you in the right direction.
I
have written this book with the absolute beginner in mind. This book is not intended as a guide to make
you a professional photographer. I would
recommend college or, at the very least, a direct apprenticeship with a skilled
and established photographer to reach that goal. You may have never even used a
camera or only had a very simple point and shoot camera in the past and have
now decided that you would like to take things to the next level.
Congratulations!
You are about to be bitten by the photography bug! Don’t worry! It won’t hurt
and you actually might find that you enjoy it.
Let me warn you, though. It does involve exercising your brain a little
as you learn some of the basic “rules” of photography. Once you understand the
basic rules, then we’ll discuss how you can bend or even break them! That’s
right! You can break the rules without any more severe a penalty than the need
to reshoot the image. How cool is that?
Kick
back in your easy chair and relax while we begin your journey!
Chapter One
Which Camera Do
I NEED?
While
this may seem on the surface to be a rather simple question, there are several
things you should consider first.
The
key word in the title of this chapter is NEED. Will you be primarily
taking photos of your family, friends and pets? Do you want to make sure you
capture the best memories of that family reunion or your trip to the Grand Canyon ? How
about the marvelous landscapes you pass every day on your way to work? These
questions and many more will be a part of your decision on camera purchases.
Unless
you are independently wealthy, price is always going to be a consideration as
well. Digital cameras today can range in price from under a hundred dollars to
well over several thousand dollars. In most cases, the more you invest, the
more control over the final image and the more you will have to study all the
functions of the camera to use it to it’s full potential. Every new camera sold
comes complete with a little book referred to as the “Owners Manual”. Take the time to read that little book and keep it
handy so you can refer to it often. Believe me; it is not in the box as
padding! It is your best friend as you learn to use and become familiar with
the functions of whatever camera you have decided is right for you.
“But
what camera is right for me?” , you ask. Let’s see if we can sort that out by
learning a few things about modern digital cameras.
MEGAPIXELS
Yeah, I know. Less than a couple of pages into
the book and I am already throwing gobbledy-gook words at you. A megapixel is
simply a term that refers to the number of pixels on the sensor of the camera
that will record your image. Each digital image is made of tiny little color
pixels (red, green, and blue) that will be activated by the light passing
through the lens of your camera and are either turned on or off by that light
in such a way to form a copy of the picture you are attempting to capture. A
single megapixel is one million pixels (or points of light). That is the first
item that will determine the quality of the image you get. Theoretically, the
more megapixels you have, the more detail will be seen in the final image.
“Oh so I need a 36 megapixel
camera so all my pictures will be super sharp!” In a nutshell, no. Just
starting out, keep it simple. If most of the pictures you make are destined to
live on the internet to be shared on social media, a camera with only 4- 8
megapixels will be plenty. An image from an 8 megapixel camera can be blown up
to 11x14 or even larger print without any discernible loss of resolution
(sharpness). I know of several renowned professional photographers that use 12
megapixel cameras on a fairly regular basis to photograph images for publication
in some of the best magazines.
So let’s take a look at some of the different
camera types.
POINT AND SHOOT
One of the most common cameras is a fixed lens
camera, often referred to as a “point and shoot”. By fixed lens, I mean that it
will have one lens that is permanently attached to the camera and will usually
have a feature that allows you to zoom in and out to make objects appear larger
or smaller in you picture. There are many manufacturers of good quality point
and shoot cameras, such as Nikon, Canon, Kodak, Sony and many, many more. They
can range from 4 megapixels up to 16 megapixels as of this writing. The prices
range from as low as fifty dollars or less up to several hundred dollars. I
carry a 12 megapixel Canon point and shoot every where I go for those moments
when I want to grab a quick shot of something without having to really think
about what I am doing. It is pretty simple to get a decent image from a point
and shoot camera. By changing a few simple settings on the camera, I have shot
magazine quality images with that simple point and shoot. So can you.
The larger you blow up an image
from a low resolution (read - small number of megapixels) camera, the more it
will be pixilated or seem to fall apart and have little squares that are out of
focus. The more pixels you have, the larger you can make your images. Planning
on doing a billboard? Then you will likely need a camera in the 16 megapixel
and up range. But believe me, for a billboard, you will likely have to use
something more than a point and shoot camera.
DSLR CAMERAS
The majority of professional photographers and
a great number of amateur photographers use what is known as a DLSR camera. DSLR
stands for “digital single lens reflex”. A single lens reflex camera is very
simply a camera that has the ability to accept a number of different lenses
that attach to the camera giving you an option of shooting things close to you
or far way depending on the lens you put on the camera body. Reflex in the
description refers to the way the mirror in the camera moves out of the way of
the viewfinder when you push the shutter button. Think of it as the same as the
standard 35 mm film cameras used almost exclusively into the late 1990’s.
Instead of film, modern DLSR cameras have a sensor inside that collects the
light reflected from whatever you are photographing and sends it to a small
computer chip in the camera. The image is stored on a data card that allows you
download the images to your computer. From there, you process the image in the
editing software of your choice, the most popular of which is Adobe Photoshop
and Lightroom.
DLSR cameras offer you a lot of
creative control in the camera. By changing certain settings on the camera, you
can alter the look of the scene entirely. You have the ability to capture the
image almost exactly as you see it or you can alter the scene to fit the mood
you wish to convey in the final image. While you can do that to a great extent
on many point and shoot cameras, a dslr will allow you an even greater control
because of the ability to change lenses for effect.
Digital images require a lot of
space on your computer. The more megapixels, the larger the image file on you
computer. An average 18 megapixel file
when you are shooting in the raw
format, is approximately 120 megabytes and that is before you do any processing
of the image. Image editing software will most times make the file even larger
depending on what you do to the files. We’ll talk a bit more about the various
file formats soon.
THE DECISION
If your primary focus is
photography for social media, sharing photos with friends and family, then a
point and shoot camera may really be all you need. Weigh the options of the two
types of camera outlined here and make the decision based on what you can
handle, both on the learning level and the cost level. Just remember that with
a dslr, you will also have to purchase lenses for more creative control. Lenses
are not cheap. At least, good lenses are a not cheap.
My best advice would be to go
the your local camera store and talk to them about the different cameras. A
reputable camera store will have a knowledgeable staff that will be happy to
point you in the right direction. They are in the business of selling cameras
and related equipment, so take that into consideration when they start
recommending a camera that is way more than you need. Don’t be afraid to tell
them the LOW end of your budget. If you can afford $1000, start at $400 and see
where they steer you. Salespeople generally make commission on what you buy and
will do their best to lead you to the higher end of your budget. This is not
always the case, but always check in more than one store before you make a
purchase decision.
Check on social media (ie.
Facebook, Google+, Twitter) for local camera clubs. The folks in these clubs
are usually a pretty good source of information and, in my experience, are
pretty nice folks that are more than willing to share knowledge with others.
Internet reviews are also good, but keep in mind that not everything you see or
hear on the internet is necessarily true. GASP!!!
Double check information with reputable sources.
There are also some great places
where you can purchased equipment that has been previously owned. I would
highly recommend stores like Adorama (www.adorama.com),
KEH Camera (www.keh.com), or B&H Photo ( www.bhphotovideo.com ). I have
personally done business with each of these companies and they are all very
reputable. I am sure there are many others out there, but these I can
personally recommend.
