Digital Photography Books03 Jun 2009 10:24 am
I want to start digital photography, but don’t know how/where to start. and I need advice?
What is the best book to learn about photography lighting?>>
itsyouitsme posted:
here are my questions:
1. Good digital camera to start with but comes with a LOW PRICE (A good brand and Megapixel size, I’m thinking about 10MP is good enough)
2. Do you know any books or articles in the internet that can help? (Online community will be great!)
3. Tips from pros and just starting as well are very welcome!
4. Aside from a camera, tripod and a photo editing software, what else do you need?
June 5th, 2009 at 5:33 am
Take a begenning photo class at your local college.
June 6th, 2009 at 3:43 am
1. It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer. Canon, and Nikon both make good cameras. But don’t overlook Panasonic. Leica makes their lenses, and I work with pro photographers who like the smaller Panasonics. Read the link I listed below. It will help. We use Nikon D200′s in our business. But don’t get caught up in brand names. It’s silly. Use what you can afford, and what feels good to you.
2. Take a course at a local community college. They’re cheap, and you’ll become a better photographer that way. You’ll learn how to take the camera off of “Auto”, and how to compose.
3. My husband is a pro. I’m a Graphic Designer who uses digital photography. I hope I can help.
4. You just need Photoshop. You won’t need a tripod quite yet, though invest in a good one.
June 8th, 2009 at 4:56 am
I just recently got seriously into photography. After three years of owning a cheap point-and-shoot, I purchased a more serious camera back in May. I have never taken a photo class, but I plan on it. I have had some art courses, and the rules of composition apply to both. I’m currently a college sophmore and am majoring in either Design or Art. Everything I know I have learned from reading and experience.
1) I would suggest either the Nikon D40 kit or the Canon Digital Rebel XTi kit, unless your wanting a point-and-shoot, than I would suggest either a Canon or Sony. The first two cameras will give you much more control over your pictures than the other two, since they are more enthusiast level cameras. I might add that the D40 and Digital Rebels can function as point-and-shoots in their AUTO setting. Once your comfortable with the camera and your own skill you can begin to use settings that give you more control over the camera.
However if you have never used a camera before then try and start off with a good point-and-shoot and then move on to a more serious camera once you become acquainted with settings, composition, etc. (I owned a cheap Kodak camera, 3.1 megapixels, for around two years and then moved up to the Nikon D40)
- The D40 will go for around $600, but believe me, the pictures are worth the price, it has 6.1 megapixels. the kit includes everything you need to start except a memory card
- The Canon Rebel XTi and XT are great as well but cost more due to their 8 megapixel and 10 megapixel counts. The XT kit goes for $700 and the XTi for $800
2) Check out these websites for help
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Rockwell is a professional photographer and has reviews on pretty much any camera product on the market, as well as technical advice.
- wolfcamera.com
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Hefter is a senior in high school near where I live but has images that look as if a professional of 20 years has taken them. He was a main inspiration for me to get into photography.
As far as books go, check any bookstore like Barnes and Noble and they will have tons of books devoted to digital photography
3) My first bit of advice, and I have learned this in my practice, is that megapixels don’t really matter. They are merely expressed in all the ads by companies who want you to believe that higher megapixels yields high quality images. 10 megapixels is a too much, unless you’re cropping your photos down to nothing or making prints 30 inches wide, I would suggest 6 or 8 megapixels, or even a little less. Lenses are the real tool to getting high quality images. Also, to quote Ken Rockwell, “The artist makes the art, not the equipment.” Expensive equipment just makes it easier to get the shot you want. That’s my advice for starting out
4) Memory card is the only other thing I’d think you’d need, other than what you’ve listed
My email is if you need anything else
Hope all this has helped. Remember, find what works best and is comfortable for you, not what is the most expensive, and have fun and be creative!
June 9th, 2009 at 5:05 am
1) Go to best buy or wolf camera or somewhere like that and try out a bunch of different cameras! Or maybe try out a friend’s or family member’s before you actually get one to see what you like and what features you use most. Also it depends on what you do… for example, if you’re going to be taking pictures of children, athletes, or animals who move quickly, you should ask about shutter delay and image stability (which prevents blur). And as someone said above, mega-pixels don’t matter that much. I had a 3mp camera for a long time, and after some experience I could get it to do almost anything I wanted… except enlarging, but that didn’t really matter to me.
2) I don’t think you really need to know all the technical info about photography to be good at it. Just experiment and find out what suits you. I joined flickr.com a while ago, and I’ve learned a TON from looking at others’ pictures. It also has lots of groups and nice members that give feedback about your pictures. Are there any local photography clubs or communities in your area? I joined one recently and they have regular field trips and tutorials and photo critiques that give GREAT feedback!
3) I would stress that studying others’ photographic styles is very helpful. I love to go to a good bookstore and just browse through the photography section for hours, looking through the books of famous photographers. It helps me figure out what I like and what I don’t, and it’s very inspiring. And many of them explain the techniques of highly successful photographers, which is very interesting. Oh and there are lots of good photo magazines out there, at just about any bookstore. One I love is JPG (www.jpgmag.com)
4) I think a tripod can be helpful if you’re interested in moving objects (such as children or athletes) or night photography, but it’s not a necessity. You can always find other ways of holding a camera still (like putting it on a stable table). And honestly, I **** editing software. It makes me lazy. I tend to find that when I’m thinking, “I can crop this later or just edit that out” my pictures come out lacking. Plus trying to get things right the first time strengthens creativity and, I think, will make any photographer’s images stronger. BUT, I do admit I use the editing program that came on my computer (microsoft picture it premium 10) sometimes to bring out color and add contrast. But really, other than a camera, the only thing you have to have is creativity!
June 10th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
just jump right in their with both feet…
i got an olympus dslr e-5oo comes with two lenses and costs about $800.oo, a good deal considering what you are getting.
photoshop is what we use here, the student version, take a class at community college, and get huge discount on programs…student version does the same as the professional version with very few exceptions, and it won’t matter at this point so take full advantage of that.
so take a class too.
join a photography club that is in your location, nothing beats up close and personal sharing and critiquing of each other’s work and going out with the group and shooting. tons of stuff is learned that way. (more than i can absorb).
June 14th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Hi there…and here the answer to your Question which i find best for me :
1. If price matter for you, then Nikon D 40 with 6.2 MP is the best camera..Hell i prefer it than all Nikon DSLR except D 200..FYI : Megapixel has nothing to do at all with how a picture looks..
3. Tips from me is get yourself to the right place at the right time and point the camera in the right direction…
4. As a start. You need to take shot as many as possible
2. i like to introduce my electronic teacher to you…this man have taught me so many things about making a spectacular picture…and i think it ca be usefull to you to…
just visit
i hope this information is usefull to you
Regard