Any basic tips for an aspiring photographer?

[Runwildboys]

I’m going to assume this camera has a manual mode and auto mode like most digitals today do.

First things first is learn anything you can about shooting in manual mode. Your shots with be 100x better if you know how to change the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture yourself. So the first thing you have to know is what all those terms mean -

Putting a camera on auto is all well and good but it isn’t designed to give you the shot you want. Auto is designed to get a shot that doesn’t suck. And you want to be more than just a photographer who doesn’t suck.

So, manual mode forces you to think. Want a close up shot of a beautiful flower on a sunny day? Then you’ll probably want a wide aperture. But wait, a wide aperture makes the photo brighter, because it lets more light into the sensor. So you need a slower shutter speed.

Shooting at night? Since it’s dark out, I’ll need to turn up the ISO so the light sensitivity increases - too high of an ISO will look grainy and bad. So let me lower my shutter speed... but if the shutter speed is too low, the picture will be blurry, because surprise surprise, it is actually incredibly hard to hold your hand still for 1/16th or 1/8th of a second. So do I need a tripod for this shot? If I use a tripod, I could use a 1 or 2 or 3 second shutter, and a low ISO so my picture is sharp and clear. A-ha!

See what I mean? Manual and auto allow for a completely different mindset. With auto, you take the shot. With manual, you make the shot. And that will increase your ability as a photographer faster than you can imagine.

@Corso does this camera have interchangeable lenses?

Don't you want a faster shutter speed in this case?

 

[DoctorChicken]

Don't you want a faster shutter speed in this case?

Yeah that’s what I meant. Just mistyped.

 

[Runwildboys]

Yeah that’s what I meant. Just mistyped.

I figured as much, but thought I'd spare Corso the confusion.

 

[lukin2006]

Do not know if this was mentioned, very important, remove the lens cap...

 

[lukin2006]

Tripod...never hurts to have a good tripod.

 

[Runwildboys]

Tripod...never hurts to have a good tripod.

So they keep telling me.

 

[DoctorChicken]

@Corso another thing I would do is invest in a nice prime lens (or 2, or 3).

A prime lens is essentially a lens that doesn’t zoom or unzoom. Start off with maybe a 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm prime.

mm essentially means zoom length.

The benefits of a prime are that they tend to be made with high quality glass, and because of the design, the aperture can get wider, allowing more light and a more bokeh (or that nice, silk blurred) background.

So the blurry lights in the background would be called bokeh. Most reasonably priced zoom lenses only get down to 2.4 or even 3.5 aperture, but a prime will get down to 1.8 or even 1.4.

And the wider the brighter, so if you’re in a dark environment, cranking that baby down to 1.8 will let in a ton of light.

So getting a prime that fits your needs is important. If you’re doing a lot of landscape, a wider angle would be nice. Maybe 24 or 35. If you’re going to be doing portraits or wildlife maybe a 50 or 85.

Also, I don’t know what type of camera you have, but sensor size matters regarding lenses. There are “full frame” cameras, which have a 35mm sensor, aps-c, which is a bit smaller, and micro four thirds.

This is important because a lens, a 24 for instance, will be more zoomy on an asp-c than a 35.

All these are using the same lens, but the smaller sensor captures less of the scene. So when looking at lenses, keep that in mind.

Also, smaller sensor doesn’t mean it’s a worse sensor. I use aps-c cameras all the time.

 

[Corso]

@Corso another thing I would do is invest in a nice prime lens (or 2, or 3).

A prime lens is essentially a lens that doesn’t zoom or unzoom. Start off with maybe a 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm prime.

mm essentially means zoom length.

The benefits of a prime are that they tend to be made with high quality glass, and because of the design, the aperture can get wider, allowing more light and a more bokeh (or that nice, silk blurred) background.

So the blurry lights in the background would be called bokeh. Most reasonably priced zoom lenses only get down to 2.4 or even 3.5 aperture, but a prime will get down to 1.8 or even 1.4.

And the wider the brighter, so if you’re in a dark environment, cranking that baby down to 1.8 will let in a ton of light.

So getting a prime that fits your needs is important. If you’re doing a lot of landscape, a wider angle would be nice. Maybe 24 or 35. If you’re going to be doing portraits or wildlife maybe a 50 or 85.

Also, I don’t know what type of camera you have, but sensor size matters regarding lenses. There are “full frame” cameras, which have a 35mm sensor, aps-c, which is a bit smaller, and micro four thirds.

This is important because a lens, a 24 for instance, will be more zoomy on an asp-c than a 35.

So when looking at lenses, keep that in mind.

You just blew my mind.
Oh my goodness. I totally get how you are describing the numbers.

Oh my goodness...

 

[Xelda]

This went from helpful to educational in no time. I've got to ponder upon these things before contemplating a camera of my own. Best wishes for enjoyment of your camera, Corso.

 

[CouchCoach]

Do not know if this was mentioned, very important, remove the lens cap...

How in the hell do you think my finger got in the picture?

 

[CouchCoach]

@Corso another thing I would do is invest in a nice prime lens (or 2, or 3).

A prime lens is essentially a lens that doesn’t zoom or unzoom. Start off with maybe a 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm prime.

mm essentially means zoom length.

The benefits of a prime are that they tend to be made with high quality glass, and because of the design, the aperture can get wider, allowing more light and a more bokeh (or that nice, silk blurred) background.


.

This is what a fly photographer sees.

 

[ShortRound]

Will second the prime lens recommendation. But don't get too caught up on gear. What great photographers used 50 years ago would be deemed archaic by "pixel peepers" today.

And I've found portability to be a big part of me wanting to shoot photos. So i have a small Sony Mirrorless and a prime lens I love.

 

[lukin2006]

How in the hell do you think my finger got in the picture?

 

[Reality]

How in the hell do you think my finger got in the picture?

That's actually a trademark of photos I take

 

[blindzebra]

You just blew my mind.
Oh my goodness. I totally get how you are describing the numbers.

Oh my goodness...

On the flipside of that there are advantages to using a small aperture too. It allows for greater depth of field. If your shot has foreground, mid ground, and background and you want them all sharp you need to be using the highest number your lens allows...most will allow F 16...of course this may mean using a tripod but it is worth it.
Think Ansel Adams he co-founded the F 64 group.

 

[CouchCoach]

That's actually a trademark of photos I take

I am infamous in my family. On one trip to Disney World with 8 of us, I had the VHS camera and took two full tapes and when we got home and all sat down to watch them, not 1 of the 8 was on the video. I could have sold them to Disney as travelogue videos.

I told them, in my losing defense, that they would have these videos to recall the memory of their trip to Disney World. To which my surly wife replied "with no proof we were actually there or who we were with". People can be sooooooooo ungrateful.

 

[TheCount]

Some good tips, I'll throw in a few.

Spend money on lenses, not the body. Bodies get upgraded every few years, but lenses can last a lifetime. People tend to spend a lot on the bodies and then go cheap on glass, big mistake.

Save money you'd spend on gear and go on trips instead. Even if it's just a day trip to your closest national park or whatever, getting out of your usual space can be very inspiring.

It's totally fine to copy other photographers while you figure out your own style. If you see a portrait, landscape, etc. photo you like, try to go out and take your own version of the same thing. Easier to learn when you know what you're trying to achieve, this thought me a lot about my gear and photography in general.

Learn your camera. When you're actually out taking photos, the last thing you want to be doing is digging through menus or the manual to figure out how to do something.

Share you photos. If you're into Instagram, Facebook, etc. I encourage you to share your stuff. Don't get addicted to likes, but photography is meant to be shared and people don't print like they used to.

 

[blindzebra]

Some good tips, I'll throw in a few.

Spend money on lenses, not the body. Bodies get upgraded every few years, but lenses can last a lifetime. People tend to spend a lot on the bodies and then go cheap on glass, big mistake.

Save money you'd spend on gear and go on trips instead. Even if it's just a day trip to your closest national park or whatever, getting out of your usual space can be very inspiring.

It's totally fine to copy other photographers while you figure out your own style. If you see a portrait, landscape, etc. photo you like, try to go out and take your own version of the same thing. Easier to learn when you know what you're trying to achieve, this thought me a lot about my gear and photography in general.

Learn your camera. When you're actually out taking photos, the last thing you want to be doing is digging through menus or the manual to figure out how to do something.

Share you photos. If you're into Instagram, Facebook, etc. I encourage you to share your stuff. Don't get addicted to likes, but photography is meant to be shared and people don't print like they used to.

Flickr is a good place to show your work, see other's work, and they have groups where you can focus on styles you like.