Photography newbie

[Ecosse79]

Hi

I would love to take fantastic photographs like the rest of you on here. I know you will all have a number of years experience, but I have to start somewhere. Could anyone point me in the right direction of getting started, what lenses to buy etc? I was thinking about buying a digital Nikon SLR. I would appreciate some tips on how I can experiment with shutter speeds, appertures etc....

Thanks in advance

[Steve Evil]

Grab a Camera that you can A) Afford and B) Feels good in your hands, read through the manual to get an idea of what everything does, then pickup a copy of this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-Pho...

[GetCarter]

I recommend a different route. Not as sensible as above but... I'd buy a D40X with an 18-55 lens (or similar new or second hand) leave EVERYTHING on automatic and start taking as many shots as you can. Composition is the most important part of photography. Then, every time you find something you can't do or don't like, read the appropriate bit of the manual to work out how to improve, or ask on here. Step by step each function of the camera will become clear... as you develop (no pun intended).

Edited by GetCarter on Thursday 4th December 10:53

[john185k]

I didn't have a clue about anything a year ago. I now know alot more, but probably only 5% of what i could know...

Practice makes perfect, I have taken about 12000 photos in 12 months, and i feel (and luckily other people feel,) I have progressed a long way!!

P.s. I have learnt pretty much everything on this forum alone Great bunch of folk.

[craig_s]

I was in your position during the summer, got myself a D40 and love it. Don't be afraid to play with the buttons just to see what happens. It's not like anyone has to see the hundreds of crap pictures that are bound to be taken because you wanted to know what changing some setting does. Then eventually you will start to get to know what everything does and there will be more and more photos worth showing off. And I agree with John - this place is full of information if you stick around and read loads of threads, and the random photos thread is worth a look especially when you run out of ideas.

[mikee boy]

I got a Canon 1000D kit with 18-55 lens for £270 at the airport and I'm seriously inmpressed with it.

Get a camera, take loads of photos and submit some of them to different sites to get an idea of what you're doing well/badly. Looking at other people's photos are also a good way of learning what you like (ultimately you're doing it for yourself).

This is a good place to start... http://www.dpchallenge.com/index.php

Edited by mikee boy on Thursday 4th December 11:40

[charnock]

maybe an old 35mm film camera would be good. you can buy them so cheaply these days even old nikkormats ect. then look at the images you really like and try and copy or create something similar to figure out how they were done. think mostly its how you frame things. some pictures you see on forums, say of readers cars ect could look so much better if they adjusted the level its taken from instead of just standing up and shooting from head hight. that and looking at the picture not looking through the lens at the subject of the picture. what kind of pictures are you aiming to take?

[andy-xr]

charnock said:

maybe an old 35mm film camera would be good. you can buy them so cheaply these days even old nikkormats ect. then look at the images you really like and try and copy or create something similar to figure out how they were done. think mostly its how you frame things. some pictures you see on forums, say of readers cars ect could look so much better if they adjusted the level its taken from instead of just standing up and shooting from head hight. that and looking at the picture not looking through the lens at the subject of the picture. what kind of pictures are you aiming to take?

I'd say thats an expensive way to make mistakes. Digital has much more to offer re learning settings from your own experience. I thoght I liked car photography with a point and shoot, with an SLR I hate it. Some of that is what kit is available within your budget, the rest is what you're happy taking pics of

[urban_alchemist]

If you REALLY want to learn about photography, go out with a budget of £70 and buy a tidy old fully-manual (or, at most, Aperture Priority) SLR or Rangefinder with a normal (35mm/50mm) prime lense. Buy some cheap film and just start shooting.

There is no better way to pick up the incredibly simple basics of depth-of-field, aperture, shutter-speed, focus and composition than if you have to do everything yourself...

Then, if you want (I've gone back to film almost exclusively), you can pick up a 'fancy' dSLR. The only difference will be you'll actually be able to take the photos, not the camera's electronics...

My suggestion would be an Olympus OM-1 or OM-2. Very cheap (undervalued due to the lack of name-recognition), with wonderful bundled 50mm/f1.8 lenses, they can be bought for about £60-80 and will last forever with a good CLA.

And about the camera:

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Olympus_OM-1/2/3/4

Check www.ffordes.com for availability and prices - probably the best second-hand retailer in the Uk...

Edited by urban_alchemist on Friday 5th December 09:23

[Simpo Two]

I'm going to vote for the DSLR, because essentially it's the same as a film SLR (a box with a hole in the front) but with a chip instead of film. You can still use them in manual mode and play with shutter speed and aperture as much as you like, but you get the BIG advantage of seeing the results immediately (as opposed to taking loads of variants on film hoping you'll remember what you did because you can't be bothered to write the settings in a pocket book, then forgetting).

It's worth remembering that the ability to find and take a good photograph is far more down to the user than how expensive the camera is. There are many here more skilled and creative than me but my efforts at 'wall art' at www.blokewithacamera.co.uk/gallery.htm were all taken with a humble Nikon D70 [small...]which happens to be for sale if you're interested[/small]

[miniman]

I agree with Simpo. You can't beat being able to see the results of a shot, adjust the settings, and try another straight away. You can also review the settings you used later much more easily. With film, at best you are a few days away from seeing the fruits of your efforts. A Canon 300D or 350D can be had pretty cheaply - admittedly not as cheaply as an old film SLR (I have a Canon 1000V in my loft, for example, that you can have for £20 if you want it!) but it should have a better lifespan if you do get into it.

[Ecosse79]

Thanks for all the helpful information. Think I am going to go the second hand digital Nikon route and get snapping! Get Carter, I have a house up in Plockton, we should catch up sometime.

[GetCarter]

Ecosse79 said:

Thanks for all the helpful information. Think I am going to go the second hand digital Nikon route and get snapping! Get Carter, I have a house up in Plockton, we should catch up sometime.

A very fine idea. Let me know when you are next up.