Picking That First Camera

Hi there. It seems you've decided to give this photography thing a try. Maybe one of Trey Ratcliff's stunning HDR images or the sheer volume of work turned out by Thomas Hawk moved you. Maybe you were amazed by the amount of money that one of Peter Lik's photo's sold for(their nothing special, he's just a really good salesman) or you could have some how been impressed by the competent yet entirely mediocre work of that guy name Randy Stiefer.

You've also have the incredible run of bad luck to stumble of all the places on the internet into steemit and click on this very blog post. Since you did I might as well be of a modicum of help. Don't worry, the question you are asking right now, that question that brought you to this post I'm pounding out while sipping on my Mr Coffee brewed cup of Joe is one I get all the time.

It goes something like this, “Hey Randy, You got that fancy camera that those pretty pictures. What's a good first camera for me?”

This question is flawed for two reasons. First it assumes that the camera is what makes the “pretty pictures”. It doesn't, anymore than a skillet makes an omelet without a chef. Second, and more importantly, it skips over any thought of acquiring skills. It just assumes equipment is the only thing needed.

So with that in mind let me answer that question, “What's a good first camera for me?”

The one you already own. It can be the smartphone in your pocket. For most of us that's a good choice. If you own the latest Samsung, Apple, LG, or Google phone you already have a good camera. If you have a several year old point and shoot laying around that will do as well. Right now my wife, who has in the past done professional portraiture work, uses a five year old point and shot canon we'd bought our daughter that she left in a drawer.

Now here's the settings I want you to using on that camera. If it's a fancy DSLR put in on the green square or if it's a fujifilm or similar camera set all the dials to A(for auto). Most phone's and point and shoots will already be in full auto so just don't mess with them. Now I'm going to give you two things to practice for the next 30 days. Yes a full month. Don't try anything else. Just keep working on these two things. Then start adding in more stuff after that.

The rule of 3rds

Below you'll see a photo I took at Odelle lake in Oregon. It shows off the central rule of beginning photography pretty well. That rule is the rule of thirds. Basically you divide the image into three equal parts – the lower third, the middle third, and the upper third(left to right works to). The shore and the stump form the lower third or foreground of the photo. The lake forms the middle third or the middle ground interest. The far shore forms the upper third or background interest of the photo. I want you to work on taking photos that are built around the concept of the rule of thirds. When you consciously decide ahead of time how you want a photo to look this is called composing your photo. You'll here the word compositon in photography a lot.



Get Closer

If your pictures aren't good enough,you're not close enough. - Robert Capa

I want that quote to replay in your mind till you beat your neighbors lawn flamingos to death with a whiffle ball bat or your photo's get better(it was the 90's, magic mushrooms were involved). Getting closer puts more emphasis on the subject of the photograph. It will also decrease the depth of field which will give your image that cinematic look. The following image gives you an idea of what getting close can do.

That's the answer. Use what you already have and practice the rule of 3rd's along with getting closer. My next post will be about choosing your first interchangeable lens camera. If this was the perfect article for you still read that one, but have your spouse buy it as a Christmas present. You'll be ready for it by then.