I'm excited about taking a photography course. I'd love to pick your brains a bit!

[Kerrytravelers]

I'm really wanting to take a beginning photography class at my local community college in the Winter session. I can borrow the camera and equipment that I'll need from the school, so I don't need to make a pricey investment now. However, I do have some questions and I'd love to get some responses. On occasion, I'll kick this thread to get responses.

Please feel free to just respond to whatever you want. I'd just love to know what you all think!


1. What is a good beginning camera and any beginning equipment you'd recommend and why?
2. What are some photography websites you like and why?
3. Any books on photography or books of photography you'd recommend to a beginner?
4. About how much should I expect to invest in photography? I love nature photography and photography of places we travel. I don't see myself being a wedding photographer or anything like that.
5. What drew you to photography?
6. What film do you prefer and why? Do you develop your own film or do you do everything digital?
7. Can you maybe post a favorite picture or pictures you've taken? Do you have any photos from when you were a beginner? I'd love to see them. Tell me why you love them!




Here are pictures I've taken with an inexpensive digital point-and-shoot. (Please ignore the date stamp.) I feel like I'm on the cusp of taking good pictures. I lack technical knowledge in terms of some composition and light. I'll learn focus in class and actually focusing it on my own rather than the point-and-shoot will likely go a long way.


The Grand Canyon









Cathedral Rock, Arizona







Disneyland's Magic Castle Moat. (I should crop the people out of the top left corner and lighten the color. It's a bit dark.)


Disney Duck.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I have a couple of books I can recommend

that were recommended to me by F. Gordon, a former DUer who was posting here when I first started in photography. They would be "Understanding Exposure" and "Learning to See Creatively," by Bryan Peterson. Both were very helpful. I subscribe to Outdoor Photography magazine which often has really good articles on the technical aspects.

How much should you expect to invest? The sky's the limit. :rofl:

I was drawn to photography because my father was a photographer, so I guess it's in my genes. I never got into film (except snapshots) because I couldn't afford to learn, so I'm totally digital. My website is in my sig line if you want to check out what I've been doing lately.

Here's something pretty old from October 2004, when I was still using the Sony Mavica, I think.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

2. Ouch! Brain picking hurts!

:bounce:
I'm not really an experienced photog but have hung around long enough at this forum and am involved in other creative outlets to offer you this opinion;
If you start with a point and shoot (which is what I have)it almost doesn't matter which brand because it's a point and shoot! the camera does a great deal of the work for us. What we have to learn is composition,lighting,cropping and the like. Once you've taken about 10 thousand snaps then you'll be ready for a DSLR. At that point you could go here - http://www.photoxels.com/buyersGuide.html or here
http://www.pcworld.com/article/125645/how_to_buy_a_digital_camera.html for example
I'm interested in photography because its creative, fun, gets me outside and has opened up a whole new world. I'm taking photos to express myself, to myself. I'm all digital.
Here's a few I've taken that I really like;

[Alameda]

7. LOVE that spider web! Do tell what and how you got it.

All cameras don't do that well at close up. What camera was it?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

14. I currently use a Sony DSC-H2

and it does work well for close shots. The web shot was taken about 8:30 in the morning when the light was coming through on a low angle. I took about 20 and this is the best one. :bounce:

[Celebration]

3. Not sure I have many brains to pick, photographically anyway.

You will probably learn a lot in the photography course. I just wanted to welcome you!

Like Blue, I didn't really start photography as a hobby until the digital age. I do have a fair number of family photos, though, from the past. My dad, too was interested in photography and made us all sit through family slideshows. To me a picture actually *is* worth a thousand words. I'm just a visual person. What really started me, though is my husband likes to go to the Tennessee River to fish. I don't like to fish so I needed a hobby. I actually tried sketching first, LOL. I can sketch fine but found it incredibly boring.

Anyway, like you I like photographing nature. It turns out I think it is fun to chase after birds. I'm not much of a bird watcher but birds move around a lot and I just like to try to outsmart them. And I like the eye hand coordination part of it because one has to be quick and have a steady hand if the birds are moving around. As it turns out I got a great photo of an eagle recently but it was at a raptor show so that didn't excite me at all. So for me it isn't the photograph as much as the process. I kind of like fooling around with photo editing software, though I really don't know a lot yet.

Even though I like landscapes (and I love Sedona!) my favorite shots are of things in motion. Here is a recent photo of...MY GRANDSON!



He is often in motion so he is a good subject. This will go in my husband's office.

I have a point and shoot but it is an advanced one. A DSLR doesn't really fit with the type of photography I prefer doing, which is the walking around kind of photography. My camera is a Lumix that has a 24x zoom lens, pretty decent for birds.

Hmmm. An old photo? Just think baby pictures, halfway decent landscapes, nothing spectacular that I feel like uploading to Photobucket. Actually I entered a very old photo of mine in a contest here recently. Let me see if I can find it. Okay this is my entry for the Geology contest. It is actually my only Geology photo in my digital archive, so that is why I had to enter it. This was probably taken the first month I got bought a digital camera about five years ago.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. And I loved that picture, too.

That's the contest I hosted.

[Celebration]

11. I really cherish that host's award

Coming from such a fabulous photographer!!

[rdking647]

4. some of my favorite websites

http://photocamel.com/forum/
http://www.pixtus.com/forum/
http://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/index.php

as to begining equipment Id go with a simple DSLR over a point and shoot. it gives you much more flexibility and can be used as a point and shoot in automatic mode as you start out.
the Nikon d3100 is a good new camera and is about $500 new. you also might consider a used d3000 . reputable places for used equipment include adorama,b &h photo and keh photo. (do a google search to see their websites)

as to book dslr's for dummies is actually a pretty good book.
everything I do is digital. I havent used film in 6 or 7 years. digital is great especially when your starting out because you can just delete your mistakes,they dont cost anything except time.

heres some of my favorite shots from the past few years





















my pictures are in 2 places
my smugmug account http://www.jeffcohen.smugmug.com
and my flickr account which has many more shots http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdking647/sets/

[Alameda]

5. You have some nice shots already, but could use some tiny things

in things like lighting. I'm not a professional photographer, but I have many friends who are, and one of my friends who was a head of a photography department liked my work. Slowly I've been getting deeper and deeper in it, so now I go out every day and take photographs. I am becoming obsessed with it as an art form.

My training is in fine art painting and printmaking, close, but not the same. When you paint you can futz with the light, remember it and put it in. In photography, I've realized you have to work with what you have. Things like light are vitally important. The same subject will look very different depending on the light. You can either use studio light, or existing light. I prefer the available light for most the things. I'm still working on it.

I'm doing more photojournalism type photography, documenting what I see. It helps me see more, and I love to share what I see. You beauty is more beautiful if it's shared.

As for cameras, the one you will have with you is the best. In that vein, I got a simple a little Casio EX-S10. I also sometimes use a Casio EX S600. I had a fancy SLR years ago and found it was so cumbersome I never used it. I like the little discreet camera that I keep with me ALL the time, one never knows when an interesting subject will appear.

Here is a link to some of my photographs...http://community.webshots.com/user/semptress

add a few things

[HappyCynic]

6. Brain dump... Warning: somewhat long winded

I did some photography in high school (ages ago), then only picked it up again a couple years ago. I did have a couple different point and shoot cameras in the years prior to that but never really liked them that much. I much preferred the DSLR because I could control a lot more of the settings and I actually like the feel of a DSLR camera as opposed to the point and shoot. I'm from a non-artistic background and my job is a technical one (programming) but I felt I needed a hobby to feed my creative urges.

I'm far from an expert so take any of my advice with a grain of salt.

1. What is a good beginning camera and any beginning equipment you'd recommend and why?

I personally think that whatever brand you choose, you should get a package with a couple lenses - most brands will offer a combo with an 18-55mm and a 70-200mm lens, which is a good mix. This will give you a wide lens to shoot landscapes as well as a zoom lens to shoot wildlife. A sturdy tripod, if you don't have one already, would be bonus when shooting wildlife or shooting long exposure water shots. I would consider that (camera, wide lens, zoom lens, tripod) the setup that will give you the equipment to do most of the shots you'll want to do.
If you do low light shooting, also consider a 50mm f1.8 lens. Regardless of camera brand, there's usually a 50mm f1.4 lens offered as well. However, the f1.4 is typically 2-3 times the cost of the f1.8. If you get everything new, you could probably get the 2 lens kit, the tripod, and low light lens for under $1000.

If you take photos of people, especially in indoor settings, you'll probably want a dedicated flash (and a diffuser if there isn't one built into the flash). Depending on the flash, the can set you back $100 or more, depending on how powerful you need it and what kind of features you want.

Before you pick up a DSLR and lens combo, it's important to figure out what brand you want. If you continue with photography and get more into it, you'll probably be sticking with one brand, as you'll be adding lenses and equipment. The lenses will typically last a lot longer than the camera body (case in point, I'm currently using a couple of 20+ year old Minolta lenses with my 2 year old Sony camera). If you upgrade the camera body to one of the same brand, the lenses and most of the other equipment will still work but if you switch camera brands, you'll essentially be starting over. If you want to buy used lenses to save a bit of money, you'll want to look at the market for used lenses and compare what's available.

3. Any books on photography or books of photography you'd recommend to a beginner?

I haven't read much in way of photography books but I really liked "The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos" by Michael Freeman.

4. About how much should I expect to invest in photography? I love nature photography and photography of places we travel. I don't see myself being a wedding photographer or anything like that.

It really depends on what you like to do. The above equipment I mentioned (for about $1000) will let you do a lot of different types of shots. If you want to get more specialized, then you could easily spend hundreds or thousands more.

Example: Macro photography
Option 1 - extension tubes. Cheap ($5-$10) but generally doesn't let you adjust the aperture and you lose autofocus as well.
Option 2 - extension tubes, manual lenses, and maybe a lens adapter. If your camera lens mount doesn't accept older manual lenses, you'll need the lens adapter. This setup is similar to option 1 but lets you adjust the aperture. The lenses can usually be used for cheap.
Option 3 - Bellows system with some manual lenses, possibly a lens adapter as well. This setup lets you do extreme close ups and allows you to control aperture as well as giving you something analogous to a zoom. But it requires more setup for the shot and you still don't have autofocus. Cost $50-$100, depending on what lenses you get.
Option 4 - Macro lens. Expensive (usually $500+). All the bells and whistles but at a much higher cost than the options.

Optional equipment: Ring light - the subject may be too close to the lens for the flash. Focusing rails allow you make adjustments (left/right and/or forward/back - one rail for one dimension, two rails for two dimensions) without moving the tripod.

For sports photography or long distance wild life action shots, you could get something like a 70-200mm f2.8 lens for about $2000-$2500 or a more expensive 400mm f2.8 lens for about $10000.

So, it really depends what you want to do and what you're willing to spend.

6. What film do you prefer and why? Do you develop your own film or do you do everything digital?

I prefer digital because with the way I shoot, only about 1% of my shots are anywhere close to good. I'd go broke trying to do it with film.

There's an interesting contest in my home city that makes good use of film. It's called the 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon (that's Vancouver, BC, Canada - not Vancouver, Washington). On the day of the competition, the entrants are given a roll of film with 12 exposures. They must take a photo each hour. At the top of every hour, they have to be at the contest base where they will receive the theme for hour. They then must go out, take the single shot, and return within an hour to receive the next theme. The photos are judged as a set so all your photos must turn out to be in the running for a prize. If you want to challenge yourself and simulate having film, you could probably attempt something like this on your own.

7. Can you maybe post a favorite picture or pictures you've taken? Do you have any photos from when you were a beginner? I'd love to see them. Tell me why you love them!

Here's a few shots for the first DU contest I entered ("Green" in August 2009)

This was my contest entry. It placed 4th in the finals. (Got my ass kicked in the next few contests so it was definitely beginner's luck to place that high.) In case you're curious, it was taken at an aquarium. I pressed the lens right up to the glass to reduce the reflections. Lighting was good so I didn't use the flash.



Here's one I didn't enter but like. It was one of my first attempts at shooting water drops.



Here's another I didn't enter. Not entirely sure why I like it, though.





I'll leave you with a suggestion. For the monthly DU contests, try to get a photo you think would be worth submitting. Even if you don't enter the contest, it'll give you a reason to take photos of things you normally wouldn't think of photographing.

[Alameda]

8. I find that even if I don't enter a contest, it does effect how I see

things and make me think about things I might not think of.

[handmade34]

9. I like

Scott Kelby's books... and I love to visit DPreview and sites like National Geographic just to look at lots of pictures
http://www.scottkelby.com/#

I became interested in photography when I was given a camera and realized when I used it- the way I saw the things around me changed.

I will probably always be a novice because I just play, but I do have so much fun.

I think what you can afford to buy is the best equipment to use.



a different Grand Canyon

[Stevenmarc]

12. Interesting Questions

1. Since you're starting from scratch you probably want to stick to the two big manufactures of DSLR's Nikon or Canon because of their wide variety if glass and accessories available and third party support. 

This actually brings us to question 4, how much should you invest, well more than if you took up knitting and significantly less than yachting. Honestly, get the best glass you can afford and if you are able to try out the glass before hand, so much the better. 

There are a couple of ways to do this, go to a rental site and try the lens out for a couple of days but an even cheaper way is to find a photography club and go out on shoots with them, you'll find that if you are interested in a particular lens that a member owns they will generally let you try it out so you can get a feel for it. In the rare case you made a purchase faux pas then eBay is our friend.

Speaking of finding a photography club, run, don't walk to find one. They usually have members that run the gamut of skill levels, they have years of practical experience to offer and are pretty supportive of beginners. Also go to meetup.com and look for local photo shoots.

[postatomic]

13. Wow. You certainly generated some activity here

You’ve already gotten lots of great tips and info. My response is going to be a little more different than all the wonderful responses you've been given.

Let’s start….

1. What is a good beginning camera? I’d recommend one of the Film Cameras made by Canon or Nikon. I see them all the time for $25 or less with a lens. If you lived near by I’d let you borrow one of mine. You aren’t going to learn much getting a digital camera and just taking 1,000s of clicks. Using a Film camera will slow you down and you’ll be forced to learn from your mistakes. It will also give you the opportunity to learn how to meter using manual settings.

2. I really can’t recommend a good web site. The web sites I like won’t teach you much about photography if you’re just starting out.

3. A very good book I’d recommend is Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. It is not a Photography Book, but it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It will train your brain to visual. To see. If you want a good photography book Photography by Barbara London, John Upton, and Jim Stone is the text book used in most photography classes. I have 6 copies of it. I’ve found them all while Good Will Hunting. No, I’m not a hoarder. I’m involved in a project where I loan and gift equipment and such to young people interested in photography.

4. How much should you invest in photography equipment to take vacation photos? As little as possible. To assume that the amount of money you pay for camera equipment will equate to better images is completely wrong. At the risk of sounding ‘arrogant’ (because I am nothing of the sort) I could let you use my best (expensive) camera equipment and I could use one of my $1.00 film cameras and we could go out to the same place I would take better pictures. The camera is just a tool.

5. I don’t remember why I got interested in photography. It was a long time ago. Back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. If I remember I’ll let you know.

6. The film I use depends on the camera. Kodak and Ilford still make great B&W films and Fuji makes some great color slide film and has filled the void left by Polaroid in making good instant film. I can develop my own B&W film but sometimes I get lazy and just pay a few bucks to have a lab do it for me.

7. I would have to dig up some old photos to show what I did when I started. As for what my favorite photo is. It’s the one I took today or yesterday. It’s constantly changing and what I would call a favorite isn’t always a good photo. I have my own personal reasons for what makes a photo a favorite of mine. I really don’t care what anyone else thinks about them. I call it Photography Masturbation. If you can’t please yourself you can never please others.

A few clicks I like…

This was taken with a Canon 1Xe. It’s an obscure film camera that Canon made when the industry tried to re-invent film using the APS format. I really like this camera and I paid far less than the $1,000 it sold for new.



I took this when I was walking toward the place I wanted to go. I saw it. Put the tripod down and got off a quick click. I didn’t see it as ‘funny’ when I took it but I would guess that others may. I took it in context to where I was. Behind me and down a block was an area where a lot of homeless drug addicts hung out. It was a message to those people. Spelled wrong but the thought was well meaning.



This is an image I’m working on for a small portfolio. I got the idea from a few photos I posted here awhile back. This isn’t the finished image. The process of taking an image to getting it to where you want it to be for printing can be a long one.



I took this when I took ‘Faces’. I was using the Oly camera that alfredo talked me into buying and this was done with the built in B&W art filter.



I have 4 different Body Cap Pinhole “lenses”. This was taken with one of those. On this “lens” I put the pinhole in at an angle so the focus would be waaaaay off.



One of the things that I see quite often is that most people are always looking down. Don’t do this. Look around you. The first thing I always tell someone who is just starting out: Take a camera and go for a walk. Around the block. Whatever. And don’t take any photos. Just look around you. Learn to ‘see’.



I screw up all the time. I don’t normally take photos of people on bright sunny days unless I’m using a flash but I didn’t intend on taking people pics when I got this. I couldn’t read my exposure when I took it and my shutter speed was too slow. I quickly adjusted for it after I took this but the moment I wanted was gone.



When I took this I knew I wanted to ‘develop’ it in B&W. I went a little over the top on it but I still like it and it holds strong memories for me. This is my idea of a ‘vacation’ photo.



As I said before my favorite photo is usually the one I just took. That’s the case here. I bought a Kodak Z650 while Good Will Hunting. It’s a decent camera but it does a horrible job of metering in low light. But, what is a bad thing for most people is something I like. The poor metering creates a nice ‘moody’ image. I used a tripod and the manual settings on the camera.



This was taken recently with a super lo-tech point and shoot camera. I like it.



Something I see all the time is what the photographer here is doing. It always pisses me off. I’m always seeing people taking photos in the ‘Pole Up the Ass’ position. They stand straight and just move the camera up or down or sideways. Bend down. Lay down. Hold the camera over your head. Oh, and I took this with a free multi-lens camera I got when I ordered ‘x’ amount of film. I really heart it. It takes four images in about 1 second and puts them on one frame of 35mm film. The results are always unpredictable and that’s why I like it.



This was taken with a Vivitar 22mm film point and shoot. It’s a great little (fun) camera. And you can get much wider angles than any digital point and shoot.



That’s it. Have fun.
:hi: