Where do I start?

[Cynthia85]

I've always loved taking pictures, just for fun, nothing too serious. And recently I've decided that I want to get more into photography as a hobby (possibly a career), but I'm not sure where to get started. I did find a small digital photography class that reaches you how to make the most of the camera you already have and I plan on taking that, but where do I go after that?

 

[sfs]

A lot of it depends on where you are now (in terms of technique, eye and equipment) and on where you want to go? What kind of pictures do you want to take? Without knowing more about you, a few general suggestions (not in order of importance):

1) If you haven't already, get and learn to use some photo-editing software. For starters, learn how to adjust contrast, saturation, color balance and brightness. Then learn how to manipulate just parts of a photo.

2) Find a way to get feedback on your pictures (after your course is done). Take another course, join a photo club, find a website where people will offer critiques of photos.

3) Find photos that you like on the web (e.g. on photo.net, or flickr) and study them in detail. Could you take the same photo? What's good about it -- the composition, the background, the pose, the lighting, the colors? Look at some of your own photos equally carefully. What's good about them? What's bad or could be done better? (Somewhere in here you'll probably start wanting to upgrade your equipment, whatever it is, but that's another can of worms.)

4) Set yourself assignments: photograph an event, or a person, or a mood or a theme. There are websites that can help with this sort of thing, e.g. nikonians.org has a forum with monthly artistic assignments that people can try, and post their photos for others to comment on.

5) Pursue specific questions in more detail, depending on what you're interested in. There are plenty of books and websites out there on portrait lighting, for example, or nature photography or wedding photography. Do some studying.

Mostly, take a lot of pictures, think about what you're doing, and have fun.

 

[Tiffiena]

Loved your feedback SFS. Definitely will be checking out the Nikon website you mentioned. Thanks!

 

[utdbear]

From my perspective, I would start very simple. If you're set on taking a class, take a photography class and not a 'learn how to use a camera class'. You'll learn the camera naturally if you're focusing on photography. Here's a guide of what I started with.

Tools I recommend: Camera with manual setting(Does not have to be SLR), Light Meter, and circular 5 in 1 reflector. You probably already have the camera, the light meter is $100 and the 5 in 1 reflector is about $40 from B&H

Books I recommend: Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

Doug Box Guide to Posing for Portrait Photography

My steps to 'getting good' at taking images.

1) Composition, Focus, and Exposure. Master these and you are about 75% of the way there. Learn about aperture(F-stops), shooting in ambient light, shutter speed, etc. If you're interested in shooting people, find a friend to go out and take pictures with them using only these techniques. Do not worry about posing on these trips, just mess with composition, focus, and exposure. Get your brain used to being in situations and just knowing what your aperture and shutter speed will be. Shoot Shoot Shoot until you've got it mastered. Keep Camera Setting on auto white balance and keep the flash off. Learn to shoot in ambient light, how shadows and highlights work.

2) White Balance - Learn the manual white balancing tools available on your camera. If you want to make an additional purchase, a grey card would be good for post processing. Start shooting in RAW format.

3) Posing - This was the toughest part for me. Learn to pose your clients to make them the most flattering in your images. Learn to maximize their best parts and minimize their worst.

4) Flash lighting - Learn to use your flash, both on and off the camera.

5) Post-processing. Pick a program and learn it, and move up as you go. I started with Photoshop 7.0 and now am using Adobe Lightroom and CS4 extended.

Of course this is only my take on it and if you'd like the philosophical details of why I did it in this order I can sure share it. Welcome to photography, you're going to have a lot of fun!

 

[Cynthia85]

From my perspective, I would start very simple. If you're set on taking a class, take a photography class and not a 'learn how to use a camera class'. You'll learn the camera naturally if you're focusing on photography. Here's a guide of what I started with.

Tools I recommend: Camera with manual setting(Does not have to be SLR), Light Meter, and circular 5 in 1 reflector. You probably already have the camera, the light meter is $100 and the 5 in 1 reflector is about $40 from B&H

Books I recommend: Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

Doug Box Guide to Posing for Portrait Photography

Thank you for your advice! I printed this off to carry with my camera, lol. The class that I'm taking isn't just about using the camera, it also teaches the basics on lighting, color, texture, composition, etc, things that I'm not familiar with, so I thought it would be a good step forward. And I have a few questions.

Can you recommend any cameras with a manual setting? Any that might be better then another?

What's B&H? (lol)

 

[utdbear]

Thank you for your advice! I printed this off to carry with my camera, lol. The class that I'm taking isn't just about using the camera, it also teaches the basics on lighting, color, texture, composition, etc, things that I'm not familiar with, so I thought it would be a good step forward. And I have a few questions.

Can you recommend any cameras with a manual setting? Any that might be better then another?

What's B&H? (lol)

I think the Understanding Exposure book will teach you a lot about lighting, and I think you can learn composition as you go along by looking at a lot of pictures. I wouldn't worry about color and texture right away personally, that can come later. It really depends on how much the class is. If it's only $100 or so, then it's probably worth it, if it's $1,000, no way.

I am a Canon shooter and if you want to get a Canon camera, I would look into maybe a 20D, 30D or 40D. They are good solid learning cameras and you can find them on Craigslist for a few hundred bucks and are 'semi-professional' camera bodies, whereas the Rebel series are pure consumer bodies. They have a shutter life of about 100 thousand actuations so ask before you buy and take a memory card (Compact Flash) to test it if you decide to buy. I shoot with a Canon 40D. Nikon has their own line of cameras similar to the ones I just listed above so if you're leaning in that direction then that is an option too.

B&H Photo is a large camera store based in Manhattan, and is probably the most reputable camera store in the country. Adorama is right up there with them too. I would recommend however, if you do decide to start doing this for money, that you start to build a relationship with a local camera store(not Wolf Camera or any of those places) so you can have a 'partner' in the area. I buy a lot of my small stuff from B&H, but have bought all my cameras and lenses from local shops.

B&H Photo Video | Digital Cameras, Camcorders
Digital cameras, all other cameras and everything photographic from Adorama Camera

 

[Cynthia85]

I think the Understanding Exposure book will teach you a lot about lighting, and I think you can learn composition as you go along by looking at a lot of pictures. I wouldn't worry about color and texture right away personally, that can come later. It really depends on how much the class is. If it's only $100 or so, then it's probably worth it, if it's $1,000, no way.

I am a Canon shooter and if you want to get a Canon camera, I would look into maybe a 20D, 30D or 40D. They are good solid learning cameras and you can find them on Craigslist for a few hundred bucks and are 'semi-professional' camera bodies, whereas the Rebel series are pure consumer bodies. They have a shutter life of about 100 thousand actuations so ask before you buy and take a memory card (Compact Flash) to test it if you decide to buy. I shoot with a Canon 40D. Nikon has their own line of cameras similar to the ones I just listed above so if you're leaning in that direction then that is an option too.

B&H Photo is a large camera store based in Manhattan, and is probably the most reputable camera store in the country. Adorama is right up there with them too. I would recommend however, if you do decide to start doing this for money, that you start to build a relationship with a local camera store(not Wolf Camera or any of those places) so you can have a 'partner' in the area. I buy a lot of my small stuff from B&H, but have bought all my cameras and lenses from local shops.

B&H Photo Video | Digital Cameras, Camcorders
Digital cameras, all other cameras and everything photographic from Adorama Camera

Yeah, the clas I'm going to take is only $120. I would agree that anything more then that wouldn't be worth it!

Thank you for all the advice! You're not the only one I've talked to who's mentioned Canon and Nikon, so I'll be saving my pennies for one.

I really do appreciate it! I'm so excited about this! lol

 

[utdbear]

No problem. Lets see some shots when you start shooting!