Begineer to Photography

[HBOC]

Hey,

I've not read anyone else's posts, so apologies for any duplication, but here's my opinion.

Firstly, have you access to a dark room? If so, the absolute best way to learn is by going old-school - it's what I did. Buy a clapped out old film body and lens, a few rolls of Ilford XP2 Super and go shoot the same thing with different settings, writing them down as you go. Take it to be developed and then rock on to get your hand in at printing them traditionally.

If your budget allows, get an old Canon 10D or better and a lens or two and just do the same on your laptop. If you really want to get into it, I think you need an SLR, not semi-compact, as I feel you have more freedom to change settings to see how film speed, aperture, shutter speed and focal lengths impact the image.

Most will tell you that film is dead, and I guess it's all personal, but there's something magical about spending hours in a darkroom with some decent negatives and coming out with a completely unique image.

S.

While i agree with you, i would advise against a 10D. It is just too slow. You can pick up a nice 30D body for a tad more than $300. Or get a 20D, for that matter. The 30D is basically a 20DMKII, as they have the exact same internals, minus the larger screen and spot metering. Otherwise, same camera. You can get a 20D body with 20K clicks for $250ish.

 

[jnortonphoto]

Thanks for the infro. Anyone like Merlin Bronques?

Lastnightsparty is a fun site for sure. If you want to check out some info about him, his equipment, and some other photographers like him there's some good info on www.shootnightlife.com - a site about shooting parties and events.

 

[ronjon10]

Good composition is mostly what makes a good photograph. You can learn good composition with an iPhone camera. Consistency is a large part of being a pro photographer, that's down the road though.

Learn to take good pictures with whatever you can afford right now. If it's a point and shoot, fine, if it's a high end dslr, fine. Eventually you'll want to move to a DSLR system to learn the technical aspects of photography and master them.

Don't get hung up thinking you need something over something else. Get what you can afford and go take lots and lots of photos.