How Did you get started in Photography and Advice for a new guy

[mep42]

Hey guys, I posted a couple weeks ago about what camera you should get for a new comer to dslr's. I am holding of buying a camera for now, but with all of the new releases it has stirred up my interest again. My question is how did you start into photography and what advice do you have for a new comer? Thanks for your time




Mark

 

[HomeingPigeon]

I got into photography when I was bored one summer day when my mom says "You should get a hobby". It quickly turns into my user her camera. Then my dad buying me a camera. And it has progressed ever since. As for advice. Ask people lots of questions and take classes.

 

[M@lew]

My advice - Just get what you can afford and google heaps. There's probably a 110% chance that the questions you'll want answered have been asked before. Then the best way to learn is all practical so go and take photos.

 

[jhamerphoto]

I started getting into photography after handling a couple nice cameras from the school in our Media Arts (photo and film) class, and I thought it would be a cool hobby. I only had a small P&S but immediately bought a better one (Canon S3 IS) and started shooting landscapes, still life and macro. My parents gave me a pretty positive response, and my friends thought my pictures were cool so it really encouraged me. I then made an impulse buy on my first DSLR (bad choice btw) but I'm glad I did it. Having a new camera gave me a higher level of interest in it, and I began to broaden my horizons.

In terms of advice, I'd say just find what you like to take pictures of, and develop your skills from there. It's always easier learning one way and then starting again in another area and applying your current skills rather than trying to master all types of photography at once. For me, it was just shooting still things, and then I moved on to events and things like that, which are my passion. Then I moved to studio work, and now I'm trying to work more on sharpening my skills in each of those.

Take lots of pictures, and only expect to like 5% of them. One great picture is worth a thousand failed attempts.

 

[grouper]

i'm just getting into photography. i really wanted to take a darkroom class at the community college here, but the scheduling with work didnt allow it.

i'd recommend getting an older 35mm slr and play around on that for a while before taking the plunge on a dslr. even with film and developing, i still think it'd be cheaper

 

[NEiMac]

My dad had a Yashica TL-Super for like 30 years that he bought in vietnam in the army, that he always used on vacations and stuff. That was what caused me to get interested in SLR's. I still have the Yashica (although the camera no longer works broken shutter) and his old lenses, which work on my first SLR a Pentax K1000, I really should use that camera more. Anyways I kinda lost interest in film photography and eventually bought a Nikon D50 and my wallet has never been the same. lol

 

[Holgapics]

I would learn to see the small things first, then branch out from there. When I was first learning a mentor had me shoot a picture a day throughout the summer in a half a block area. After several days you begin to see things much differently and find there really is much more to capture than is at first apparent. I wouldn't go for the big, dramatic stuff right off the bat but teach yourself to discern light and shadow and composition within a confined area. Then again if your main interest is sports or photo journalism you might wish to discard everything previously suggested.