Photog Greenhorn

[Mac'Mo]

Hi, I'm a college student who isn't the richest cat on the block, but i work so i make money. I recently purchased a macbook and heard that its the choice for professionals in photography, video and audio, so I thought I might try photography as a side hobby (i don't study that much). If the MR Community could help me with a few questions, i'd be grateful.
1) What are your recommendations for a beginner's camera? I prefer a Digital SLR and was considering the Rebel EOS XT or something like that. Nothing extravagantly expensive like $800+
2) What are some good resources for learning about photography like depth of vision or such. (Techniques and such)
3) What are some good programs for editing photos, I tried iPhoto and couldn't really do much. I tried to take a picture and put it as my wallpaper without it looking stretched. Didn't work, that is the extent of my skill. haha. TIA!

 

[ChrisA]

1) What are your recommendations for a beginner's camera? I prefer a Digital SLR and was considering the Rebel EOS XT or something like that. Nothing extravagantly expensive like $800+
2) What are some good resources for learning about photography like depth of vision or such. (Techniques and such)
3) What are some good programs for editing photos, I tried iPhoto and couldn't really do much. I tried to take a picture and put it as my wallpaper without it looking stretched. Didn't work, that is the extent of my skill. haha. TIA!

1) Pick a BRAND not a camera. Then go shopping for a few lenses. You don't need to actually buy more then one or two but go shopping and pick out a few. Last, after you are all done pick out a camera body -- which one you pick doesn't mater nearly as much as many people think. What does matter is the lens and the fact the you are getting married to a camera brand (and getting un-married is neither fun nor inexpensive.) Read some of the Nikon vs. Canon threads. When getting into an SLR you need to plan ahead a few years. Buy into the brand that will have the stuff you will want later

2) You are a student right? Does the school offer photo clases? That would be the hands down 1st class way to go. Next would be a trip to the library. These forums are good if you have a specific question.

3) iPhoto is for cataloging and for making small tweaks to the image. It's not an editor. For that look at "Gimp" if you need free software but Adobe Photoshop Elements is better for most people. Adobe Photoshop CS2 is the current professional standard but "Elements" is best for most users. Notice the Elements and iPhoto make a nice pair. You can setup iPhoto in the preferences panel to use Elements as the "default editor". I'd go with this option.

 

[Mac'Mo]

1) Pick a BRAND not a camera. Then go shopping for a few lenses. You don't need to actually buy more then one or two but go shopping and pick out a few. Last, after you are all done pick out a camera body -- which one you pick doesn't mater nearly as much as many people think. What does matter is the lens and the fact the you are getting married to a camera brand (and getting un-married is neither fun nor inexpensive.) Read some of the Nikon vs. Canon threads. When getting into an SLR you need to plan ahead a few years. Buy into the brand that will have the stuff you will want later

2) You are a student right? Does the school offer photo clases? That would be the hands down 1st class way to go. Next would be a trip to the library. These forums are good if you have a specific question.

3) iPhoto is for cataloging and for making small tweaks to the image. It's not an editor. For that look at "Gimp" if you need free software but Adobe Photoshop Elements is better for most people. Adobe Photoshop CS2 is the current professional standard but "Elements" is best for most users. Notice the Elements and iPhoto make a nice pair. You can setup iPhoto in the preferences panel to use Elements as the "default editor". I'd go with this option.

cool thanks, i think they are offering a few classes that i have considered taking. I will look into it. Thanks for the help. Re the camera brands, are Nikon and Canon like the standards for digital slrs?