My Photography Book

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Getting started in photography what do you need?

By Sam Wake


If you are a beginner photographer and you're wondering what accessories could help you take better pictures, items such as a tripod, lens filters and camera batteries might be on your mind. However, accessories are not as important as ensuring that you already have some solid, basic skills with your camera.

It's a good idea to get involved with online forums and photography communities because you can learn as much from other people who are already taking great pictures as you could from a book or professional tuition. As well as discussing those classic camera accessories every new photographer needs, we'll also talk about how you can improve the pictures you take generally. There are several key principles that you can use to make the most of your camera if you're a beginner photographer.

One key principle for good photography is filling the frame or 'getting closer', because sometimes those new to photography focus too much on the object, person or place they are photographing instead of the composition of the overall image. One rule for a good composition is the rule of three. Imagine the frame is separated in to three sections both vertically and horizontally and then consider the parts where the lines intersect the focal points for your image. Always think about the framing of a shot carefully because that is what makes you a hobbyist photographer and not just a casual owner of a point-and-click camera.

Items you may want to buy include a tripod, lens filters and extra camera batteries but before you run to the shops or click online to get them spend plenty of time getting used to your camera and work out how you could improve your pictures by using any accessories you're considering getting. Most of the digital cameras on the market today have image stabilising technology built into them so that means tripods are not as necessary as they were back when cameras still used film. Modern digital cameras also let you adjust shutter speed and other settings manually which makes high speed photography (such as a golf swing or a humming bird wings) easier to photograph.

Tripods are mainly used for more specialist photography these days, such as portraits and scenes where the composition needs to be consistent for several different photographs. A photographer who is taking a series of similar photos needs to keep their camera in the same location (using a tripod) for them to all match up.

Arguably a tripod is one of the most versatile and useful things that a beginner photographer can own because there are so many uses for one. Night time and sunset shots need a slower shutter speed to look good and also need to be steady to cut back on blur. A tripod can greatly improve the quality of the picture because it's kept still and secure.

Additionally, a tripod is a good stand for lights and can hold slaves and reflectors, helping to set up the perfect shot. If you want to take photographs of action you may need to pan the camera and take a few successive pictures. With a tripod that's an easier task and the result is often less blurry than if you did it without one. When it comes to camera batteries it pays to be prepared. If you take extra camera batteries with you wherever you go then you can take photographs without worrying about running out of power. In terms of lens filters they can offer benefits for certain types of scenery such as snowy or seaside scenes where glare might otherwise be an issue.

Creative or art photographers used to use lots of lens filters but now they tend to add them in post production instead using a photo manipulation program such as Adobe Photoshop. That makes a good piece of photo editing software a must for anyone starting out in photography.




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