If you want to learn photography, the first thing you need to realize is that this is a serious and expensive hobby. It will also require an artist’s eye and creative inclination if you have any intentions to take photography to the next level.
Let’s assume that you have tried taking pictures and now want to learn photography seriously. People have told you that you have “the eye”, and encourage you to take it a step further.
With this in mind, you must first have the right equipment. No, you do not need professional cameras right now. This can come later – after you have decided to go professional. In the meantime, a choice between a Point and Shoot camera and a Single Lens Reflex camera is the basic equipment. If you end up with a non-digital camera (i.e. 35mm film) then you may want to consider a 35 mm film scanner so that you can digitize all of your work.
A Point and Shoot (P&S) camera is generally an automatic camera which means that there is not much fiddling around with the camera except to choose your angle and effect. There are varying levels of P&S cameras ranging from the kiddie cameras to the more advanced P&S cameras. Naturally, as you go more advanced, the cameras have more features and become more expensive.
Single Lens Reflex is like the old type of cameras which do not have LCD screens. Try not to get confused about terms like mega pixels because this does not mean sharper photos.
For a film scanner, you should look into something inexpensive. Speed and ultra high quality are not necessary for someone just getting into photography. One of the best scanners for beginners is the Wolverine 35mm Film Scanner. You can usually find it for under $100.
The trick to learn photography would be to use the camera as your eye, and look for a story that your picture can tell. All great photos have a message, and the more powerful the message, the more impact it will have on the viewer. Messages can be bold or subtle – the photographer will have to decide this. This is why having “the eye” is so important in photography. It is, after all, an art form.
Having a camera means that you now have to learn the terms. Naturally, this would depend on the kind of camera you get, although knowing all the terms is vital. Some common terms would be aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, focal length, ISO, noise, picture format, and reciprocation, among others.
The last two aspects you will have to master to learn photography would be lighting and composition. Light is what will provide drama to your photo, while composition will focus on angles and overall effect.
Finally, to learn photography is to keep practicing on different shots. Eventually, you will have to decide if you like still shots or motion shots. Pictures speak volumes, and say more than words can, and so if you learn photography, you will be able to find another way of communicating what you feel inside to the world outside.
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