Beginning Photographer Looking for Resources

<p>I am a beginning photographer.... Ok, I'm not even a photography, I'm a person who would like to one day be a beginning photographer who is taking free pictures of all her friends family in order to get practice. <br>

I am taking a basic photography class in January, how to move out of the automatic setting with your LSDR. But in the mean time, I was hoping that some of you more seasoned photographers might know of some good learning resources I could use... Maybe some books, or blogs to just kind of broaden my technique horizons.<br>

I am looking for resources on everything from working your camera, to lighting, to positioning subjects. I am looking to learning anything I can about everything I can. <br>

Thank in Advance!</p>

<p>Hi Meaghan - an easy start is your local library...most have a pretty good collection of basic photography books - one of my favorites is The Photographer's Handbook by John Hedgecoe, which I've used with new photographers who have worked with me...lots of illustrations, and short explanations in plain English. Good luck, enjoy your class, and have a lot of fun.</p>

Take the course and see how it goes. If it lights a spark,then the instructor will have many books to add to his course material. Also, for the time just read the questions and answers in the Beginners Forum and look through the learning material here. You need to float before you learn strokes. Any modern camera will have a beginner mode. We learn by doing. And do not be afraid of the equipment part. The number of books is too long to recommend any special one. I think the library idea is a great place to start. You will learn terminology. Which is the language we use to go further and ask more intelligent questions. Be well.

<p>I would suggest `Light Gesture & Color' by Jay Maisel as a good book.<br /> Embrace automatic mode on the camera. Getting bogged down in the technical (especially exposure) stuff is a detraction from making good photographs. Modern cameras can handle that pretty well, and you can gradually learn what you need as you go along. By learning first about light itself, and studying how it falls on subjects, you will have YOUR goal(s) as a reason to take your camera off auto.<br /> I speak as an old fart that got into photography the other way, from a technical fascination, and have taken far too many well exposed, worthless photos.</p>

<p>FIRST EXCUSE THE FACT i DID NOT OR COULD NOT READ ALL THE POSTS.<br>

as far as a basic photo course is concerned. let me make a few assumptions.<br>

requiremets will likely be" manual camera meaning you set the exposure and it not set utomaticlly.<br>

It is very stupis on the instructor's part to<br>

require the camera nbe meterless.<br>

such camera would be very old and likely require a cla ( cleaningh lube adjustm,ent_<br>

at a cost of at least $50.00.<br />a working camera from the 70-'s or 80's shouldcost about $23.00.</p>

<p>the pentax K100 was the camera of choice in the past.<br>

it is a pentax K (lens) mout camera.<br>

with a match-pinter in the viewfinder.<br>

it is pretty basic and well regarder.<br>

close models are the ricoh kr5.<br>

which haS THE SAME LENS MOUNT BUT A METAL SHUTTER AND COLORED LED'S IN THE VIEWFINDER.<br>

OR SOME MODELS OF COSINA AND CHIUNON CAMERAS.<br>

the last two may not be as good quality.</p>

<p>If you need to find out how they work read the menuals at butkus s website.</p>

<p>These models all use the same K mount lenses.</p>

<p>there is nothinhg wrong with Minolta models but some are fullyauto.<br>

lenses seem to be plentiful.</p>

<p>the Konica s a good camera BUT<br>

it is less common.<br>

the olympus OM series is outstanding a gem but again fewer lenses are available.</p>

<p>you wil;l if you intend to takle more photos,<br>

need at least a wide angle lens.<br>

eraly cANBON CAMERAS THJE FT AND SIMILAR HAVE STOP DOWN METERING.<br>

AND TAKE FT LENSES<br>

LATER cANON MODELS THE a SERIES AND T SETIES ARE AUTOMATIC AND MAY NOT BE ACCEPTABLE FOR YOUR CLASS.<br>

there is one A series that is not automatic. it takes the same lenses as the rest of the a and t seris/</p>

<p>film- will you develkop your own or send it out?<br>

true B&W film is likely.<br>

it cannot be developed at most send-out locations as you wil be warned.<br>

it is easy to develop.<br>

color negativ film eith BW or full color is likely beyond a basic photo course.<br>

some do develop it at home. but then you need to print it.<br>

walmart is the lase eay-to- use place.<br>

for color print film but I hear they do not return negatives.<br>

some drugstore will develop print and also scan your negatives.<br>

If you find a good place tell us or tell me.</p>

<p>Take a look into the "Learning" tab at the top of this page.</p>

<p>How exciting to be beginning! There is so much fun and joy in front of you. Hit the free resources first-library-You Tube-Web sites (like this one). Take the class-you learn by doing. You learn by seeing what others are doing, too so look at pictures and study the ones you like. What is it about them you like? Photographic seeing is a skill and an art. It yields to practice. Be more mindful of the things you see and how they look in different light. Think about seeing things. When you see something that makes you go "wow" make a picture. Hang around here, lots of inspiration to be found. Have fun!</p>

<p>Most of what you read will be about equipment and its operation.</p>

<p>But the most important thing to learn is composition. When it's right, the photo is good, and when it's wrong (or boring) the photo is bad, and this is true regardless of focus, exposure, or any other physical properties.</p>

<p>So, I second the choice of Light Gesture & Color. Or, Photographic Seeing, by Andreas Feininger, which you can get used from Amazon for about $1 plus shipping. He also has a book called PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION IN PHOTOGRAPHY which I'm not familiar with, but it's probably terrific.</p>

<p>Another point: What distinguishes a pro or advanced amateur from a dabbler is post processing. Get a copy of Lightroom (save your money by not buying anything less complete) and learn to use it well.</p>

<p>I think it important to look at "good photographs" from the Masters. This will help you to identify what to look for and how to edit your work. Yes, you want to be original, but most of us are copying what others have done before. This is inevitable and not a source of concern, particularly for a beginner. Try to emulate the photos you like - technique is important, but not as important as developing an eye.</p>

<p>In addition to what has already been recommended, I would also suggest going to the tab at the top of this page marked "Learning" and clicking of "Basic Photo Tips". There is some good info to be had there. Also check out the "Beginner Questions" forum on this site. Paul</p>

<p>A beginner's class is a good idea. It isn't strictly necessary but it's cheap and you have the basics taught to you quite efficiently. Some years ago I took an introductory darkroom class because I had no other way to get darkroom experience.</p>

<p>As those above have said, light and composition are most important. The equipment will not matter too much when you're starting out. You will naturally get used to different cameras and lenses as you borrow from friends etc.</p>

<p>You're lucky you're starting in a time when good digital cameras are dirt cheap. Digital cameras have made learning so much easier. You'd also be surprised how good a phone camera can be (especially if you have a recent model iPhone).</p>

<p>There are two commandments to becoming good at photography, and most people would agree with them:</p>

<p>1. Take lots of photos.</p>

<p>2. Look at lots of photos.</p>

<p>So, how do you find all these photos to look at? Well, 95% of anything is garbage, but even awful photos can teach you something. Go to a thrift shop or op-shop, get a pile of National Geographic, Bazaar or Vogue magazines and soak it all in.</p>

<p>To paraphrase a famous cinematographer, no person or institution or book can teach you photography: it has to be discovered. I wish you luck on your path of discovery. :-)</p>

Learning to see is the tough part. learning how light behaves is tough at first. Deciding what you want to concentrate on is for your choice. Learning tips and tricks is helpful. Getting excited about it is something you have or can be cultivated with the help of a good instructor. And National Geographic is chock full of fine photos. And the internet now has samples of just about anything that strikes you fancy. Karim is right, the modern cameras are great tools. I hope the course fulfills your needs. I have had some fine ones. And some less fine ones, but always picked up a tip or idea.

<p>Oh, and one more thing, Meaghean: 'Photography is wandering the universe by yourself':</p>

<p>http://fotografiamagazine.com/letter-by-sergio-larrain-to-his-nephew/</p>

<p>Forget the courses, forget the books, get a camera, set it to manual and get out and take photographs that is how we learnt years ago.<br>

<br>

<i>Moderator: Signature URL removed. Not permitted on photo.net.</i></p>

<p>To start I would get a basic point and shoot camera, set it to full manual, and shoot pictures until you've figured out what all the functions do. You may want to read a bit on f-stop as this is incredibly difficult to learn. The more you shoot the more you will learn about lighting conditions and depth of field and all that jazzy stuff.<br>

After you've gotten a bit better I would recommend getting an analogue camera (Goodwill and other thrift stores are great for really low prices on these, though they might require a bit of repair). A great starting camera could be either the Pentax K1000 (it's indestructible!) or the Argus/Cosina STL1000 (also indestructible!!). Analogue cameras are (I believe) a great way to get better fast as they force you to have a limited number of shots and (generally) are full manual. I taught myself everything (though I did have a metric tonne of free time and an eidetic memory) in roughly four months with no books (except reading about f-stop online). This may be also be because I have the fortune of having a great camera and lens, but, I digress. If you have any additional questions about good starting cameras or film or digital cameras or accessories or anything feel free to message me!<br>

Spencer J. Lange</p>

<p>All the advice here has been great. I too recommend getting stuck into a book and online guides but make sure you have your camera to hand when you're doing this, when learning i found it incredibly useful to have my camera to hand so I could actively test out what i was learning. Photography is a very hands on skill, there is a lot to remember but to guarantee you will remember i believe trial and error is the only way. <br>

I know photography is a very expensive hobbie, so I'm not sure what you're willing to spend when starting out but a fantastic camera for beginners and one I used and a lot of my good pals also used was the Canon 5D mark II . This camera is well priced for what you get, despite continuous upgrades this camera remains a solid great purchase. I'd rate it close to the top of Canon professional camera options. You're guaranteed to get several years good use of of this camera. So definitely consider this as an option so you can have a hands on approach to learning. <br>

Here is a useful basics tutorial for you to check out:

Always being January now is a perfect time to source out great deals and discounts: https://www.calphoto.co.uk/category/cameras/brand/canon</p>

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<p>Where's Meaghean? Did she finally find the resources she was after?</p>