Helping my Mom get started in photography

My mother has always wanted to take a photography class but her mobility issue has kept her from achieving her goal. So this Christmas I'd like to see what I can do to make this happen for her. I'm looking for recommendations for both online intro to photography classes and an appropriate camera. At 64 Mom tends to get frustrated more easily now with technical matters so I doubt she would like to take things any further than just your average amateur photo education. Her goal is basically just to get out and start taking pictures.

 

Can anyone suggest a good online intro to photography course as well as a camera that would suit our purpose? I believe she'd like a more traditional model camera with changeable lenses and a focus ring. Other than that we're wide open to suggestions.

 

thanks

What is your camera budget?

 

As for classes, I think she may prefer a class with a teacher right there. I found that sometimes the ability to ask back and forth questions and clarification is a LOT easier to get through a question/problem. Online classes are usually one-way, with no provision for asking questions.

How about a city/community rec center based class?

I'm just an amateur photographer and I have no special knowledge of courses or cameras. But I do have two thoughts on your question:

 

1. If your mother's goal is "basically just to get out and start taking pictures", I don't believe she needs to take a photography course to start doing this. Most cameras deliver good 'point and shoot' photos. IMHO, the motivation for taking any photography classes originates from a desire to take better or different photos than you already do. This implies that the learner is already - to some extent - aware of the differences between 'good, engaging photos' and 'run of the mill, mediocre photos', which brings me to my second point...

 

2. One of the things that your mother can easily do at home is to look at photos by other people. She doesn't need a camera for this but typically, most people start doing this once they become 'hooked' on photography. Distinguishing between the photos that she likes (and why) and the ones she doesn't like so much will develop her 'visual awareness'. She probably won't know how to replicate the 'good photos' but recognizing the differences may well encourage her to learn more.

 

Googling 'learning photography online' gives a number of online course results. I'm pretty sure that there are many YouTube tutorials too.

 

FWIW, the MoMA has a free photography course on Coursera. It's not a 'how to' course but on understanding and appreciating good photos past and present.

 

If your mother has no experience in photography, then I suggest keeping the technicalities (including lense changes) to a minimum for the time being: a (canon/nikon/sony...) camera with one zoom lens (approx 24mm - 200m) . If your mother really gets hooked then she might at some stage want to get better quality or more specialized lenses.

 

She just may want to take photos of her house, family, street, etc. It's worthwhile finding out what her ambitions are (even if these may change).

Edited November 7, 2018 by mikemorrell

As a rank amateur myself who just likes taking photos from time to time as well, I agree with mike that she probably doesn't need a photography course and that youtube will likely have everything she'd 'need.' I'll go further to suggest a camera similar to the one I have, 'Panasonic LUMIC FZ1000', because of the flexibility it offers both in picture taking (with its 25mm-400mm lens) and adjustability. Use it in full auto mode or full manual mode, or somewhere in between. She can look specifically for youtube videos on the specific camera you get her as well, which might give her enough basic info on photography to keep her happy.

 

In any regard, good luck, and compliments on thinking of your mom. Once she really embraces photography, she'll see the world in a whole new light, literally and figuratively.

If she already has an Iphone or its equivalent which takes pictures and you can zoom it, I'd suggest starting with that. If she doesn't have something similar, perhaps you could go to your nearest big box store, like a Walmart, Target or Best Buy, look at what they have which might suit her needs....try them out for ergonomics and ease of use. I strongly encourage you to consider a zoom lens on the camera rather than a set of interchangeable lenses of different focal lengths.

I agree with the above comments: there are loads of tutorials aimed at beginners online, including videos. All of them are free. Find some that you think that your mother would like, and go from there.

The best thing you can do is show her how to use a nice little camera with a modest zoom, teach, take her on photo excursions share results. There will come a point where that experience in retrospect will have extraordinary value for you. I would give a great deal to go back in time and... Edited November 8, 2018 by Sandy Vongries

I see she has mobility issues. That would make going to a class difficult. That explains the online class.

The problem with many of the online tutorials is, if you know something about photography and cameras you can follow.

BUT . . . when you get stuck, there is no one to ask questions of. Which make the quality of the instructor more important.

If you are able to teach her, do as Sandy said, and take her on a few photo outings.

 

As opposed to a super zoom like the 24-200 range, I suggest as Sandy said, a modest 18-55 (on a DX/crop camera). If Canon, no more than the 18-135 lens. The reason is weight. As we get older, the weight that we could easily handle, becomes an issue. When I hurt my knee, I has to stop using my Nikon D7200 + 18-140 lens. It was too heavy to handle, and walk with a cane. I switched to my lighter Olympus EM1.

 

There is a tricky compromise, the Canon 18-135 is heavier than the 18-55. But it avoids carrying a 2nd lens. So the total kit weight is less. And a 135mm lens on a crop camera is long enough for most uses. The problems is, the 18-135 is not available as a kit with the lower end (cheaper) cameras. This is the same for the similar Nikon 18-140 lens. So we are back to the 18-55.

To the point of Sandy’s, and not to meddle unduly, that may be what she wants. The commoness of photography being the outlet for it.

Just a thought.

I shoot with my Dad a lot.

We talk for hours and sometime never fire a shot on those little excursions with he and my uncle.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Moving On

It depends on the person. I'm 62 myself and I do better with a class, so I'd suggest the community college or senior extension for something like that. I think my botanical garden has a photography class too now and then.

 

It can help to have a goal as well. Suppose she wanted to take some really good pictures of her neighborhood. That goal could provide some direction, getting her to look things up on the web on good real estate type photography and so on.

 

If she does take a class, she will probably want something she can controls somewhat, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Any mirrorless camera would probably be pretty light and more than adequate. Maybe she can "inherit" a camera from a relative like I did.

I don't know where you live, but many local camera stores have "beginner" classes that are quite reasonable (usually in the $50 range). Also, since she has mobility problems, perhaps you should look into the Olympus line of cameras, they are micro 4/3s and as long as you stay away from the very high end glass, are quite a small package that is much easier (and lighter) to get around with.

many local camera stores

 

I think if you live very far from a really large city, you're going to have difficulty finding ANY local camera store.:(

 

But there is something about having a specific tool --made for the task-- that sets an activity apart from just snapping around with your phone.

 

I shoot with my Dad a lot.

but what kind of shooting???

but what kind of shooting???

All three.

The lead.

The photo.

The bull.

In reverse order proportionally....;)

believe she'd like a more traditional model camera with changeable lenses and a focus ring.

Manual focus? Why?

Get Olympus E-M5 Mk2 + 25/1.8 ZD and show her basic modes. Then show her thirds rule and lighting, everything is gonna be OK. Process and develop raw files yourself. o_O

get her a nice camera that can be used in fully auto mode as well as manual or semi manual modes as she gets experianced. it should have interchangable lenses. get a kit tyat comes with a lens or two.

 

the learning curve on fully auto is almost nill, just basic read the manual to get started. as she gets better she will venture out n learn how to use the other options.

 

oh, be sure to sign her up on photonet incase she has any questions.

I would skip the zoom and just get a fixed lens camera. As she gets used to that she will start to recognize that would make a good picture even when she does not have her camera with her. And I think going to a class, if possible, where she will hear other peoples questions and thoughts would be beneficial.

It seems to me that the social aspects of an actual class could be important, especially for a subject that requires actually doing something.

 

In larger cities, there might be enough people interested in photography, and with some mobility limitations, for such a group to exist.

 

While the OP mentions mobility, it also says "get out and take pictures".

 

It might not be hard to teach the technical aspects in an on-line course, but the artistic parts require some actual doing, and some subjective interpretation.

Much easier in a group situation.

her mobility issue has kept her from achieving her goal.

 

this is where a zoom serves the issue of getting in close.

I know some folks out here eschew the use of the superzoom, but for someone who is primarily interested in capturing images and not so interested in how 'perfect' they are technically, they are extraordinarily fun and flexible, and most weigh less than a DSLR with even the smallest lens attached. My Panasonic Lumix weighs nearly a pound less than my Pentax K-5 II DSLR with an 18-85 lens, a reasonable length for general photography but far too short for anything in the distance. Attached is a crop of a shot taken at Cocoa Beach Florida from the balcony outside our hotel room. These guys were at least 100 yards away, probably quite a bit more. Could not have gotten this shot with anything other than a 400mm lens on a DSLR, and I'm sure mom would have no interest in carrying one of those around. With limited mobility, the superzoom would be especially useful to her. Of course, there are cheaper options in the superzoom category than the Lumix 1000, and all will be equally fun to use.

I have a 79 year old dad who used to shoot a fully manual, zone focused camera, when I was a kid and later switched to film P&Ss, when I was a teen. - He owns a laptop to use Google and Wikipedia but doesn't engage in YouTube or any kind of Internet forum.

I tried ditching film SLRs, I am not shooting anymore, on him and got them back, "too heavy". - I couldn't warm him up with classic folders or rangefinders either.

Right now he uses some film P&Ss with a short zoom.

Since dad likes compact cameras, I scooped up an in its days quite decent digital P&S that my boss had replaced with an iphone. Dad did not warm up with sorting, tweaking & ordering pictures on his laptop. He rather drops his films (about 2 per year now?) at a drugstore and glues the prints into an album. He even likes to delete the digital images taken at family gatherings from his HDD.

 

Before anybody gets me wrong: I met senior folks who do a lot of not necessarily easy or simple stuff on their computers. But still:

• Is your mother the type to sit down and work(!) on images or the other breed, who wants results(!) out of her camera? - For the latter brands seem to narrow down pretty much to Fuji. <-That is my personal, limited and not up to date impression. I shot various digital cameras for 20 years. About 12 years ago manufacturers started to make cameras that produce more or less quite acceptable JPEGs (i.e. final results) in camera. But I believe a lot of them would look better if somebody took the time to tweak RAW files and Fuji's image auto processing seems to do a better job than other brands'. I am impressed enough to not bother with tweaking RAW files, I am shooting along with those JPEGs.
  
• Payload?
  
• Budget?
  
• Desired results?
  
• Subjects?
  

I believe she'd like a more traditional model camera with changeable lenses and a focus ring.

Lets go extreme: The only portable camera system requiring you / her to use a focus ring would be Leica M. - Very traditional, senior friendly well organised menu system, not overly heavy. Nasty price tags, requires good eye sight, preferably without glasses and images seem to need more tweaking than other brands' (I'm quoting tester Ken Rockwell's results here. - He loves his Leicas as I love mine but unlike me he handled way more Canons & Nikons, to compare them to.)

 

Most interchangeable lens camera systems come with some kind of more or less crippled manual focus ring that could be used in a pinch but doesn't get used in daily life for convenience's sake. I've encountered all kinds of AF so far from vexingly sluggish reasons to ponder tossing that camera against a nearby wall to absolutely impressive, swift quite reliable and surely better than anything I could do by hand on my own. - I dare to say that an unspectacular elderly used DSLR like for example even a Pentax K10D autofocuses "well enough" to use that feature, although that camera would be no great choice to chase grand kids kicking a can.

 

Independed of a budged, I suggest something with at least or about 10 megapixels (to include as much 2nd hand stuff as possible).

 

If possible I'd look at Olympus & Fuji for cute retro looks and high portability.

If they are out of range, I'd ponder used Sonys or DSLR kits.

If user friendly menu structures are desired I vote for Canon or Pentax.

I'd stick away from Samsung DSLRs. They are the same as Pentax but SOOC images look worse, to me at least.

I am not sure if a Canon will make a gardening enthusiast happy. - Green tones look a bit odd to me but maybe the food shot mode in some models will render salads yummy enough? - Once again: Tweaking RAW files can provide results more than good enough for government work.

If portability and budged constraints are a long term issue I'd also look at Canon's EOS M product line.

Panasonic's bread and butter offering might be worth pondering too. (I know nothing about it#s menu structure though.

 

Literature / online education wise I dare to suggest the books and stuff by Tony Northrup. He seems capable of delivering sound explanations. There are awesome post processing tutorials on YouTube too, by Piximperfect for example. Most books written during the days of film photography seem still helpful too. - A copy of "Light Science and Magic" is IMHO an absolute must have. - Ansel Adams' trilogy Camera, Negative, Positive seems still worth borrowing once.

 

I am a wee bit concerned if you, the OP are the outgoing one in the family, who asks a lot of questions on the Internet. - An ability / willingness to discus one's problems & stuff online seems helpful while learning on one's own.