Say AHHHH

I love to take photographs but I know absolutely nothing. I am a

true beginner if there ever was one. I have wanted (for a long time)

to begin a photography hobby. I love photographs of landscapes and

old buildings but I mainly photograph my son right now (as I am a new

mother). I've been searching the net a lot in hopes to find someone

who could help me reach a decision... on buying a SLR and developing

a new hobby. Could someone please help me? What do you think of

these simple photos? I know they aren't fabulous like the many I've

seen on here but does anyone think I could upgrade with a new camera

and improve?

Yes a manual SLR that allows you to control shutter speeds and apertures would do you a world of good, as would a book or course in photography.

 

BUT... there are things you can do right now with your point and shoot which will improve your photographs.

 

1) Turn off the flash!

 

2) Place your baby in front of a window

 

3) Load the camera with 400 speed black & white film

 

4) Don't "pose" your baby. Take natural photos of your child.

 

Now.... go to your local bookstore and get "How to photograph your baby" by Nick Kelsh.

 

Good luck with your new hobby!

 

Jason Hudson

www.hudsonphotos.com

>>Yes a manual SLR that allows you to control shutter speeds and apertures would do you a world of good<<

 

The good old myth continues to do the rounds. If only you have a manual camera your photography will improve.

 

I've been taking pictures for 35 years and use both manual and automatic cameras. I think that the constant advice to beginners to buy manual cameras is wrongheaded and probably leads to many people being turned off photography.

 

For a very few people, manual control is usefull but most people will find an automatic camera lets them concentrate on taking pictures. Most mid range cameras, say from £200 upwards, have both automatic and manual exposure control so if you become that interested, you can set the camera to suit your needs.

 

Looks like you timed the photo pretty well! But the lighting is kind of iffy: Baby's pupils are glowing red, and the dark areas of the photo are weak, which suggests that the photo's actually underexposed. Using an on-camera flash as a main source of light rarely results in great-looking photos, but using a small flash to supplement a sunlit scene can work really well-try it!

 

The reason you'll so often get advice to buy a used, older-model SLR is because in the 70s and 80s, you had a lot of quality entry-level cameras to choose from, and they hadn't yet become burdened with a lot of "features" which may seem helpful now, but which may slow you down as you become more experienced-sort of like a driving coach who becomes a back-seat driver ;-) While great cameras are still being made, many are sold as "professional" or "advanced amateur" models and they cost a bundle. If you're willing to buy a used (probably well-used) camera off eBay, the Nikon F3 with 50mm lens can be a spectacular buy--the camera body sometimes sells for as little as $250 on eBay, though camera stores in my area are still pricing closer to $700--unrealistic, I think. In new cameras, the Pentax ZX-5n looks very interesting, particularly if you can buy it with a 50mm lens rather than the usual cheap plastic zoom lens. Zoom lenses have their place in the photographic world, but the ordinary 50mm prime lens can take you places that a cheap zoom can't, and in terms of pure optical performance, you'll likely get crisper, more saturated photos.

"I've been taking pictures for 35 years and use both manual and automatic cameras. I think that the constant advice to beginners to buy manual cameras is wrongheaded and probably leads to many people being turned off photography."

 

I completely disagree and here's why. When I wanted to get into photograph and take better pictures I bought an autofocus, automatic everything camera and started shooting. Yes I did learn composition and a little about light, but I just left the camera in auto mode all the time. I soon realized that I knew nothing about shutter speeds, apertures, focusing, etc. I feel that starting out on an auto AF SLR will not teach you anything about photography. It wasn't until I bought a old manual slr that I understood what shutter stops and apertures were and how they related to each other. Buy a manual SLR if you want to learn how photography works. If all you want to do is take great photographs, buy a Nikon F5 and a SB80DX flash and put the camera on "program" mode.

 

 

 

I really appreciate your comments. I am so lost right now. There are so many options when buying a new camera... and I'm lost in a sea of jargon I don't understand. But, the info you have provided has been taken to heart. Thanks for all the support!