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If I could start out again...

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Jimmy Bottlehead
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If I could start out again...

#1

Post by Jimmy Bottlehead »

I've wanted to take up photography for years, but various things have pulled me away.

I'm wondering if those who do it as a hobby could advise how they'd start and what advice they'd give a beginner starting out?
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Memento Mori
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Re: If I could start out again...

#2

Post by Memento Mori »

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 11:28 am I've wanted to take up photography for years, but various things have pulled me away.

I'm wondering if those who do it as a hobby could advise how they'd start and what advice they'd give a beginner starting out?
I spent lots of money and time buying a DSLR and lots of lenses and all the paraphernalia and learning all about how to take pictures, only to eventually come to the realisation that for what I wanted (and enjoyed), a good bridge camera with a good optical zoom actually suited me better. I'd try and avoid this expensive mistake.
bullets
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Re: If I could start out again...

#3

Post by bullets »

And Poof! a Photography forum appeared today! Awesome!!

When you say you want to take up Photography, do you have an idea of what type of photography you think you would like do do?
Give us more info on what you want from the hobby.

Dont spend too much money starting out buying camera gear as your likely to change it once you start to learn and improve.
Dont spend your money on overly expensive photography tutorials when they only repeat whats available on youtube.
Shoot Raw and start to google some editors there is freeware out there as an alternative to lightroom and photoshop.

Do you want to shoot Landscapes or Macro or Wildlife, Street photography, event photography etc
or are you specifically looking to shoot more people orientated photography where you want to work with Models ?
Are you looking to have a Studio space to shoot in or are you mainly planning on doing outdoor type shoots.
Are you hoping to make a bit of cash on the side or is it purely for fun. (hobby stuff the money comes out of your pocket rather than going into it)

If your starting out, I'd forget about spending a lot of money, Expensive gear is just fancy toys for Photographers and the longer you get into photography the more expensive gear you start looking at and lusting after (GAS syndrome) I remember thinking 700 Euros was expensive when making my first DSLR purchase, The struggle when trying to save to go from Crop sensor to full frame and not being able to afford to and before you know it your spending 4k on a camera body and 2k on a lens, then you want a back up camera, then you want a walkabout camera so you don't have to take out the expensive camera and things start to get our of control :-P

To learn and start to see light and exposure you could try Film Photography first before trying Digital where all your settings are manual.
Learn to focus manually which will slow you down and let you focus on framing your shot, being limited to a roll of film will make you think of each shot rather than clicking and clicking until a memory card fills up and hoping you got a good shot. Needing to learn how to balance your exposure with a set ISO because of the film and using the aperture and shutter speed will make you learn quicker.

For Digital most people start out with a DSLR however since Mirrorless is so popular now its something you could look into, as long as you've got an interchangeable lens system it will offer you more versatility than just a compact camera or a bridge camera (but any camera with a Manual setting for Aperture/Shutter/ISO will do) You could pick up a new Canon/Nikon DSLR with a Kit/Starter lens for about 500 New or cheaper 2nd hand, and there are also mirrorless options like the older Sony models. "Conns Cameras" in Dublin often have 2nd hand gear or MPB.com sell 2nd hand gear had have a good reputation. get yourself a Camera/Lens and maybe a speedlight/flash and that's enough to get started.

For outdoor shots of people starting out, avoid shooting in direct strong sunlight as this can make images look very crude/overly contrast'y and colours might look way too saturated, people will squint, there will be harsh shadows etc. When you first start using a DSLR/Mirrorless camera you might get blown away by the details and colours etc its very easy to get carried away with overly saturated images. There's a certain SOC(Straight out of camera) look that people sometimes have when taking photos for the first time where the images come our where grass/trees etc look extremely yellowy/green. One of the best tips I've ever had was to slightly de-saturate your greens in outdoor shots of people, as the colours distract your eye and take the focus away from the person in your shot. Try shoot in shade near the sunlight where the light hitting the ground or other surfaces is reflected towards your subject making it more pleasant than if it was taken in direct sun.

For indoor stuff when using flash, don't point the flash at the people, bounce the flash off of a ceiling for a more pleasant light.

If your interested in trying Model Photography, I would recommend pay an experienced model who can pose, rather than somebody inexperienced.
There are some facebook groups and websites dedicated to networking Photographers/Makeup artists/Models for Collaborations or Paid shoots, Some of the websites are more UK/USA based but have models listed for Ireland where you can find a model that is close to where you live or that may travel or you can travel to them.

There are different skillsets required other than just taking the photo too.
Example I'm socially awkward and it takes me a long time to warm up or relax around people so I'm not the best person for doing a Wedding or Event shoot, but its fine since I mainly do macro, I see other people that might have less photography skills but have excellent people skills who would make better professional photographers. on the flip side I see people that have 20-40 years experience and think they are great with huge ego's when they are still shit photographers, and I see humble hobby photographers that have artistic/creative sides that are on par or better then the most famous photographers out there. Take that and bundle it all together and you've a wonderful hobby where you could spend your entire life always learning and improving and changing your perceptions on different things.


~B
Last edited by bullets on Fri Sep 03, 2021 6:26 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Jimmy Bottlehead
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Re: If I could start out again...

#4

Post by Jimmy Bottlehead »

Loads of info here, thanks especially to Bullets! I think I'll be coming back to that post a few times!

To give a short answer for the moment, I'm probably thinking more landscape and street photography. Strictly for fun, zero desire to turn it into a money maker (plus everyone and their dog is a photographer these days). I'll hopefully have some extra cash in the next few months so I'm starting to plan around that now.

I'd been looking at the Nikon 3100 for a long while (or one of the more recent updated 3X00s since) and hadn't considered going for film over digital.
Calahonda52
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Re: If I could start out again...

#5

Post by Calahonda52 »

  • once you have bitten the "Bullet" :mrgreen:
    And then what editing software: Mac or windows
    and then what size of Big blue will I need to edit the files
    then how much cloud space will I need for the 25-30Mb+ files, and the Raw image as well just in case
    I then How big a screen will I need, 27", 36"..4k or better: mac or windows.
    what screen colour correction software will I need
    .And then, how shall I print: A3/A0... :)
    The best yoke I ever bought was a telescopic monopod, big enough so that I could see straight through the view finder with out having to bend, I am about 1.8 and i can stand dead straight
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bullets
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Re: If I could start out again...

#6

Post by bullets »

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:32 pm I'd been looking at the Nikon 3100 for a long while (or one of the more recent updated 3X00s since) and hadn't considered going for film over digital.
Hard to go wrong with any of the modern cameras or brands these days.
That would be a nice first purchase and plenty of cheap lens's out there 2nd hand.

The entry level Nikon DSLR's use pentamirrors(plastic) so when looking through the viewfinder your view is a bit darker than the more expensive ones that use a pentaprism(glass) You wont notice anything if your starting out, but if you upgrade in the future, the cheaper models you will notice they are darker to look through.

Mirrorless is something to consider! when the modern cameras provide Face Detection, Eye Autofocus, being able to see your exposure live when your looking through the viewfinder with info and histograms overlayed before you take the shot, Animal eye detection, Focus lock on tracking, being able to record a face where the camera remembers a specific person where it gives the autofocus priority on that person and ignores the other people in shot are all modern features that can assist you in come aspects of taking the shot so you can focus on framing the shot or artistic sides of things.

~B
bullets
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Re: If I could start out again...

#7

Post by bullets »

Calahonda52 wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 3:02 pm The best yoke I ever bought was a telescopic monopod, big enough so that I could see straight through the view finder with out having to bend, I am about 1.8 and i can stand dead straight[/list]
Got one of these too! very handy things that can double up as a walking pole if your trekking someplace with your camera gear, lovely and stable if you've a heavy long lens.

~B
Calahonda52
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Re: If I could start out again...

#8

Post by Calahonda52 »

What about this to get you started
https://www.adverts.ie/digital-cameras/ ... i/22828094
Full disclosure its mine

full spec review here
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/21
Jimmy Bottlehead
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Re: If I could start out again...

#9

Post by Jimmy Bottlehead »

Calahonda52 wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 4:41 pm What about this to get you started
https://www.adverts.ie/digital-cameras/ ... i/22828094
Full disclosure its mine

full spec review here
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/21
Deadly. That does look like a good option!
It'll still be 4-6 months before I get the cash set aside for a purchase but if that's still available, I'll be giving it a look.
CelticRambler
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Re: If I could start out again...

#10

Post by CelticRambler »

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:32 pmTo give a short answer for the moment, I'm probably thinking more landscape and street photography. Strictly for fun, zero desire to turn it into a money maker (plus everyone and their dog is a photographer these days).
Landscape photography (urban or wide-open-spaces) is one of the most challenging, where many newcomers get frustrated with not being able to make the camera see what they see. This most often due to the technical aspects of lens optics, and if you've got to wait a few months before you get a camera, you should use that time to read up on/watch videos about how best to capture landscape shots.

While I'd largely agree with Memento's comments in post#2 and Bubbles' in #3 regarding not getting too carried away with the technology, for landscape more than anything else, I think you really need to understand what a lens is capable of - and what are its limitations.
CelticRambler
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Re: If I could start out again...

#11

Post by CelticRambler »

As a follow-up to my previous post, I'd say that you won't know what type of camera - or accessories - you really need until you know that whatever you do have can't do it. Behind that statement is the implication that your current camera might well be technically capable of capturing the image you want, and it's the human pushing the buttons that's the real limitation! 8-)

This takes us back to Bubbles' advice about learning what those key parameters - aperture, shutter speed and iso - do and how they affect the image that ends up on the film or sensor. You don't need a degree in optical physics for this, but you do need to understand the basics. There are plenty of YT tutorials on the subject.

More challenging, though, is composition as this requires you to know how to frame each particular shot based on conditions that can only be fully understood when you're there, on the spot. This is when landscape photography gets physical - you'll often need to move around a lot, to get down really low (like ground-level low) or really high, or hang out over an edge, or squeeze yourself into a corner. And then there's the waiting for unpredictable humans to get into or out of the picture! The best way to learn about, and make progress with, this side of things is by taking pictures - any scene, any camera - and discussing them with others who can help you understand the reason for any "not right"-ness.
95438756
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Re: If I could start out again...

#12

Post by 95438756 »

Get a top of the range Fuji nexia called advantix by kodak.
bullets
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Re: If I could start out again...

#13

Post by bullets »

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:32 pm To give a short answer for the moment, I'm probably thinking more landscape and street photography.
I dont have much experience with landscape type photography myself. I dont drive so that can be a limiting factor if your trying to get to some scenic place out the countryside at sunrise etc, Its on my bucket list though.

If your interested in Landscape photography once you've got some basic gear to use There is a guy called Bernard Geraghty who runs landscape tours.
He organizes trips and workshops various places in Ireland and outside of Ireland. From looking at some youtube videos he looks like a pretty chilled out and sound guy. I've read of some trips where he will have a minibus where he can drive a small group of people to a location and they can either camp or share accommodation to get up before sunrise to get some epic shots.
https://bglandscapetours.ie/

~B
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