photofries
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Hey guys I've blogged my experience of getting into photography for cheap at http://photofries.com/2016/01/03/how-to-get-into-photography-for-cheap/
I'll post some below for discussion.
When first deciding to learn about photography the first thing many people evaluate is how much money they should, or can, invest in their new hobby.
My thoughts on that is you really don’t need any money “to get into photography.” Like taking on any new task you should first decide what your goals are. Is it to just take cool pictures while traveling? Do you want to some day make photography your career? or maybe you already enjoy photography, and are just trying to find out what the next steps are.
There are many wiser and more knowledgeable people than I in the field of photography. Which is why I think it’s good to start sharing my experiences and lessons learned along the way.
Being a millennial brought up in the digital age, I’m pretty sure I was in the first generation of photographers where more people started in digital photography than in film. Now there’s a generation after mine where most people’s first camera is an iphone, and not an actual stand alone camera. Many in my generation after acquiring an interest in photography later learned the basics of film photography for nostalgic or artist reasons. What I’m saying is film is not how many people are getting their feet wet in photography now, nor is a necessary skill or the “correct” way to do it.
There is no “correct” way to get into photography. Whatever way you find easiest, most enjoyable, or most accessible is the best way to do it. My first camera was actually a Fiji Finepix Point and Shoot I received as a gift about 10 years ago. Maybe it wasn’t a gift and I stole it from my parents, it was a long time ago the details are blurry. Let’s be honest that camera was never going to be able take the kind of photos you can charge people money for. It was more of a way to start learning with out a lot of investment. Which is the route a lot of you should probably go.
So how can you get into photography on the cheap? My advice would be to first narrow down what it is you want your equipment to do. I say equipment because just having a good camera body isn’t enough for many types of photography. For most genres of photography your lens is just as if not more important than the camera. There are many situations I would rather have a used 20D and a 70-200 f/2.8 lens, than a brand new 5d mk III and a 18-55 kit lens. In many situations I would also rather have an $80 reflector than $1,000 in remote flashes.
Being a beginner you’re not going to know what equipment or what kind of lenses you need, which is why it’s important to do as much research before hand as possible. With the internet that information is free and abundant.
My next camera after the Fiji was a canon rebel with some sigma kit lenses. A canon or nikon kit is generally most aspiring photographers first equipment purchase. This is going to get you a very versatile setup which usually includes a really capable consumer camera and two lenses. There’s nothing wrong with this other than it’s not necessarily cheap, many of these kits can be anywhere from $500 to $1000 dollars.
My suggestion is to visit a local camera shop or reach out to some local photographers in your area for advice or used equipment. Many people buy these kits as family gifts and a year or so later sell them used for steep discounts.
The rest of the article is at http://photofries.com/2016/01/03/how-to-get-into-photography-for-cheap/
Thanks!
Just a recent photo for progress reference
I'll post some below for discussion.
When first deciding to learn about photography the first thing many people evaluate is how much money they should, or can, invest in their new hobby.
My thoughts on that is you really don’t need any money “to get into photography.” Like taking on any new task you should first decide what your goals are. Is it to just take cool pictures while traveling? Do you want to some day make photography your career? or maybe you already enjoy photography, and are just trying to find out what the next steps are.
There are many wiser and more knowledgeable people than I in the field of photography. Which is why I think it’s good to start sharing my experiences and lessons learned along the way.
Being a millennial brought up in the digital age, I’m pretty sure I was in the first generation of photographers where more people started in digital photography than in film. Now there’s a generation after mine where most people’s first camera is an iphone, and not an actual stand alone camera. Many in my generation after acquiring an interest in photography later learned the basics of film photography for nostalgic or artist reasons. What I’m saying is film is not how many people are getting their feet wet in photography now, nor is a necessary skill or the “correct” way to do it.
There is no “correct” way to get into photography. Whatever way you find easiest, most enjoyable, or most accessible is the best way to do it. My first camera was actually a Fiji Finepix Point and Shoot I received as a gift about 10 years ago. Maybe it wasn’t a gift and I stole it from my parents, it was a long time ago the details are blurry. Let’s be honest that camera was never going to be able take the kind of photos you can charge people money for. It was more of a way to start learning with out a lot of investment. Which is the route a lot of you should probably go.
So how can you get into photography on the cheap? My advice would be to first narrow down what it is you want your equipment to do. I say equipment because just having a good camera body isn’t enough for many types of photography. For most genres of photography your lens is just as if not more important than the camera. There are many situations I would rather have a used 20D and a 70-200 f/2.8 lens, than a brand new 5d mk III and a 18-55 kit lens. In many situations I would also rather have an $80 reflector than $1,000 in remote flashes.
Being a beginner you’re not going to know what equipment or what kind of lenses you need, which is why it’s important to do as much research before hand as possible. With the internet that information is free and abundant.
My next camera after the Fiji was a canon rebel with some sigma kit lenses. A canon or nikon kit is generally most aspiring photographers first equipment purchase. This is going to get you a very versatile setup which usually includes a really capable consumer camera and two lenses. There’s nothing wrong with this other than it’s not necessarily cheap, many of these kits can be anywhere from $500 to $1000 dollars.
My suggestion is to visit a local camera shop or reach out to some local photographers in your area for advice or used equipment. Many people buy these kits as family gifts and a year or so later sell them used for steep discounts.
The rest of the article is at http://photofries.com/2016/01/03/how-to-get-into-photography-for-cheap/
Thanks!
Just a recent photo for progress reference
