Shannon's Journal

[Shannon]

Shannon, I'm considering getting into photography...mostly want to shoot people. What do you recommend in getting started?

Ryan

First, don't worry about getting the most expensive equipment you can get.

Second, know your intentions and budget well. If you want to shoot people, you'll probably need a dSLR and at least one lens. I suggest buying the body separately from the lens. The lowest end dSLR on the market from either of the two big names in photography (Nikon or Canon) is more than enough for anything you'll want to do for a long time. The body alone can be had for about $250-$300. I recommend that you research which brand of body you purchase heavily, because once you start buying lenses, you're stuck with that brand. I shoot Canon, but Nikon is just as good. Canon has more expensive camera bodies, and less expensive lenses; Nikon has the reverse. Lens quality is for all intents and purposes equal, and that's what really matters.

Once you have a camera body, you need a good general purpose lens. I recommend that you figure out how close you want to be to your subject before you decide on a lens. The cheapest lens you can get for a Canon camera that's still good is the 50 mm f/1.8 prime. Prime means it doesn't zoom; you zoom with your feet. F/1.8 means it is very good for low light photography. That lens is called the "plastic fantastic" because it's really inexpensive and yet somehow super sharp and does a great job. It also has a reputation for falling apart after a year or two of use, but for its price of around $100, you can't go wrong. If you want to get a zoom, I recommend (again, presuming you go Canon) getting a 28-135 f/3.5-5.6. That range covers almost anything you could want to do at a normal distance from your subject, and it's a mid range lens, so it has image stabilization and is fairly fast for it's price. That lens runs around $500 new, but you can get a decent used copy for around $250-$300.

Once you have a camera and lens, read the owner's manual. Again, and again, and again, and learn your camera inside out. Also go to the bookstore and buy a copy of "The Basics of Photography" by Tom Grimm and his wife. I think that's what it's called. The book was $19 last I checked, and is worth its weight in gold. Read it, and read it, and read it again.

Then, go out and shoot and shoot and shoot. Come back and examine your images. Figure out what went wrong, and why, and then... don't do that again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Keep in mind that in large part, shooting people will require their permission, especially if you plan in making money from the images. In that case, you'll need to have them sign a model release.

A flash is also useful. Lower end camera bodies have a pop up flash built in. This produces very harsh, very weak light. Avoid using it if possible. If you must use it, buy a Gary Fong "Puffer" and use it. It will produce much nicer lighting.

EDIT: Almost forgot. Go on the Internet and find everything you can find on the type of photography you want to do. You'll find that there are a lot of free online courses and the comments are sometimes more helpful than the article itself.