Tips for budding photographers


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snapme-

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Oct 3, 2005
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hi guys

what tips would you, as amateur/experienced photographers, give to a person who is very interested in photography like me? i currently own a digital camera, Fujifilm A345. of course, i would like to own a dSLR, but being a very broke student, i am not able to afford one. :(

is there any way i can practise and expand on my photography skills with the current camera i have? also, are there any "cost-effective" ways i can learn photography? thank you so much! all advice is greatly appreciated.
 

my newbie 2 cents ;p , shoot more, look at others good photos more, think more about how other achieve goods photos.
 

i would suggest getting the most out of ya camera..... inspiring images need not come from expensive cameras..... cheers..
 

trial and error go to lib go and read books bout photography pns camera oso can make it learn to compose your shots 1st
 

Does your cam allows u to set aperture and speed?
If not, then try to get a digicam that does. I would highly recommend the Panasonic LX1.
It is relatively cheap compared to a DSLR but u have full control and the cam does wonders!


See here for sample pictures or u can follow this .thread.
 

snapme- said:
\is there any way i can practise and expand on my photography skills with the current camera i have? ... also, are there any "cost-effective" ways i can learn photography?

Read/think to understand the tools/technology. Then use your common sense, judgement, and reason to apply the tools available to you in pursuing your vision. All this is virtually free.

If you find that your tools limit you and better tools are within your reach, go for it - but you're the only one qualified to make this decision for yourself.
 

snapme- said:
hi guys

what tips would you, as amateur/experienced photographers, give to a person who is very interested in photography like me? i currently own a digital camera, Fujifilm A345. of course, i would like to own a dSLR, but being a very broke student, i am not able to afford one. :(

is there any way i can practise and expand on my photography skills with the current camera i have? also, are there any "cost-effective" ways i can learn photography? thank you so much! all advice is greatly appreciated.

as a student, these are the advice i can probably share with you.

1. read up on photography, get acquainted with the terms and fundamentals. books and internet and good resources to read. hwm's megaguide is a good magazine/book to read.

2. once the fundamentals and techniques is done, try maxing out whatever you can from your current camera.

3. you maxed out already? time for an upgrade, this is one heck of a leap especially from pNs, because most people will tell you to get a dslr instead of a prosumer camera[cost wise, but depends on model also].

but the decision is yours to make, try saving up as much as you can to upgrade. Photography is quite a pricey hobby when you start thinking DSLR like. If you're passionate about the subject, then the investment is worth it as long as you put effort into learning and improving.

Also, learn photoshop techniques. They're an invaluable skill to any photographer, be it pNs or dslr.

Hope that helps.[btw i dont use dslr, so i cant help much if you decide to jump into that bandwagon]
 

If you want to go into DSLR photography, you can also borrow from any friends who have one or rent one to try.
 

Once you feel comfortable with the basics and want to progress on to SLR photograpy you can try using a film body as it costs 10-20% of the price of a new DLSR... keep in mind that if you intednt to shoot heavy volumes this may not be economicaly viable..
 

i learn that no expensive camera can magically take a great picture! watever camera it is, it is capable of taking a great camera! i started off with a Z3, then got "lured" into the whole thing and bought a D70s! but during the time that i had the Z3, it was still capable to giving good results. anyway, shoot more! i think thats the way to learn! :cool:
 

Photography is very subjective. Although there is a general guide to a GOOD picture but ultimately it is what you want to convey through the picture. It must be able to tell a story, a story that you first saw through your own camera LCD/viewfinder. I have seen pictures that broke all known rules of photography but yet captivated me by its sheer simplicity.

I agree that you should read up more, especially on the technical side of the hobby (DoF, f-stop, EV, etc) so you can maximize your equipment. The most cost effective way to learn is to join outings, which quite a number are arranged almost weekly. Its a cliche but its not the camera but the person behind the camera that matters most. You can have a PnS but still shoot great pictures if you put your heart to it. Don't be misled into thinking getting a DSLR will automatically improve your skills.

While its good to shoot more, it's no point if you don't analyze or get feedback on your shots. You can keep on shooting until your memory cards expire but still don't achieve an acceptable level of skills. So to learn you got to shoot, post to get feedback, reflect on why the picture didn't turn out well, ask and ask and ask for pointers to handle your equipment.

Know what you want + Know what you have = Increased level of skill and appreciation for photography.

Hope to see the passion in you help you achieve something greater.:cheers:
 

If u have an interest in photography, the natural progression is to go to a slr from a pns. Digital slr is a great tool to improve your photography skill cos it allows instant feedback, n unlimited tries to practise,n ability to change iso, n change lens. The price of the dslr will repay itself with the number of photo u take. Just dont get carried away n buy too much unnecessary stuff.
http://singaporephoto.blogspot.com
 

snapme- said:
also, are there any "cost-effective" ways i can learn photography? thank you so much! all advice is greatly appreciated.

use the camera u have now. until u know CLEARLY the limitations of your camera, dont spend xtra $$$.

imho, its boring to read books. i prefer watching (and studying of course) movies with good/interesting cinematography, or magazines (like Nat. Geo.) to inspire me to copy them. when you try to copy, u will encounter problems. and then there will be a MOTIVE to learn the techniques from book. much inspiring to learn that way.

that my method, still learning too.
 

thank you so much! all of you have been a great help. i guess i don't have much of a choice but to stick with the camera i have now. however, i'll try to take more photos! the shutter speed is really slow though, gets on my nerves all the time. ugh.
 

snapme- said:
thank you so much! all of you have been a great help. i guess i don't have much of a choice but to stick with the camera i have now. however, i'll try to take more photos! the shutter speed is really slow though, gets on my nerves all the time. ugh.

Haha u mean shutter lag? Shutter speed refers to something else completely.

Like the others say, read up more, practice. Live within yr means.
 

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