What should I do first?

[pleasekickmehere]

Now that my interest is in photography, how should i go about? Should I just go buy a camera or read a book first?

Some people I know told me to buy Sony or Fuji compact camera. Anyone got any recommendations to guide me along?

 

[Galdor]

I would suggest that you get to know some basics first then put them into practise. If you are still unsure that you would be 'hooked' to this hobby for long then maybe you can consider getting a 2nd hand prosumer cam first.

 

[GoheadGostern]

hi

i suggest you get/borrow a camera and a book. you need the camera to try and practice the things you learn from the book.

Cheers
Shaz

 

[ianwurn]

Sign up for a course about photograhy perhaps ? Learn more and then decide whether your interest is going to last before investing in the hardware......

I know of a couple of frens who did that. And also some who are sitting at home with cameras as white elephants....

 

[jeremyteocx]

question first would be, what sparked your interest in photography? thinking of just going compact or dslr?

i would actually suggest to read up first from basics, and also read up on the possible cameras you could start off with (within your budget). if you're thinking of going dslr, then reading shud definitely come first as there's no point buying a dslr only to give up on it as you realise the basics are too boring or confusing

 

[night86mare]

Now that my interest is in photography, how should i go about? Should I just go buy a camera or read a book first?

Some people I know told me to buy Sony or Fuji compact camera. Anyone got any recommendations to guide me along?

i advocate reading up first, so that you don't end up with misconceptions like:

1) bokeh will make any picture look better
2) more expensive cameras means i will get better pictures
3) more expensive lens means people will worship me
4) any picture with xmm inside smiling is the best picture in the world

but you can always get a cheap, decent, value for money compact camera, hopefully with manual function so that you can learn by doing at the same time.

after all, in this age, everyone needs a camera, no?

 

[JT-Fied]

Ask yourself is this something that you gonna do for a long time to come or is it just a phase that you are going through coz it's something new? If u think it's something u gonna be doing for awhile then decide what cam will suit your budget, style and needs.

Go out, shoot shoot shoot, come back PP, post on CS, let ppl C&C and learn from there. The rest as they say, is history after that.

 

[aryanto]

Learn how to shoot such that after looking at the picture you say: why the hell did I buy photoshop. This is good enough without photoshop.

 

[jlkk76]

i would buy both 2gather...

 

[sheree]

i advocate reading up first, so that you don't end up with misconceptions like:

1) bokeh will make any picture look better
2) more expensive cameras means i will get better pictures
3) more expensive lens means people will worship me
4) any picture with xmm inside smiling is the best picture in the world

but you can always get a cheap, decent, value for money compact camera, hopefully with manual function so that you can learn by doing at the same time.

after all, in this age, everyone needs a camera, no?

sorry OT a while but LOL at point 4.


to TS: i'll say u dont have to buy a book, just borrow from the library will do if you are afraid, u can do some research on cameras from friends and the internet to know what kind of camera will fit you best. if you too lazy to borrow a book, the internet is your friend.

 

[giantcanopy]

Read up first. Plenty of resources on the internet is more than enough to keep u busy and answering most of ur queries.

Lib books are another option to build up general knowledge.

If u got friends who got dslrs, u can try and see if the setup works for u

Ryan

 

[sherchoo]

I personnally feel that this is a chicken & egg situation. Reading without having a chance to explore with camera and exploring without reading can be quite difficult. It's very hard to understand what is being written and not having to try out practically. It's also hard to shoot without any basics learnt.

My stand is maybe to hang around people who has a camera to do some research, then decide the camera you want to buy and make sure you first read the instruction manual.

 

[chrissng]

just bought my dslr...

this is what i did....
1. read up 1st...
2. speak to the pros
3. know that you want (this will decide on the lens and types of camera)
4. buy

Have been using for slightly more than a month... its an addiction especially when you enjoy the feeling of satisfaction of a nice picture taken...

 

[photoart]

Now that my interest is in photography, how should i go about? Should I just go buy a camera or read a book first?

Some people I know told me to buy Sony or Fuji compact camera. Anyone got any recommendations to guide me along?

you haven done the first thing right...by coming into the Clubsnap forum. There are lots of information here regarding the A-Z of photography. Lots of kind people to help you out here.

I was gonna say forget about buying a book because there are lots of free information on the internet and YOUTUBE. Besides YOUTUBE videos show you hands-on and 3D demonstration with moving images and sound.

But then again, you can't be logging onto YOUTUBE when you are shooting outdoors and at the same time wants to refer to some information and techniques.

So i will suggest getting a handy book that you can bring along when you practice shooting...and when you cant understand or figure out something....log onto youtube and search for videos on that topic.

Buying a camera might be a costly investment. You should read up on the various types/brands of camera before buying one...

but that being said... you can ask for all the advices and do alll the research and there will be no camera that's perfect..... and being a newbie,you will still be confused in the end.

so narrow down on your choices and buy one that suits your budget.

then go out there and shoot...shoot ....shoot...

then....shoot more


lastly...contiune shooting

 

[evo-lution]

Read the forum everyday(except kopitiam section). Come back here everyday. Come here after u eat. Come here after u S H I T. Come here until everyone asks u why u always stick to the computer day in day out.

Haha, jokes aside, if u r unsure of what to do, then don't do anything. Just come into cs and look at what others are doing. On a sidenote, dun go into cs kopitiam and see what we do there:bsmilie:

P.S. kopitiam can be more addictive than photography....

If after 3 months, u find yourself coming into CS almost everyday, then probably, probably, u r really into photography and chances of giving up halfway is not that high. Chances of wasting $$ is not that high either. Who knows, u might even totally forget abt this forum in 3mths time....

I can say, if u actively read CS for 3months, u will gain alot of insights on what u would want to do personally.

Listen to your inner voice once again after the 3 months.

Did your inner voice tell u "I wanna create that jaw dropping landscape shot" or "I wanna create that gorgeous portrait"

Or did your inner voice actually say "I think those in CS are a bunch of fools clicking their cameras day in day out, there is nothing attractive about photogarphy at all, I wondered why i even create this thread 3months ago, oh well I muz be out of my mind back then"

It is easier to stay interested in what u r doing if u know what u want to achieve out of it.

I started out without knowing what i want, and i did at a certain point in time thought of giving up, but well that's juz for a short while.... After that I organised my thoughts once again and I think, I think, I know what i want now.

All the best to you

 

[junhua90]

im a newbie, but i would like to give you some advice from my point of view la.

hmmm.... if you are really very interested with photograhpy, you should get DSLR instead of compacts. but if you are unsure about it, you should get a compact first and explore the world of photography to avoid the waste of time and money.

after u explore already and u think u seriously like photography and want to get a DSLR think about these:
1) dun like to carry heavy stuff?
2) hate weathers?
3) want to get a DSLR so that you can camwhore better?

if your answer to all this 3 questions are YES. then dun waste ur money to get a DSLR, donate to me and let me get closer to get my personal DSLR. ;p

why? the answer:
1) DSLR are heavy and bulky.
2) Photographers will still find great photos even the weather is sucks.
3) DSLR are not suitable for camwhoring as they are heavy and it doesn't look cool while camwhoring with DSLR. it looks dumb. stick with compacts for camwhoring.

and btw i personally thinks sony's compacts are good from my experiences. i felt that they are value for every dollar. even though u may think u are paying a bit extra for it's exterior design (which i usually do).:sticktong

 

[patch17]

i got a camera first read the manual then went out and shot and shot and shot...

pics didn't come out how i envisioned them, tried different settings, shot and shot again... some improvements, better, but still can learn...

bought a book or two or three, ahh... so that's why, tried again, better results, but still can learn... read magazines, talk to diff people, still can learn... etc.

still learning.

i found it easier to learn with the camera and book in hand, sometimes just reading a book without actually touching or seeing what the book describes on a camera makes it harder to understand some concepts.

 

[Akatsuki]

1) Get a book; read up on the terminology and various technology.
2) Purchase the camera.
3) Read up on various technique and stuff. Shoot and experiment.

At this point of time; perhaps you would 1 to get a general purpose lens that can shoot landscape/closed up/nature/street/portraiture. After you know what kind of photography you wanna go into, then you purchase all the related things in that arena of photography. As a new comer; don't get infected with the BBB virus and purchase every single focal length/purpose lens!

Enjoy

 

[gusta]

Buy the camera first and start from basics!

 

[rajahchindian]

well. i suggest you buy a secondhand dslr first to experiment.
and yeah you could either start reading up those extremely long photography books
or you can just search for amazing photography notes that is already here on Clubsnap.
for better understanding i would rather u go for workshops.