PHOTOGRAPHY - - Page 1 of  2      Do you need to buy the best  photography camera possible?  Are digital photographic  cameras better than film cameras?  Read these pages to find out.

A lot of good photography hints here in two pages; a FAST read.

1.  INTRODUCTION -  Myth?   Amateur photographers must obtain the best, most expensive cameras with every accessory possible to enjoy this hobby; right?  No, not at all.  The modern full featured digital and 35mm film point and shoot cameras have evolved to a point where quality photographs are in reach of almost everyone.  

The important issue is the picture, not the camera that took it.  

Concentrate on picture content, framing, composition, light, lines, shapes, textures, shadow, color, and artistic appeal like the "S" curve in an object or other artistic shapes.   Make the picture tell a story.  Try to see beyond the superficial.  Think of a subject and then go out and take pictures of that topic.  This is an excellent exercise in developing skill at telling a story with your pictures.  

Learn to see creatively!

Your film camera body for the most part DOES NOT affect the quality of your image. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your equipment the more time and effort you can spend creating great images. Modern lens technology  has made the difference between a prime lens and zooms almost insignificant to the casual photographer. The right equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the results you need.  The sensor size and mega-pixel count of digital cameras are a factors in resolution and print size, however

The greater sensitivity you develop in reacting to interesting shapes, lines, volumes, and textures, the less you will find it necessary to search for interesting matter.  It exists all around you.

 Most of the sophisticated camera features on expensive cameras purchased by amateur photographers are never used. So what good are they?  They are worthless if not used.  After exploring everything a good point and shoot camera can do, then carefully consider upgrading to a solid automatic digital single lens reflex DSLR camera that accepts interchangeable  lenses and allows manual iris and shutter speed settings.  But, remember this.  The consumer class DSLR's like the Nikon D50 ($$$) have shooting modes like landscape, portrait, flowers, etc. to make it easy.  This let's you think about the image and less about the camera.  More expensive cameras do not have these aids and you have to set the parameters up yourself.  This takes a lot of time and bends your thinking toward the camera and away from your subject.  I am talking here about cameras like the Nikon D200 ($$$$).  The D200 has four memory banks to hold four sets of settings but you have to set them up and label them yourself.  An advanced amateur or professional photographer is so familiar with their equipment they no longer need to spend a lot of time thinking about their camera and can devote "thinking time" to the subject.  Then, the expensive flexible camera becomes very useful tool in the hands of a skilled photographer who is intimately familiar with their camera, settings, switches, and menus.  This is why - 

never take a new or unfamiliar camera to shoot an important event.

You need to ask yourself, "What am I going to do with the images"?  If your answer is to take good photos of your family and vacations then something like a Nikon D50 is great and perhaps even a good point and shoot.  Although the prices of DSLR cameras are coming down to match high end point and shoots, the point and shoots are much smaller and fit in a pocket where the DSLR's will not - 

BECAUSE  DSLR's ARE VERY BIG AND VERY HEAVY.   

If you are interested in "Fine Art" photography as a hobby or for any business purpose then the D200 would be a better fit. Canon has an excellent line of digital cameras as well.  Stay with Nikon or Canon for DSLR's or at least a well known brand name for sure.  

Lets talk about image size/quality for a minute.  

If your end images will be printed on 4 x 5 inch paper or smaller,  then almost any point and shoot camera with 3 MP or more will give good results.  You only need about  6 mega pixels or greater cameras if you intend to print  8 x 10 inches or intend on doing a lot of harsh cropping.  4 or 5 MP Point and shoot cameras can take wonderful family snapshots.  The law of diminishing returns comes into play when you progress to more expensive cameras.  Yes they are better but depending on how large your end print is required to be or how much cropping you have done and how well you set the parameters and your level of photography skills and techniques, you may not be able to tell the difference.  Yes, if you magnify it highly and give it close inspection under a loupe, you can detect the differences. But is this the way you normally view an image? Most likely notl.

Don't presume the most expensive gear is the best for you.
 Having too much camera equipment is the best way to get the worst photos.

The more expensive cameras and lenses don't do much of anything significant for the huge increases in price unless that small difference is important to you - and you have a reason for needing a tad more quality.

Your Camera Does Not Matter as much as your technique and your eye for  artistic content

Check out this web page for great information on print size versus image pixel size.  http://www.design215.com/toolbox/megapixels.php

Question:  If I spend mega bucks on a high end camera body will I get better pictures?  Answer: Possibly no.  In fact very possibly worse pictures.  Why?  A high end body allows you more manipulation of the photography parameters.  If you set them wrong your image could be worse than the same shot with your point and shoot on automatic.  Also it is easy to bump a lever and not know it because there are so many levers, switches and settings you can forget what is set to what.  With a high end camera you have to be more diligent and careful in setting it up. You could miss important fast occurring events because you bump the auto focus switch and move it to manual and the camera won't fire because the image isn't in focus.  That happened to me.  It can happen to you.

Better to concentrate on what your taking a picture of; curves, shapes, light, feelings, expressions, action, etc.   

So, in the beginning; 
"save your money"  

and buy some good photography and art books and use the camera you already have today.  And go out and take "LOT'S" of pictures.

Here is "THE" photography book you need.  Shooting film or digital you need this book.  Please check it out, order a copy today - you will not be sorry.  It is of highest quality in both content and substance.  Every photographer should have this book! 

Scout your area of interest with your camera handheld so you can quickly view an image.  Then use a tripod.  Use a tripod.  Did I say, use a tripod?  Slowly compose and review the image while mounted on a tripod for stability and sharp images.  To make sure you got this hint - use a tripod - please.  I know it is heavy and cumbersome and may look strange to others around you but those facts are exactly what you need to slow you down so you take the time to think about what your doing.  Otherwise you will tend to shoot away helter-skelter and end up with lot's of mediocre or worse, snapshots - not quality photographs.  

Get yourself some good photography books to study and consider local photography training classes. The wonderful thing about amateur photography is there are so many areas it can take you.  You can experience the technical aspects of darkroom work, adventures exploring new travel sites, or just making a record of family events.   It's a wonderful hobby!  Combine it with your other interests; perhaps, fishing, flying, sports, travel, skate boarding, hunting, people watching, weather patterns, microscopy (See the micro-photographs on this web site as an example of what you can do with simple equipment.), archery, shooting, walking, biking, touring, playing, working, and a hundred other things including maybe even:  bird watching?.  No matter what your interest you can amplify its joy and share that joy with others through photography.

The photograph below graphically demonstrates the artistic rule of thirds.   This is a technique you can use to help you compose your photographs properly.   The idea is to place an important point in the picture, in this case the birds dinner, at one of the junctures of one of the nine blocks.  These points are marked with yellow dots for clarity.  For a landscape the horizon could be place near the bottom of the top three blocks, for example.  You do this while looking through your viewfinder and just imagine the image divided into thirds.  This is just a rule you can use.  There are many times when breaking the rules make a fantastic photograph.  Don't use it on every photograph just the ones where it makes sense to you.   It will help you to improve your photographs composition.  Also notice that the most important elements of this photograph, the birds top wing line, head, eye, and beak are all generally aligned along the bottom of the upper set of blocks. 

For more great photography techniques see >: http://www.photozone.de/4Technique/index.html

See the end of page two for more digital camera information.

2.  35mm FILMS - Yes, some folks still buy film.  Now that you have a camera and know the basics, what film should you buy?  To answer this question you have to first ask, what subjects are you going to photograph and what will the photographs be used for.  Basically there are two categories of answers for these two questions.  1. Serious Amateur and Professional and;  2. Amateur - Family Photos.  If you fit in category 1 (Professional) then my personal preference is Fuji Velvia for beautiful sharp saturated slides or Fuji Reala for prints.  Professional films are more expensive so expect to pay almost $10 a roll each.  Discounts are available for larger quantities.  For our category 2 (Amateur) folks I recommend Kodak Gold 100 for bright outdoor sunshine shots and Kodak MAX 800 for low light situations or Kodachrome 25 or 64 for long lasting color slides.  For some unknown reason color slides are not as nearly popular for family photographs as they once were.  You can't beat beautiful slides but setting up a screen and projector is a hassle compared to viewing paper prints.  For black and white photography Technical Pan 25 is the finest grained film available.  For faster speeds and lower cost, any of  the Kodak TMAX films would be satisfactory.  Yes, there are many other good choices, but you won't go wrong with any of these.  I suggest you try test rolls yourself with your camera and personal techniques and decide for yourself which fits your personal photography style best.  Be sure to keep a fresh strong batteries in you camera at all times.  Weak batteries may cause your exposures to be incorrect before the battery completely gives out.  So keep a record of when you install your batteries and replace them often.  Also check and clean out any dust each time you put in a new roll of film both in the cameras body and all lenses.  For more information on choosing a camera film, click HERE.

35mm Film

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