10 Photography Learnings from a Newbie

I finally did it!

After researching, and mulling over it (more than half a year), I got myself a DSLR on 18 Dec 2010! Here's my 2 cents on what I've learnt.

1.Lens last a lifetime, Bodies don't

You will/can upgrade bodies every few years - but good lenses lasts a lifetime.
So better spend $$ on good lens; whereas get the body that will suit you, for 1-3 years or so.

2.Body:Nikon D90

I went with Nikon, just by the sheer fact that most pro/serious photographers use them. If it's good enough for Scott Kelby, it's good enough for me :)
The D90 was well reviewed, and a number of comparisons, edged out Canon.
The last test, was just handling the camera - I just preferred where the knobs/buttons were.

I decided NOT to go for the newly launched D7000, coz the body was nearly double the costs, and for a beginner DSLRer like me, I doubt I can tell the diff.
Besides, D90's price was close to US pricing, whereas D7000 was US$200 more.

See point 1 above also.

3.Lens 1: 18-200mm

My photo guru friend, Bryan, recommended a 17-55 f2.8 lens over a 18-200 zoom.
But the 17-55 was twice the price, had lesser zoom (for a beginner, zoom seems very important), and aperture size was just theoretical.

So I went with the jack-of-all trades 18-200 zoom.
Ken Rockwell loves this lens. And until such time, I really know what I really want, then I'd get better/more specialized lens.

Besides, just carrying 1 lens, seem very appealing....

3.Lens 2: 35mm f1.8mm

After shooting with the 18-200 zoom for a couple of days, I was not happy with how it was taking shots at night. It obviously can't be the skill of the photographer, so it has to be the equipment?


So I got myself a 35mm prime lens - and I absolutely loved it!
The lens performs beautifully at night.

Prime Lens is the way to go.... but you gotta zoom with your feet.
So, I'm going to be using Zoom for daytime/outdoor use (it's still pretty ok, and zoom is useful, at times) and the prime for night/indoor use.

4.Get UV filter for every lens you buy.

If you drop it, or get a scratch on, replacing a $10 filter is less painful than a $1k lens. In fact, get it on when you buy it - no reason to take it out after, so the lens never gets dirty.

5.Read the manual

I spent time reading the manual, just to learn what buttons do what, and see what the camera can do.
No point getting a DSLR, if you're just going to "Auto" everything....

6.Equipment is just the beginning

Good photographs, is much much more about the eye of the photographer, then the equipment. But researching and spending $$ on equipment is quite good fun too!
But it does nothing towards taking good photographs

7.Focus on the eyes

find the cutest subject matter in the shot, and aim at the eyes.
If that is not in focus, the rest don't matter.

8.Small Aperture

Still experimenting, but I use the smallest aperture available (theoretically, the sharpest aperture is 2 stops smaller than the largest... but I can't tell the diff, so still experimenting). This gives a nice clarity the subject matter, and throws everything else out of focus.

9.Perspective

For kids, take pictures at their level, looks better than looking down at them.
If you are have a shallow Depth of Field from large aperture, make sure you get the eyes (for portraits) focused/clear.

Also, the "cutest" subject matter in the pix, should be the focus. People like young babies, or elderly folks. Middlea-agers (like me), clone them out.....

10.Take lots of photos

The chance of 1 shot, and getting it perfect, is pretty slim - sometimes focus is out, smile is out, or just bad lighting.
I use "multi" shots, and for each shot, I take multiple shots - which gives me a better chance of getting a nice shot.

The other thing I do is, delete the bad shots immediately. Just a feel good factor, that by the time you sync up with the computer, you at least have average to good pix :)

As the saying goes, Practice Makes Perfect :)

Happy Shooting!