It’s really amazing to me how the technology related to digital photography has advanced in the last few years. It’s absolutely incredible the results you can get from a modern DSLR camera costing well under $1000.00 by pointing and clicking in Auto or Program mode. The resulting images are usually technically perfect, with accurate exposure, white balance and focus. The quality you can get from very cheap kit lenses is also hard to believe.
The problem I see, is that with all this technology, the end result is a large quantity of technically perfect, yet poor photographs.
I remember buying my first camera at around 9 years old. It was a Russian Zenit. A manual SLR camera with a fixed focal length (prime) lens of 50mm. If you wanted a different focal length, you had to change lenses, if you had another. I didn’t. You had to manually load the film. There was no automatic exposure or autofocus, so you had to manually focus the lens, and set the exposure on the camera after taking a manual exposure reading from a separate light meter.
We lived in an area where it was very expensive to get film processed, so I set up a simple darkroom in our basement bathroom. I processed all my own film, and then printed the ones I wanted to keep. There was no preview LCD screen on the back of the camera.
I’m very grateful now for all these limitations I had to deal with as a kid. It forced me to think, visualize and compose carefully before shooting. I developed a sixth sense on quickly determining exact exposure settings in changing light. I mentally calculated predictions on pre set focus points for fast moving objects. I became very precise in composing images, because I was very limited as to the number of shots I could take, due to the high cost of film, and then the time and work required to process each roll of film by hand.
Skip forward many years. My current digital SLR cameras literally do all the work for me. I’m virtually unlimited in the number of shots I can take, as it costs practically nothing to capture images digitally. But I still shoot the old way. I still use a hand meter most of the time and adjust exposure manually. I spend much more time setting up a shot and composing it than I do actually shooting. I do make full use of the autofocus on my cameras, as it still does a much better job than I can.
And I still use prime lenses a lot of the time. In fact, my favorite lens today is still the Nikon 50mm 1.8 prime lens. I leave it on my camera most of the time. At just around $100, I think it still blows away my $1500.00 Nikon S zoom lenses. The other advantage, is that it doesn’t intimidate people like the Nikon 80-200 zoom lens, the front end of which looks somewhat like a bazooka. The large aperture works great in low light, and gives me incredible control over the depth of field. It’s also a LOT lighter than the pro zooms.
So What?
So why am I telling you this? Well, I’d really like to see you get more in touch with “making” images rather than “taking” them. Try removing as much technology and automation between you and the final image as possible. Spend a little time learning about exposure, depth of field and composition. Throw a 50mm (or 35mm, 85mm) lens on your DSLR, set it to manual exposure, and walk out of the house and see what you come across. Take multiple shots of the same things using a variety of perspectives and exposures. When using a prime (or fixed focal length) lens, you don’t have the option of screwing around with zoom settings. Move your camera position instead. Take some time before you press the shutter to actually look through the viewfinder and ask yourself:
1. Is what I see actually interesting?
2. Does it have a subject, or is it just another boring snapshot
3. Is there anything in the frame that’s unnecessary? If so, remove it if possible, or change your perspective
4. Are there other perspectives and compositions of the same thing that you can capture as well.
I’m not so sure that making good photographs is something that can be taught in school. My recommendation is to read everything you can from photographers who’s work you admire. Learn about lighting, exposure, composition, perspective, depth of field, lens properties and other technical subjects. You can find more than you need in your local bookstore. But this will only take you so far. The single best way to improve your photography, is to get out as much as possible and shoot as many images as you can. Then take the time to critically evaluate the results. It’s ok to get feedback from other people, but the important thing is to produce images that you personally like.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your DSLR, and whatever lens you have, and get out the door.
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Thanks for this article! What is the least expensive DSLR camera you would recommend? I am unemployed right now and don't have a lot of disposable income.
Hi Sissy. On the low end, I would recommend the Nikon D40 (not the D40x) if you can still find one. The next step up would be the Nikon D90 if you can afford the extra cost. (Some of the older prime lenses do not autofocus with the D40, but do with the D90 and above).
You can also get the Nikon D3000 or D5000, which come with a pretty good kit lens, but they're more expensive than the D40. If you like Canon, the Rebel is also a great camera for a pretty low cost. I would definitely stick with either Nikon or Canon, even though there are some great cameras made by other manufacturers.
The most important thing in my opinion is selecting good lenses. Ken Rockwell has a pretty good site covering both camera body and lens selection for the lowest cost. I agree with him on a lot of points, but not all. His site is: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cam...
I would check out Ken Rockwell's site to help narrow down your choices based on your needs, then check out http://www.dpreview.com/ for more detailed info. Then I would head to your local camera store to see how they feel in your hand, and how the controls operate for you. It's personal preference whether you go with Nikon or Canon, but you should stick with one or the other because as you add lenses, it can become expensive to switch brands.
For buying camera gear online, I would stick with either B&H Video Amazon. Be very careful dealing with any of the other camera dealers in New York. There are a lot of very unethical dealers out there. If a price sounds too good to be true, and is much less than B&H, you're probably going to get taken. You can never go wrong with B&H. Hope this helps.
Thanks, Kenny!
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