Equipment
First off, what kind of equipment did you buy? Did someone help you pick it out? A lot of the time someone's significant other will purchase a DSLR kit as a gift. They figure their significant other is always shooting with their point and shoot and they like the photos out of that so, with a DSLR, photos should be amazing! Well, not so fast there toughguy...
There are LOTS of choices for DSLRs on the market today. I'm not here to try and determine which is better because, quite frankly, they're all quite good. However, my discussion on equipment is more about what kinds of photography you want to do. That determines the type of equipment (notice, I didn't say BRAND) you should be looking to get.
Typically, when you buy a DSLR kit, you'll get the body and a kit lens. The kit lens usually comes in a focal length range of around 18mm (on the wide end) to around 105mm (on the long end). There are others in between this but you'll usually get some sort of compact zooming lens. Part of the great things about a DSLR is the wide array of lens choices available. But is that kit lens going to be good enough for you?
I know I'll shock a lot of photogs with this answer but, in my opinion, the kit lens is usually more than good enough for most of you out there. Ok, I said it. Why do I believe this? Well, first of all, most people who are buying that DSLR kit are not trying to be photogs, rather, just someone trying to take better photos of their friends/family/etc. Sure, they may have another hobby which they'd like to use the camera for but this is (by far) the biggest reason people buy cameras in general and DSLRs specifically. So these people don't need ultra fast prime lenses or super expensive long 500mm lenses. Would they be nice to have for these people? Absolutely would be! But, in the end, they're just going to be snapping off shots of the family on vacation and the kids at their birthday party. Maybe an attempt at the kids playing sports (different discussion--see my blog entry on sports photography). So they don't need an expensive fancy lens at this stage of the game. The kit lens will suit them just fine for most situations.
There are plenty of lenses to choose from depending on what you need. Buying the correct lens for your needs is a whole different discussion.
As far as the camera body goes, well, technology has been improving in cameras like everything else. What I'd suggest to look at now probably won't mean a hill of beans by the time you get around to reading this. But you want to look for a few things in a good camera body:
- Feel--does it feel good in your hands? Can you easily reach the controls with your thumbs if/when you decide to really learn how to use the camera? Does it feel solid?
- Weight--yes, weight. If it's too heavy, you won't bring it along. I don't bring my DSLR gear along everywhere because it's too bulky. I also own a point and shoot which can fit in my pocket so I always have a camera. Blasphemy, I know...
- Effective ISO--ISO is something you'll learn about as you learn more about photography. Do some research on what the effective ISO range is on the body you're considering. Some bodies will go to an ISO of over 400,000 but it's not effective (i.e. not useable). If you're looking at consumer-level DSLRs (as of the writing of this entry anyway) you're probably looking at effective ISOs of around 1000 (maybe higher depending on brand/model). Higher is better (keeping it simple for this entry).
- Frames Per Second--this is something not a lot of people tend to think about. However, more people are noticing this number. Basically, it's the number of photos you can take in 1 second. Higher is better for those fast moving subjects. Don't expect super high numbers in consumer DSLRs. Entry level pro models only shoot 6-7 fps.
- Batteries--what kind of batteries does it take? How much do they cost? I think pretty much all DSLRs use rechargeable batteries specific to the model. Some are more expensive than others. This could be important while on vacation where you may want to have more than one available.
- Availability of information--what I mean is, how hard is it to find information/support for the body you're looking at?
There are other things to look at but this is a good starting point. There are a LOT of great DSLR bodies to choose from. Just take your time and find one which suits you and your budget.
Got my DSLR, what now?
Well, now that you've got your DSLR and your lens(es), what are you going to do with it? I'm guessing you're going to charge the batter, put in a card, turn it on and snap of some shots. All too often I see people who have a DSLR and they never use it and instead use their point and shoot or they bring out their DSLR and never get out of auto mode. Not that auto is a horrible thing, it's just that if you're going to use auto on a DSLR, you're paying an awful lot of money for a glorified point and shoot at that point. So learn how to select the correct settings to get desired effects.
So many people ask about a book they should buy. Now, I love books, read all of the time, however, in this case, why buy a book when there is so much information available (for free) on the Internet? You can learn so much about the basics of photography for free on the Internet these days just by going into Google and searching for it. You'll be amazed at how much information is readily available on everything from learning the basics to Infrared photography. The first thing you must learn, however is about exposure. If you don't understand it--and the things which affect it--you'll be lost and won't know what to ask.
You'll also need to learn such basics as how to hold your camera believe it or not. And things such as focal lengths, depth of field, aperture and how everything affects one another.
Seems like quite a bit, doesn't it? Well, don't let it get to you. Learn the basics of exposure then start to change the settings to see how the changes affect exposure. Once you start to see how changing a setting changes your exposure, you realize it's really not all that complicated.
Practice, practice, practice...
This is advice other photogs give me all of the time. We tend to forget to do this. The more you shoot, the more you learn and the better you can get. If you don't shoot, how are you going to get any better. Take your camera everywhere--especially when you're just starting out--shoot everything and anything which catches your eye. Try to put what you're learning in the tutorials you're reading to use. Don't be afraid to take a bad photo. You will. But learn from what you did wrong and improve on it. Soon you'll find your work improving in leaps and bounds.
I've taken numerous photos of my sons' stuffed animals while trying things with flash photography. I'll go in my back yard and take photos of leaves and other uninteresting things to play with depth of field and focus. You have to get out and shoot if you want to learn. The camera isn't going to do anything for you if it's sitting in the bag doing nothing!
Don't be afraid of criticism!
Another big thing. There are some very good photography forums on the Internet. You can post questions to get advice, learn about the latest and greatest equipment and more. Most of these forums also have a place where you can post photos and ask for people to tell you how to get better. Now, some forums are more hardcore than others so you have to check around. Many are quite pleasant and friendly to all photogs and you can learn quite a bit this way.
Once you're feeling confident and you've learned enough, start looking at the other photos others post and critique them yourself. Maybe not online at first but see what you think could be better about these photos. Read what other, more experienced, people say and you'll learn quite a bit quickly. You just have to be ready to have people tell you that great shot of Little Johnny just isn't all that good. However, most people will politely tell you how you can improve it and you can also ask at the same time.
In the beginning, it kinda sucks because you're going to post a bunch of photos which, quite frankly, probably aren't all that good. However, if you listen and learn, you'll soon be getting compliments on your photos and that feels quite good really.
Meet Other Photographers
What happens when you're trying something and it's just not making sense? Sure, you can post on a forum and try to explain it in writing but, sometimes, this just isn't feasible. If you have some friends who are better at photography than you are, you can always ask them. Maybe even get together with them to show them what's happening. I find I learn very quickly when I get together with my friend Abraham Then and we try things together. He sees things I don't and vice versa. It goes without saying how valuable knowing others who know more than you can be.
Photography Classes
I'm leaving this one to last because, well, classes can be good and classes can be bad. Personally, I'd rather learn what I can elsewhere then look for classes about specific things I feel I need to learn more. I find you (usually) get more out of classes when you do this. You'll know what you don't know and what questions you have and want to have answered during the class. If you just buy a camera and take a class, you won't have any idea what you need to know and will spend too much time feeling lost. If you're actually paying for a class, this isn't much fun.
There are, however, some very good classes available from some very good people. Your local camera shop probably has some available for a low fee or no fee. Check that out before looking other places.
If there is a photography club in your area, many times, they offer classes for a minimal fee. You can learn a lot from being in the club as well as their classes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are lots of ways to learn about photography and how to become better. There are other ways in addition to what I've mentioned here. It will seem like quite a lot to absorb at first but, if you break it down into smaller portions, you'll quickly become much better at photography than you thought you could be.
