Photography

Photography 

Photography is using light to capture an image. The subject of photography is a broad subject to cover. One can never stop learning about all there is to know about photography. The first steps to learning about photography is picking up a camera and begin shooting pictures. That is, of course, after you have reviewed the operating manual of the camera. Using your camera is the best way to learn how to take the photograph you want. I am not an expert on photography, Matter of fact, I am just starting to learn myself, but I do know, the more you use your camera, the more you learn. If you are interested in photography, you can find new ways to learn at the Digital Photography School Website by Darren Rowse.

Buying a Camera

There are many types of cameras. One of the most popular choices is the digital SLR cameras.  However, there are many choices today of point and shoot cameras that have some of the same features as the SLR cameras. I choose the digital SLR because I like the choice of changing the lens to fit different situations.  I can also adjust the shutter speed and SLR cameras focus faster and better. Having a digital camera also helps when sharing pictures on websites, sharing pictures  through e-mail, or just to have fun with in Photo Shop or another picture editing software. To help you decide which camera to purchase you may like to view consumer reports. Here you can find customer reviews and product capabilities.    

Taking a Picture

Perhaps one of the most important topics to understand when taking a picture is exposure. Exposure consist of three features:  ISO (the camera's sensitivity to light), Aperture ( How wide the lens opens when taking a picture), and Shutter Speed ( the amount of time the lens is open). These three things work together and affect the exposure of the picture. Too much light can over expose the picture, leaving undesirable results.

Lenses

Lenses can be just as tricky to pick out as buying the camera itself. You have your normal lenses, telephoto lenses, wide angle lenses, auto focus lenses, manual focus lenses, ect. It is very important to know what you are looking for when buying a lens.  Cameras have been made to be more affordable, but do not have a motor to auto focus the lens. A more affordable camera is great, but you need to consider that you will need a lens that has a motor in it to auto focus, which may be more expensive than a lens without a motor. You may spend less money on the camera, but more money on the lens. I have found Sigma lenses to be cheaper in price and  just as good as the name brand. Just be sure that the lenses you buy are compatible with your camera.

Photo Editing Software

Editing your pictures can be just as fun as taking the pictures. Cropping can take out unwanted parts of the picture. You can adjust the contrast, brightness or color to sharpen your picture. Changing the color can also change the feel or mood of the picture. There are unlimited possiblities when editing pictures. However, you have to be careful of what you do to your pictures when editing. Sometimes editing can take away from the picture. Photoshop is a great picture editing software, but I find the software that came with my computer does just fine for your basic photo editing. I also use the editing software by Nikon that came with my camera.