New to photography

aimee.21

aimee.21

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Hi, so I'm thinking of going into photography as for the moment a hobbie and to compliment my job as a hairdresser.
I'm wandering whether to go on to do a course in photography and if I do whether it be a diploma or an a level in it. So any tips on that would be great and then also a camera.... What sort of camera for a complete beginner in photography do I go for.. (Literally only experience I've had with cameras is my little pink digital 12megapixel Sony camera and my mobile phone on drunken nights out. ) any feed back or advice anyone can give me would be fantastic . Thank-you x
 
I really don't think a diploma/a level is really the best route as a lot of it would be theory and history of photography/photographers, I think if you were going to do a course it would be best to look a basics course to teach you about your camera and how to get the most out of it :thumbs:

As to camera that's a hard one, what's your budget? what do you want to shoot? there are cameras for everyone :thumbs: best advise is head on down to your local store and handle a few of them see how the feel in your hands :thumbs:

Matt
MWHCVT
 
Aimee it depends on budget and time frames.
You can learn all you need by foraging the internet, sites such as this hold a grat deal of learning material it is just a case of digging it out. If you need a formal qualification then some type of course would be your path. I am currently doing a Diploma course through the photography institute which I would recommend. Regarding camera type that is a whole other debate. I recommend you try all you can, read all reviews you can, speak to users but be mindful that most users have biased views. Find a brand with good repute as service , knowledge and parts will be more readily available. Try the unit for ergonomics i.e. if you have big hands a finicky body will be a pain and vice versa big body will be hard to operate with small hands. There is a world of knowledge in the equipment alone but unless your budget is endless you will probably plump for a brand and build within it.
Most importantly enjoy it. Hairdressing should present you with plenty portrait matter.
 
I did my GCSE in photography 3 years ago now I think, I really enjoyed it, yes there was some theory but the best bit about it was the projects you were set. It made you go out and take loads of different subjects that you wouldn't maybe ususally try, it was only £99 too and I really enjoyed it. Of course you dont need a qualification and can teach yourself everything you need if your willing to put in the time and research and most importantly practice.

As for your camera choice that would depend on the cash? Oh and I hear the pink cameras produce the best qaaulity pictures so I wouldnt worry about that :).
 
I think a portfolio will help you out more than qualifications in the first instance.
short courses are good though
what about these camera basics courses you see on groupon or something?
also if you are a hairdresser what about pimping yourself out to local amateur photographers doing studio shoots so you can learn a few tips.

also as mentioned, what subjects are you interested in? if people, then some studio lighting experience would help in the long run
 
I'm pretty new to this photography lark as well. I can't comment on the courses available as I really don't know any but I agree with the earlier posts on here. There is a wealth of information all over the Internet and photography is one of the few professions where you don't need a formal qualification to succeed. They say a picture paints a thousand words, well a few great pictures can tell you how good a photographer is. It's all about practice, practice and then practice a little bit more.

As for camera choice, I went with what I could afford (or close to it) at the time. I managed to find a great little camera shop about half hour drive from home but he did prove to be a bit expensive. I did however, try a few cameras out and settled for a Canon. I then came home and ordered it online for £150 cheaper.

So shop around, read as much as you can, watch some videos on YouTube and more importantly, just enjoy it. It doesn't matter what other people think ( if you're not selling the images ). Every shot I've taken has been a masterpiece ( in my eyes ) and will continue to be until I get better and better from plenty of practice.
 
If I had to suggest a camera right now for a beginner to learn with I would recommend the Fuji X100. It has all the capabilities you really need to learn photography, great IQ, and the price is decent. Most importantly, I think the fixed focal length and great optics will actually be very useful to the learning process. It should let you focus on learning technical details and composition without worrying so much whether the equipment itself is holding you back. Get a DSLR and you will always be wondering whether your images will be better if you just get a better lens. Or if you should have used a zoom or a prime, or a 24mm lens or a 50mm or a 135mm. With the X100 you already have a great lens and it can't get better, so you can focus on learning, shooting, and improving.
 
You need to have a really good think about what you want to get out of a hobby like photography.

What kinds of things are you interested in and what would you like to photograph.

This determines to a large degree the kind of camera you will need and of course you're budget.

Photography can be very expensive or fairly cheap, but also bear in mind you will also need to learn a lot of other skills and need a reasonably fast computer preferably with a good monitor.

I'm using an Intel Duo core model running at 2.8Ghz which is reasonable for the kind of editing I do but not superfast.

And you will also need to learn editing although luckily thre are a lot of quite cheap or free editing programs available.

Hope this helps a bit.

.
 
arentol said:
If I had to suggest a camera right now for a beginner to learn with I would recommend the Fuji X100. It has all the capabilities you really need to learn photography, great IQ, and the price is decent. Most importantly, I think the fixed focal length and great optics will actually be very useful to the learning process. It should let you focus on learning technical details and composition without worrying so much whether the equipment itself is holding you back. Get a DSLR and you will always be wondering whether your images will be better if you just get a better lens. Or if you should have used a zoom or a prime, or a 24mm lens or a 50mm or a 135mm. With the X100 you already have a great lens and it can't get better, so you can focus on learning, shooting, and improving.
Click to expand...

You really think that a high-end enthusiast camera, with limited veratility and costing £700, is suitable for a newcomer wanting to shoot portraits?
 
aimee.21 said:
Hi, so I'm thinking of going into photography as for the moment a hobbie and to compliment my job as a hairdresser.
I'm wandering whether to go on to do a course in photography and if I do whether it be a diploma or an a level in it. So any tips on that would be great and then also a camera.... What sort of camera for a complete beginner in photography do I go for.. (Literally only experience I've had with cameras is my little pink digital 12megapixel Sony camera and my mobile phone on drunken nights out. ) any feed back or advice anyone can give me would be fantastic . Thank-you x
Click to expand...

I was in the same position as you are in at the beginning of the year (picking a first dslr). It is hard because you really don't know what matters in a camera and what does not. For me I really didn't know what I wanted to shoot (and still don't) so choosing a strong point of the camera is even harder.

My advise is to start with a budget and go from there. This forum will give you all the advise and info that you need to make a good decision. If you know what you are going to be shooting you are ahead of the game. Take your budget and search within it for entry level cameras. Someone said to go to the store and try them out and though they are correct I would not do that until you have research a few different dslr's within your budget. Then go and see how they feel in your hand as a deciding factor. If you walk into a store you are sure to get a bias opinion and very confused from a overload of information.

I hope this helps and welcome...
 
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