I’ve been writing articles on this blog for a little while now, picking subjects that I think will be helpful to people learning photography from the basics. From most of the feedback I get, I seem to be picking subjects that are of use, but I thought it was about time I asked you, the reader, what you want me to write about.
Would you like more ‘How I got the shot’ posts, or maybe some more technical information on camera functions. Maybe you’d like me to cover a particular area of photography, maybe macro or landscapes.
Maybe you would even like to share some of your own knowledge that may help other beginners learn.
I would prefer not to get into particular camera models as it may not benefit everyone, but anything to do with the fundamentals, technique, resources or anything that would be of use to anyone starting out in photography.
It’s your chance to ask me a question really. If I can answer it, I will write about it. If I don’t know the answer, it gives me a damn good excuse to learn about it myself and pass on what I learn.
So either ask a question by commenting, or using the contact form on this site. If you would like to contribute an article then please contact me via the contact form and we can sort it out.
I look forward to hearing from you….
Hi there,
I have recently returned from a three month trip to East Africa. I returned from my trip with some great pictures. As you can imagine Africa is probably one of the best places in the world for Animal photography. Well, over the months I became even more passionate about photography and started to snap away at everything and anything that sparked an interest in me. Since returning I have been experimenting with my compact camera, but feel that its time to move on to something more comprehensive. I’m particularly interested in macro photography and landscape stuff, but right now, its pretty much anything I find of interest.
So I guess what Im asking is, where do I go from here. I want a D SLR, something not to expensive, but expenisve enough to give me great pics. I am not even an amateur photographer. I plan to just teach myself as I go along. What would be the one main thing to look out for when buying?
Hope you can help.
OK, first of all, I’m jealous! I’d love to do a safari photography trip.
I’ll give you the short answer here and will expand upon it in an article in the near future.
Lenses are worth spending more on than the dslr body. So if you are deciding to buy a DSLR don’t spend all your budget on the camera, try and save enough for decent lens too. Anything like the Canon 400D, Nikon D60, Sony A300 or any of the entry level DSLR cameras are capable of producing fantastic pictures, but matching them with a decent lens will help get even better results.
Hi Garry,
Would love to see an article written by you on the dreaded “White Balance” and how to get it right in different lighting conditions. I am only just starting to get the hang of manual WB and can’t bear to think about the wasted photo opportunities where depending on Auto WB resulted in crappy results.
Thanks
Yas
Hi Garry,
Could you please share some info regarding the different lenses. Ive been using by basic one i got with the body for all my shots. During my research ive found there are many many different ones. My question is, do you recommend me investing in extra lenses. and what are the best ones.
Thanks,
Shani
Shani, your wish is my command (within reason) so here is an introduction to lenses. I’ll cover more specific lenses in the future.
Hi
I’ve just found this site and your intro to lenses is a real help. I’m a complete beginner and have just bought my first DSLR. A Nikon D80.
What I would like, if possible, is an easy way of remembering the effects of aperture, exposure, and ISO on a picture as I’m confusing myself. Is there an easy way to remember these things?
I’ve asked for Digital SLR photography for Dummies for Christmas!
Many thanks
Jackie
Hi Jackie. Simple way to remember is the larger the f number the more will be in focus = larger depth of field. and vise versa, smaller the f number, less depth of field.
The larger the f number, the slower the shutter speed needs to be as you making the hole smaller, letting less light in.
Exposure – too dark = under exposed = shutter speed should be slower, or aperture needs to be wider.
too light = over exposure = shutter speed too slow, aperture too wide.
ISO = higher the number = higher sensitivity to light = higher noise (grain) in image.
Hope that helps a bit.
Hi ! I was wondering what are the 180 or 750mm stands for.Are they the width or the length or the lenses? Another question, what kind of accesories or equipment should I get for wildlife photography?
Hi, yes the 180 and 750mm is the focal length of the lens. So a telephoto lens might be anywhere from around 100mm through to 600mm or more. This is what gives you the ability to get close up from a distance, so the higher the number, the more zoom there is, but beware that a good quality long lens is going to be very expensive and there are lots of very cheap rubbish lenses on ebay which should be avoided. For wildlife photography, I would look at getting a lens that goes to 300mm at least. There are some good 70-300mm lenses available for a range of prices. If you really want to get serious about wildlife photography then a good long 400mm or 600mm will be great, but also very expensive as in several thousand pounds (GBP).