Hello ,
Some photographers who get in touch with me to learn photography ask me what camera they should get to explore their
interests.
Usually, they're photographers who have cameras on their phones, and they've been dippin' their toes in the photography waters, and now they wanna dive in.
They're considering taking up photography as a hobby.
They're interested in
photography but concerned that once they get to do what they think might be an enjoyable pastime might not be as enjoyable as they imagined.
So, of course, they don't want to spend a lot of money on a camera only to realize they don't like doing photography.
If we’re new to photography, we can be overwhelmed by figuring out the camera we
need to explore our interests.
But chances are good that we’ve already got a camera we can immediately start to work with.
It's probably a pretty good camera, and we can learn a lot about photography with it.
I'm talkin' about the camera on our phone.
We can start to explore our interest in photography by studying and practicing photography with that.
What’s great about a phone camera is we usually always have it with us. And the best cameras to make pictures with are the ones we have with us whenever we get the impulse to make a picture.
Another thing is we won’t have to spend a penny on equipment.
The only thing we’ll need to pay is attention to what we do as photographers when composing a picture.
And what we need to pay attention to and think about is camera operation, composition, and light.
Although the techniques we can use with our phone cameras are limited, especially when comparing them against a DSLR or mirrorless camera, the thought process of creating a photograph is the same regardless of the cameras we use.
I’ve been working with photographers who are brand-spankin’ new to photography but didn’t want to sink money into what could be an expensive
hobby they might wind up not liking.
And like many of us, they thought they needed to buy a camera to explore their interest in photography.
But they didn’t need to spend a dime on equipment. Instead, they invested their money in taking a class that helped them to learn to think like a photographer. They learned about camera operation, composition, and light with the camera on their phones.
Yeah, the cameras on our phones are simple, but if used thoughtfully, we can learn a lot about the complexities of photography.
By using the cameras on our phones, we can learn to simplify the complexities of camera operation into a reliable compositional thought process.
A thought process that associates camera operation with our compositional intent.
And here’s the best part. When we learn to think like a photographer, we can apply the thought process we learned to do with our simple phone cameras to more complex cameras like DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
And remember, the equipment we use ain’t nearly as important as the thought process we bring to using the equipment.
So, in summary, I’d suggest using the camera on our phone to start with because we can learn a lot by using it.
And If we discover photography ain’t our thing, we haven’t spent a
penny on equipment.
But when it's time to buy a new camera because we realize how a camera phone's technical limitations limit our creativity, we'll be better prepared because we've learned to think like a photographer.
And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture today.
That’s all for now; thanks for reading!
Sam
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Study and practice photography with me. I've got regularly scheduled group classes that'll help you be a better photographer.
And if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes, we can schedule a one-time lesson or a series of in-person or online one-on-one private instruction that cover the same things as any of my group classes.
Ways to work with me are listed below.
