We've heard it before haven't we? It's not the camera that matters, but the photographer using it. That doesn't stop us from wanting the best gear, constantly dreaming of camera body upgrades and faster lenses, the idea being that more expensive equipment will help us to take better photos. After all, having the right equipment is important for any craft.
So, where does that leave the rest of us? With our entry level DSLRs, point and shoot, or cell phone cameras?
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| Both photos shot with Nikon D3000 (Entry Level DSLR) |
No matter what equipment you have, be it a DIY Pinhole Camera or a top of the line DSLR, the fundamentals of photography remain the same: light, composition, knowing your gear inside out. Mastering these fundamentals will allow you (with practice) to take the absolute best shots that you can with what you already have.
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| Photos taken with my iPhone and uploaded to instagram (@satakieli) |
Light is the most important aspect of photography, it is how your camera sees the world and not only that but it can make or break your images. Check out this exercise for practicing with various lighting by Melissa.
Composition is the arrangement of visual elements in the photograph, the act of combining elements to form a whole. This includes (but is not limited to) things like perspective, posing your subjects, and focus. Check out Brooke's tips on Working your Subject.
No matter what you are shooting with, knowing your gear is hugely important. You should know the strengths, weaknesses, and quirks of what you are shooting with. If your camera has a manual setting you should learn to use it. If it does not, then you should learn how to use other settings to your advantage. You should know how your camera works, no matter what camera it is.
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| Photos taken with my iPhone and uploaded to instagram (@satakieli) |
Some of my favourite photos that I've ever taken were shot with my cell phone camera, using the same principles that I would use with my DSLR. You can read more about making the most of your cell phone camera in Audrey's post here, and on this post from my own blog. Even the most unlikely equipment can give you fantastic results, check out these beautiful photos taken with toy cameras or this article from Adorama on shooting great travel photography without a DSLR.
Don't let your gear hold you back, get out there and shoot!
Written by Rebecca of Bumbles & Light
I could not agree more. If I can't get great pictures with my entry level DSLR, then I shouldn't invest in more expensive equipment until I can.
ReplyDeleteTrue! Good post. I am shocked at some of the good pictures I am able to get with my Iphone. I love it. But there is of course a special place in my heart for my DSLR and my iphone can never replace that. But it is nice not to have to bring my big camera to places where it can get hurt like a baseball game. Iphone photos work fine for that!! :)
ReplyDeleteI only got an iPhone back in February of this year and I was shocked too at some of the photos I could take with it! My DSLR is a different creature entirely and although it's only entry level I love it to bits for different sorts of projects than my iPhone.
DeleteThank you for these tips and links to learn more. I'm a novice and haven't reached the confidence level to take my camera off the auto focus! Just found your site today and I'm very excited to soak up the shared knowledge and take better shots!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Carrie and please take the time to browse around! There's a ton of info on here on all sorts of things from all of our lovely contributors :)
DeleteThis is so true! I actually liked more of the photos I took with my first point and shoot than I those I have taken with the DSLR that I decided I had to have last year! It's been a steep learning curve! But now I'm thinking of selling the DSLR so I can afford an iPhone. I admit it, I have iPhone envy :~)
ReplyDeleteI only just got my iPhone in February this year, before that I had bad iPhone envy too! I'm so happy with it though :)
DeleteThe DSLR is a different sort of learning curve, but once you really get into it it is a lot of fun to have too!
I completely agree. It can be so easy to get caught up in the gear & wish lists. But if we spend as much time working on all the things that matter- we have less time to think about all the things we don't have. I have found my happy place with my gear. There are only a couple things I could wish for at the moment & I'm just enjoying pushing my current set up to it's max.
ReplyDeleteExcellent tips, Rebecca! You do such of an amazing job of showing folks that it really is possible to take amazing photos with any camera! Well done. :)
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. I adore my iPhone for pics because it's so easy to use and always handy. Some of my favorite photos were captured with my phone. Sure there are specific situations where more pixels or a longer focal length come in handy, but you can definitely make some amazing images with a phone or point and shoot.
ReplyDeleteLove this!! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post. Thank you so much for the encouragement
ReplyDeleteFrom a so not savvy photographer ;)