Beginning Digital Photography


Cell phone cameras
Digital compact cameras
Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras
Image editors and image management software
Learning photography
Photography magazines
Photography websites
Places of inspiration

Introduction

Now that Photography has gone digital I find that imagination is the only limiting factor and as result I treat mine as my most important and valuable asset, creatively speaking. Photography is now easier and more accessible to everyone because all the technical stuff has been hidden from us by the people who make cameras and the software applications we use to create and present our work. Photography is actually more of a mental process than a technical one and with digital technology we are free to create on a computer almost any image which pops into our imagination


Taking pictures is not very difficult and all that stops most people from diving right in is a lack of self belief and some basic organisational skills. The technical skills required to operate a camera are now minimal and anyone can do it. The camera is only a tool and as such it is hardly worth thinking about once you know how to operate it and have it taking the type of shots you want. All this automation means we have more time and space to focus our minds on what we are trying to achieve - creativity and self expression. This comes from our minds and our emotions and has little if anything at all to do with camera technology


Photography is a craft and mastering the basics is the first step in turning any craft into an art. You don't need much money to get into serious photography now and practice and self discipline will improve your photography far quicker than just throwing money at it


Being a minimalist I take the same approach in my photography as with everything else I do in life because it works for me. I prefer simplicity. I started off clueless but with a real desire to express myself creatively back in the days of film photography and by using cheap basic equipment I slowly learned things by trial and error. Now almost 20 years later I reckon that photography consists of roughly 60% commitment, 30% organisation and 10% equipment


These figures may surprise you but the fact is that computer skills are now just as important to your success as camera skills are. After each shooting session you need to import your images into a computer where you begin the process of evaluating each shot for duffers and keepers; sorting and filing your keepers and then preparing selected images for output via media such as printers and the web. It sounds like a lot but this can all be made to run very smoothly if you adopt simple workflows that you are comfortable with. When you are out with your camera you are doing camera workflow and when you import to the computer you adopt a different workflow for image management and editing. I talk a bit more about this in the next article on digital photography workflow


Photography can be great fun when you like the tools you use and this will be reflected as you see your work improve with patience and practice. This in turn will lead you to increased self belief and a sense of personal achievement. Unfortunately some people give up too soon through frustration or a lack of time but the secret is to start simply with modest aspirations and learn the basics well. The basics are used by all photographers and you never forget them once they have been learned. Like with any creative interest you should enjoy it and not rush - like drinking Guinness it should be done slowly and enjoyed


Cell phone cameras

Most people already own a camera because most cell phones have in built cameras which allow you to take quite good photos. All you need is the curiosity to see how much quality you can squeeze out of a camera phone. This way you get to practice cheaply and then buy a more suitable camera later if you decide that photography is for you. There is now no excuse for you not to have a go


Digital compact cameras

Expensive camera equipment is now somewhat redundant and the technical merits of competing camera brands are now almost universal. Digital compact cameras (digicams) are now so good that it would be crazy for a beginner to spend money on an expensive digital single lens reflex camera, otherwise known as a DSLR.


panasonic lumix dmc tz7 Pick any decent digital compact manufactured since 2008 and you are good to go. The availability of these compact and very capable tools means that one small gadget covers almost all the shooting situations we may encounter. For example I can now easily go out landscaping without having to carry a tripod and a heavy rucksack stuffed with spare lenses and expensive filters. This is a great example of how technology has made photography easier and more accesible


Compact cameras - things to look for:


All modern compact cameras capture fantastic shots and have the quality for printing up to at least A4 size. With care there is no reason why you can't produce stunning prints of up to 18 inches by 12


Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR)

DSLRs can be used like compact cameras where you choose an automatic shooting mode and start taking photos but they also offer you much more creative control and flexibility than compact cameras


A DSLR offers much more technical options and this combined with the ability to shoot images in RAW format gives you more latitude in post production to help you realise your creative vision


Nikon D40 If you intend on making photography a life long interest and you can well afford one then go right ahead and buy one. Any entry level DSLR camera is worth looking at because they are all extremely good and if you go with Nikon or Canon you will be in very good company. Only when you have owned and used one of these cameras will you appreciate the difference in quality and performance which they offer over compacts


DSLR Advantages:


DSLR Disadvantages:


DSLRs are good for sports photography owing to their speed of operation and they are also very good for landscape, wildlife or nature photography because the larger image sensors don't produce much digital noise when shooting at dusk and dawn when the light is low


Image editors and image management software

This is an area where you will want to pick the best tool(s) for the job. You can use separate applications for photo management and editing (I do) or you can use a single application that takes care of both. Your choice of software is important and can quite literally determine whether you love digital photography or end up being frustrated with it. Good photography software should be fun to use and make child's play of browsing large photo collections that can be categorised and/or tagged for fast retrieval


Basically you are doing three things with your images once they are on your computer - you are either managing them, editing them or sharing them with the world. An image manager is a software application which scans and monitors the folder structure you create for your photo collection. It has functions for sorting your photo collection into albums, categories and favourites. Some image managers also offer image editing functions and the applications I know about manage to implement this successfully. An image editor does just what is says on the tin - it lets you change the look of your photos. As you learn you will come to recognize that some image editors are much more powerful and flexible than others but for now we will stick to those more general image editing features that are available in most decent photo editors


You don't need to spend money to get decent photo software - the Picasa photo application from Google is free, brilliant, and a joy to use. You can browse large collections of photos with it very quickly and it is far better than some of the programs that come bundled with digital cameras. Picasa also uploads images to online photo sharing sites like flickr; social networking applications like facebook and print services like photobox. If you hate the software that came with your camera then Picasa might feel like a breath of fresh air to you if you just want to manage, edit and share your images with the world


I recommend Picasa to beginners because it is great for managing a large photo collection as well as offering some very useful basic editing features. It is one of the most usable pieces of photography software I have ever seen and it's main strengths are it's simplicity and the fact that you can learn intuitively without having to read the manual every 5 minutes. After each days shooting you create a new folder on your PC for that day and then transfer the images over from your camera. If you then open Picasa it should pick up your new folder easy as pie. Alternatively, Picasa also has an import dialog for importing images directly from your camera to a folder on your choosing. Picasa's editing features include all the usual suspects - cropping, straightening, red eye reduction, exposure compensation, color correction, etc


Photoscape is another free and very impressive photo application which be be used as both an image manager and a photo editor. I figured it out in a hour or two without even looking at the manual and it was a lot of fun learning what it can do. The user interface is gorgeous and it invites you to just dive right in and start experimenting. Picasa was the application I used to recommend to photography beginners but after discovering Photoscape I would advise them to try out both. Photoscape has everything Picasa has plus a few other surprises up its sleeve such as a RAW converter, photo frames and print layouts. Some of the drop shadow effects you see on the illustrations on this site were created in seconds using Photoscape. Check out the screenshots and see what you think. Lots of new photographers rave about Photoscape and this is no wonder because it allows them to feel confident and get creative right away


Adobe Photoshop Elements (PE) is also very good and it can be used as a one stop shop that offers all the features you are ever likely to need. The learning curve for PE is a bit steeper than Picasa but you could use both programs simultaneously - Picasa for sharing and basic editing jobs and PE for more advanced image control and editing. If you have Picasa and PE you will have all the software you need at a total cost of around €70


Picasa photo software

Learning photography

Once you are happy with your choice of camera and love the software applications you have chosen, it is time to buckle down to the real business of practicing to improve your photography. Operating the camera and your software should become second nature. Once you have convinced yourself that you don't need to worry about the tools you are using then you will be free from self doubt and all that silly thinking that blocks your creative mind. You know that silly voice that keeps telling you that you will never be any good at this? Well you should stop listening to it from now on.


You just need to open your mind and learn to recognise the creative possibilities which are open to you. Digital photography offers endless scope for creative experimentation and the more you practice and learn about it the more you will see what I mean. Ten years ago I took straight photographs on colour slide film but now when I am thinking about what to do with certain shots I can see hundreds of creative possibilities. It is also very educational to study basic art because a lot of the age old techniques used by artists were later adopted by photographers - creative use of colour and compositional devices springs to mind. Now we have software which can easily make a photographs look like watercolour or oil paintings for example


Looking at the portfolios of other photographers and the types of work they produce will reveal a multitude of styles. These people all started out clueless but like you and me but they were driven by a desire to express themselves as individuals through being creative. The only thing I would say is that is important not to hang too much on all you see and read. Your creative flow can become constipated if you are constantly comparing your work to that of others. Instead it is far better to trust your own intuition, do what you enjoy, and see where it leads. This way you are much more likely to discover what styles you like and those you don't like. It is what pleases you that really matters and simply a case of to thine own self be true


Learn to notice how simple great images can be and how the picture elements compliment each other to form a strong impression. Less is always more in photography and simplicity makes for more compelling images. Finding that simplicity is probably the biggest challenge facing all photographers but you might just surprise yourself with what you are capable of if you make the most of the humble equipment you have while tuning your mind to take care of the real source of your creativity


Photography magazines

Photography magazines are a good source of reference material once you can get into the habit of reading the articles and tutorials while ignoring the adverts. UK photography magazines are particularly good and there are some excellent niche magazines available like Photoshop Creative which is geared more towards artistic photography and blurs the line between photography and art. Some of the demonstrations are excellent and you get all the tutorial files on the CD for trying then out for yourself


Uk photography magazines

Amateur photographer is a cheap weekly photo mag that is a good read. It's good for photography competitions and has a lot of used equipment for sale


Digital photographer is a monthly magazine with good digital photography tutorials and practice images on the cover disk. If you are a new SLR user then you will like it


Black and white photography is a monthly dedicated to both traditional and digital black and white photography. It is excellent and is a great resource and source of inspiration for true black and white aficionados


Shutterbug is a very good American photography magazine and widely available in the US and Canada


Painter magazine is for artistic photographers and digital painters. You can learn how to do things like make serious paintings from landscape and portrait photographs


Web developers and graphic designers will like Photoshop creative because it carries lots of good tutorials for web and print design


Photography magazines have some great featured articles and a lot of the photographers who contribute to these magazines were beginners who used to read them when they were learning


You can also use magazines as a good source of reference material. It a good idea to stick your own labels on the backs of your magazines so that you can add index notes. There is nothing more crazy than rifling looking through 100 magazines for an article you once read on polarising filters. Most of the magazines also publish 'bookazine' versions on DVD where you get one years worth of back issues plus all the instruction videos and tutorial files. Enough to keep you busy for a while and it only costs about €20


Photography websites

Forums can be good for self motivation. You get to hear about what other people are doing and how they arrived at where they are now. When starting out the amount of forums can feel intimidating so you just need to dig out one you like and join it. You can easily make friends with other photographers and let them see the kind of work you are doing. This is a great way to get feedback on what others think of your work


Most photographers are friendly but you sometimes get those who are way too analytical. You are better off not taking criticisms too seriously because if you do that you will just lock up and then feel as though you can't trust your own judgement


Photography tutorials

Steve Paxton has a nice article for improvers titled Ten Ways to Improve Your Skills


Places of inspiration

Flickr page featuring some outstanding cell phone photography

The American landscape gallery is a inspiring site with stirring images and sounds from the American heartlands. There is some great landscape and street photography from the American west and Alaska.

American landscape photography is a lovely site that features the great American outdoors and has some stunning landscape photography with illustrated articles. The site has plenty to keep you busy and has great travel guides for anyone who dreaming of their great American road trip. Also check out the shop for photography books and magazines.

Photo.net is a comprehensive site with a large forum


Footnote

I once helped a man who suffered from a serious stroke. He had loads of family and holiday photographs on his computer but he could not manage them using the software that came with his camera. The software was so bad it was unusable and when I showed him Picasa he told me that the change of software had literally improved his life. He is now having a hell of a lot of fun editing and organising his photos and emailing them to family and friends all over the world. That is the benefit of using simple but functional gear - it can make you feel like a professional and increase your confidence tenfold. Keep the faith.