What you need to get into Photography
What you need is a camera.
It’s a blunt answer but hear me out…
I think a lot of people overthink the idea of getting into photography and assume that they need a mirrorless camera with X amount of megapixels and a fully articulating screen to get into photography because across social media, big time influencers with big time money recommend their £3000 camera across their pages. By all means if you have the money to buy a top of the range camera, do it!
But if this will be your first camera, just know this expensive kit will not make you a better photographer overnight...
I took this photo on my iPhone 8 and it’s still one of my favourite shots I’ve taken to this day. In fact it’s this photo that set the tone for the style I would eventually perfect a year later. The red of the bus popped perfectly and the muted colours of the city backdrop made me love it even more.
Needless to say, I’m very proud of this image…
If you are to start anywhere, start with what you’ve got and in most peoples case, your smartphone is more than enough.
Of course one could argue the iPhone itself is fairly expensive on its own which is true but my point is that modern day phones have the capabilities to produce great photos and are slotted away neatly in almost everyones pockets these days.
This photo was taken on a Nikon D3200 I bought on my 17th birthday. I had saved up enough to get a cheap DSLR that would last me for a while and allow me to better understand the theory behind photography in general.
For most of my time with this camera that I bought for less than £200 of MPB.com I used a kit lens I found in a cupboard under the stairs which did limit me when it came to shooting in low light but at the same time it allowed me to gain a better understanding when it came to composing my photos as well as how to properly expose my images with my new mastery of the exposure triangle.
It taught me how to take photos without having to rely on automatic features.
And then during the October of 2021, I finally bought myself a 50mm prime lens which led me to creating some great photos that were taken on a camera that had been around for almost a decade at that point.
Photography can be an expensive hobby there’s no denying that but you can get into it without having to fork over more money than you need to. If you have a smartphone, use that. If you have an old DLSR chilling under the stairs, use that. If you have a film camera just sitting around the house, use that. You could even use your old nintendo DSi if you wanted to (I wouldn’t really recommend it but each to their own I guess…)
In my opinion, a digital camera is just one aspect of photography you need, the other thing you need is a eye for good photos because like I said before, just because you threw thousands of moneys at a camera brand for their top of the range kit, doesn’t mean you’ll be any better than those using film camera that were built in the 90’s…
Use what you have or buy what is more than afforable to you. Learn the basics behind photography by going out constantly and taking photos.
And then, once you’re completely confident, splash out and get that £3000 camera.