Digital Photo Equipment - Buying Tips For Beginners

Digital photography is a fantastic hobby, and there are more and more folks getting into it every day. The reason so many are interested in it is because of the word "digital." The technology has come so far and it has become so user-friendly that being an amateur photographer is now easier than ever. The question is, what kind of equipment do you need in order to take the kind of pictures that you want? There is a big difference between buying and economical point-and-shoot camera and buying a mid-range DSLR camera.

If you want to take snapshots and travel photos that you pasted into a scrapbook or posted on a website such as Facebook, one of the newer point-and-shoot cameras will probably be sufficient. However, if your intention is to become an advanced amateur are beginning professional, you will want to purchase a more professional digital SLR camera. However, before taking the leap, conventional wisdom suggests that you should "count the cost."

While digital cameras have certainly come down in price, they are not cheap. A midrange DSLR will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500-$2500. Then you have to add the cost of any extra equipment, including lenses. Buying a great camera without a good lens defeats the purpose of the great camera. In fact, many professional photographers spend far more on their lenses than they do on their digital SLR camera.

An Introduction for Some of Photographic Styles

One of the things that is often talked about between photographers and especially brides these days is photographic style. "What's your style?" is a question we hear a lot. Now there are two definitions for style in the photography world. The first is the photographer's unique style... what makes their images different from everyone else and what sets them apart. The other is the photographer's shooting style - the way they capture their images, and this is what most people want to know about and therefore what I'm going to talk about today.
Let's start with traditional photography because it is the oldest & most common style of photography. This is the type of photography you see often at weddings or in department store photos, and traditional photography is easily recognized by it's contrived posed or "set up" look. A benefit to this style of photography for weddings is that these photographer often use a shot list, which means that specific poses are part of this photographer's routine. There are a few disadvantage to this style. One of biggest issues involves their shot list. Traditional photographers get very focused on their shot list so much so that they may miss a special moment because they are more interested in shooting to sell and not necessarily capturing your story. The other big issue is often that the bride groom end up spending so much time taking photos that they miss out on getting to spend time with their guests and enjoying their day.