Monday, October 25, 2010

Things Photographers Need to Consider When Starting Out

Author: Timothy Bearden

Job Vacancy, Indonesia Job, Job Indonesia

1. Probably the most important thing to consider as a photographer is the lens. The quality of glass will affect your image. Regardless of how good your camera is, if the glass distorts your image it will effect the final product. Spend your money on great glass if you plan to spend a lot of money on your equipment. Make sure you have fast lenses, and a wide range of lenses for various uses. If you are doing this as a hobby, then you may want to consider putting money in to the best camera you can. Lenses can cost thousands of dollars. Far more than the camera.
2. Mega pixels is not the only important thing about a camera. So many people think that if they have more mega pixels, they have a better camera. Not true, certain companies are better at ISO than others. If you need to use a camera in low light and need a higher ISO then certain companies offer better quality. To put it more into perspective, you can have a 24-megapixel camera, and have bad noise at a high ISO. You may not want to enlarge the image anyway because of the noise. However, if you have a camera that can handle the ISO better, and only have 12 mega pixels, you might be able to enlarge it more that the other camera.
3. Make sure to have a back up camera. It is a must if you plan to do photography full time. Opt for even a third. Equipment brakes, your camera is not exempt. Plus it is often easier to have one lens on one camera and a different lens on another camera. Such as, one camera could have a prime lens and another could have a wide angle equipped.
4. Back up batteries is also important. You can't take images if your batteries are dead. Most cameras have lithium batteries, and don't take AA's. So you may not be able to go and buy batteries at a store. Make sure the batteries you do have are charged.
5. Prime lenses are important. Not only are the faster lenses, but often times the images are a lot sharper. Sharp images will offer a better product in the long run. Stick to the bigger companies and stay away from third party. Generally third party lenses don't have comparable quality. You might get lucky though.
6. Use smaller flash drives. Many people think that they should have larger hard drives. However, equipment generally fails after use. If you have shot thousands of images on a compact flash drive and it breaks, you have lost thousands of photos. If you use smaller drives you will have to place photos on more than one drive. If one fails, at least not all your photos will be lost.
7. Backup your files. Do not just place them on your computer hard drive. Back them also on another drive. As mentioned before, equipment fails. If you are photographing for models, weddings, or commercial photography, then if you loose photos, you loose money.
8. Websites are important to all photographers. They showcase your work. It is the easiest way to show people the quality of your work. Invest in the best one you can, as your image will be reflected by it.
9. Portfolios can be done many ways. Some photographers opt for books, others mat their photos so that the images are not covered by sleeves. Just like the website, it reflects your quality. Choose your best photos, and only your best. If you need help choosing which ones, ask someone else with experience to help.
10. Referrals are important to continuing business. Your website will bring in a lot of clients. However, if you can get those clients to refer you to someone else then business will increase even more.
11. Keep up to date with new ideas. In wedding photography brides seek current trends. If you don't keep up to date with sharp photos, Gaussian blur effects, saturation tweaks, off camera flash, and many more, then clients may not come to you because you are not current.
12. Invest in a good camera bag. The more you can store in one bag the easier you can get to your equipment. Tote bags for storage are also handy. As you increase your repertoire of equipment you will need ways to hold stands, tripods, and umbrellas. It will be useful when carrying things to your on site location.
13. Consider equipment like lens pen cleaners. They help when you when you need to clean your lens in a fast situation. Make sure whatever you use do not scratch your lens.
14. Remember to take it slow, as photography is a costly investment.

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