Okay, so after my initial investment in a decent Camera, I have come to realize there are a few essentials bits and pieces an amateur should outfit himself with.
1. A decent camera/accessory bag. This is fairly obvious, you accumulate lenses, flashes, batteries, memory cards, light meters, lens cleaners, etc, etc. None of these things are much good if they are sitting at home in a sock drawer. Invest in a decent size bag to take these things with you. The bag also gives your camera a home to live in, and provided much needed protection. Where I bought my camera they had a deal on a bag that came with a spare battery for my camera (another much needed accssory). The kit was almost the same price as a spare battery alone, which made it very attractive.
2. A spare battery and charger. Some cameras come with a charger, and some don't. Obviously, if your camera takes AA batteries this isn't as important. However, do you really want to be spending boat loads of money an disposable batteries? My camera came with a battery and a charger, so my purchase of a camera bag/spare battery combo kit was perfect. You can spend a day taking hundreds of pictures, and all you will remember is the shot you missed after your battery died.
3. A Tri-Pod. I didn't think I needed or wanted a tri-pod when I bought my camera, after spending some time shooting I realized I do really need one. For low light shots you can achieve a much lower ISO for crisp shots, and save yourself a few stops in aperature/shutter speed (you read those links I posted earlier. Right?). A Tri-Pod allows you to use a slower shutter speed to capture movement, while preserving a crisp background (like a motion blurred waterfall). It will also allow you to capture crisp landscapes and portraits in less-than-ideal light conditions. Remember, the lower the ISO (film speed) you can use, the more crisp and clear the picture. Last but not least, if you are like me, you have hundreds of pictures of your friends and family but you are in none of them. A camera mounted on a tripod with a self timed shutter (or remote shutter) allows you to be part of your art.
Tri-Pods vary as much, and can cost as much (or more) than your camera. I decided to go with an entry level tri-pod with a quick release camera mount. The quick release plate attaches to your camera, and snaps on to the tri-pod. With the click of a lever the camera pops off, instead of having to tighten a bolt each time.. This saves your camera and your tri-pod from wear and tear, and since its easy to attach/detach you will use the tri-pod more... in my life when a convience turns in to a chore, im less prone to doing it. Tri-pods come in various types, sizes and styles.. and the pros and cons of the different styles are beyond me, so do some research. Don't buy the cheapest thing you find, remember you are trusting this thing to hold up your camera. I would hate to see a thousand dollars worth of camera gear smash to the ground because of a 20 dollar tri-pod.
4. Mounted/Remote Flash. Many cameras come with a built in flash, often these flashes are only good for a few meters, and are always direct on, facing yoru subject. This often leads to crisp shadows, and washout. While a lot can be done with built-in flashes, and mounted flash can be pointed up to give you light bounce (which will diffuse the flash and soften the shadow). The Canon speedlight system is very cool, as you can mount the flash to the camera, or have it off to the side or back of your subject (wirelesss). This allows to you position the shadows in your shot to give depth to you subject. Obviously, the scope of lighting a subject spans more than I can cover in a paragraph, but I can tell already I want a flash that can operate remotely. Combine a remote flash with the camera's built in flash, and its amazing the quality of shot that can be had. External flashes (mounted or remote) also have the benefit of travelling farther. Being able to flash a subject from 21 feet away has its obvious benefits, especially when using a telephoto lense.
5. Lens protectors. You can spend anywhere from hundreds of dollars, to thousands of dollars on a particular lense. These are precision optical devices, with special coated glass to prevent glare and give you the optimal focus and light. For around 20 or 30 dollars you can get lense filters that screw on to the end of the lense to give different effects. In the digital world, most of these effects can be done after the fact with photo editing software, or even the camera itself. Enter the clear "filter", it screws on to the end of your lense, and doesn't effect the picture at all. It's sole purpose is to protect the expensive glass of the lense.. now dust wont get to it, and you dont risk the coating if you are cleaning it. It will prevent chips and scratches that may occur in the wild. Consider this, you are taking a picture of your child in the driveway with his hockey stick, you want to capture some motion to you have him swing thes tick, he catches a stone and SMACK, right in the lense. It may seem like a far-out possibility, but Murphy's law states, anything you think can't happen, will happen. So for the few bucks it takes to attach one of these to each of your lenses makes sense. Now, if my lense gets hit with a stone, I replace the protection filter, instead of incurring a costly repair (or replacement).
Thats it for now, for the purpose of full disclosure. I have purchased everything on this list except for the Flash. My budget just won't allow for it at this point. Unless I become a superstar photographer tonight, or blogs start generating large amounts of money, it will be a while before I purchase one. Doesn't mean I don't see the value in one. Who knows, maybe Santa Clause will read this.
Till next time, keep shooting.
No comments:
Post a Comment