Hello People,
This is my first blog and I thought the best way to start is with something pertaining to Photography. Photography is such a vast subject - it seems almost like a parallel universe cause there is just so much out there for you to learn and explore, if you are interested in it.
While there is so much to shoot, there is wealth of information and numerous courses to help you gain the required knowledge on Photography. You can also benefit immensely from the knowledge imparted by mentors, who are professionals and can help you with the nuances. Similarly, there is a wide range of equipment (or gear) available to suit your photography needs, be it - Fashion, Portraits, Landscapes, Still-life, Architecture, Street-photography, Candid, Wild-life, product, etc. . It is very important to make a careful choice based on genre of photography that interests you.
Today, DSLRs are available at even more affordable prices and are packed with great features to help you get your dream shot. The market leaders are Canon, Nikon and Pentax. Me being a Canon Evangelist will confidently state that Canon dominates the market place :). But that’s my opinion and others might argue otherwise. :)
You get company built lenses, like Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc., which can be fairly priced and at times - expensive, but they deliver great results. Similarly, you have 3rd party lenses - Like Sigma and Tamron, which dominate the market-space. These lens deliver equally good results, are durable and inexpensive. If you want bang for the buck - you can go for 3rd party lenses, but again there are different schools of thought, as some might argue you get the best pictures with Company lenses.
So what should one carry in their bags - all depends on which genre of photography you want to get into. Personally, I am into Landscape, Candid, Street-photography, Portraits, Architecture and Wild-life (just started out). Nature really inspires me most and it definitely brings out the best in me. In my bag - I carry gear that suits my needs best.
What’s in my bag?
- Canon 7D - A high-performance Digital SLR that is designed for Pros and Semi-pros. It is 18 Megapixel with an APS-C format CMOS sensor with a dual DIGIC 4 image processor that makes it fast and best suited to catch Action images like sports, Wild-life, Candid, etc. It is durable and has a very sturdy feel to it.
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| Courtesy - Canon, Inc. |
- Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM - offers a replacement for the kit lens with a higher aperture and optical stablisation. This comes really handy when shooting landscapes, where you want to get a wide shot and Street-photography, when you want to get close yet be non-intrusive.
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| Courtesy - Movies among Friends |
- Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8-4 DG - This is the 1st lens I bought and gave me a great range, as it can move from a wide-angle to telephoto. It is ideal if you want to carry just one lens (for reasons unknown :-)). Some of my best shots were from this lens and I hold it in high-stead.
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| Courtesy - lensbuyersguide.com |
- Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro - is one of my early buys and offers a compact and economical telephoto lens that also gives you a Macro option at the far-end of the zoom range - between 200mm and 300mm. It has served me well for portraits, candid, nature and wild-life (to some extent) photography.
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| Courtesy - Photo Answers |
- Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II - Last on my list, but the best lens in market and my favourite. It is the least expensive lens that offers the best results for portraits. Its a fast lens (even at low light) and it’s shallow depth of field, delivers simply brilliant images.
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| Courtesy - Canon, Inc. |
I sometimes carry a Manfrotto Tripod or Monopod to help me with a steady hand. One thing that we often forget to do is carry additional Memory cards for your camera, a card-reader (just in case), a USB data transfer cable - in case you are carrying your camera.
So - there you go. My first blog with some insights on photography and what equipment to carry. As I mentioned earlier, the equipment you buy depends on the kind of photography you are interested in and the budget you are working with. I started off with small budget and continue to work with a small one :-(. But you have a lot of information available online to help you figure out what’s best for you and your camera.
A veteran in the industry gave me a piece of advice when I was asking him if I should upgrade my camera. His advice was go with an 80:20 split - 20% of your money towards the camera and the remaining 80% into a good lens. My advice to you would be the same - invest wisely with a long-term view on where you want to take this hobby.
Happy Clicking !!!
