The Hunt.....

OK, so now that I want to be a photographer I need to get the right tools.

My Canon A590 power shot point and shoot camera has served me well. But it is time for something a little better. Digital SLR here I come!

Where to start? Canon, Nikon, Pentax? With so many options to choose from and the sheer amount of technical information available for all these cameras. The decision can be daunting at best.

Photograph Courtesy of Derek K Miller

Budget is certainly a consideration. Nikon's range of DLSR cameras vary from $400 to $8000 just for the camera body. With lenses that range in price from $60- $29,000, your choices are endless and can get rather expensive.

I have done my fair share of lurking around in Forums, camera shops and around town. I have discovered the right camera is different for everyone, and every make of camera had something I was looking for. I decided to start with picking a brand of camera.

And the winner is....................NIKON.

OK OK, relax you Canon owners, I loved my Canon powershot but DSLR is a new monster to me. I had to go with what I knew and that was what my friends had. Sure you can call me a lemming for following them off the cliff. But I have a few friends that shoot with Nikons both amateur and professional. Yes I realize just because they shoot great pictures doesn't mean because I have a Nikon I will shoot great pictures as well . but I had to start somewhere, and from hearing the praise they gave their cameras for quality, durability and use. Nikon won this round.

Many people have brand favorites and won't venture outside of that. Camera owners have some of the most passionate brand loyalty of any product I have even seen. Aside from North American Auto workers, but that is a story for an entirely different blog.

I now need to decide what I want to shoot?

• Action and Sports
• Portrait
• Landscape
• Macro
• Night/Low Light
• Travel/Outdoor
• Indoor
• Spontaneous
• Planned/Studio

All of the above? There are elements of each category I like. It is had to choose just one. So I have narrowed it down to my top 3, in no particular order.

• Portrait
• Landscape
• Travel/Outdoor

These were my top 3 as I have certain goals in life, I looked at my future plans and how each photography style would fit into those plans. Travel and people are a big part of my life now and my future goals, if photography can become a large part of that future it would only enhance it.

This could all change as I dive deeper into the world of photography. As it stands today this is what I am looking for.

For each of the shooting styles I have picked there are camera features that best fit those styles.

Portrait

1. Image stabilization
2. Live view LCD
3. Color control (especially flesh tones)

Landscape

1. Image stabilization
2. Extended dynamic range
3. Dust control
4. Color control (especially earth tones)

Travel/Outdoor

1. Image stabilization
2. Small size and low weight
3. Extended dynamic range

Nikon offers a wide range of cameras from the D3000 to the D3X. Every camera has features that are similar and some have features far to advanced for myself at this stage in my photographic evolution.

More to Come.....

In the beginning

What is photography? Websters Dictionary describes photography as: The process or art of producing imaged of objects on sensitized surfaces by the chemical action of light or of other forms of radiant energy, as x-rays, gamma rays, or cosmic rays.

Sounds exciting doesn't it?

For many years I was satisfied with the results of my photography skills. Red eyes and out of focus, were the norm. Regardless of how much I spend on these fancy little digital point and shoot cameras, without the knowledge of how to property use the camera the results were always the same.



No my dog doesn't have lasers for eyes, as cool as that would be, this was becoming the norm with me and photography.



Enough is enough. It is time for a change, and that is the inspiration for this blog. You are going to have to bare with me, I am new to photography and blogging. I have given myself a goal of showing at least 1 photo a week. I plan to take many photos, as many as I can, and share with you both the best and worst. I am going to put myself out there. Critics I hope you are reading this. Be brutal, be honest.

I am going to have fun along the way. With so much to learn and so many people out there to draw from for inspiration, this is going to be a fun ride.