Im a beginner photographer?

Question

ive asked this question before, but yea i didnt find any good answers :{

okay, so im getting my nikon d40 next month, omg i cant wait, im like craving to take some good shots of nature outside, i dunno if im going through a phase but for some reason im just liking photography right now.

-so im a beginner beginner any tips (i like to take pictures of animals, nature, wildlife and all that)

-should i get a macro lens for taking pics of flowers and such, or does the d40 already come with a pretty good lens?

Answer 1

You've selected a great camera.  You'll learn lots with it.

I have to tell you (after 25 years in photography) that the equipment is really not nearly as important as you skill.  Yes, lens glass quality is essential but aside from that, you need to use your skills and imagination to make the best photographs.  Skills you learn from others, imagination you learn for practice and experience.

If you can join a club, you'll love it. If you can take a class at the community college, even better.

Get a good sized digital card and see how many different ways you can shoot one item, especially a face.  Got a good friend or sister who will work with you?

Take a good long look at this website:

http://www.durhamtownship.com/portfolio/

I love her work and learn from her every time I go back.  She also talks a lot about her techniques and equipment.  Also, she's really humble, so she doesn't act "like all that".  She's real and I love her.

Answer 2

When you get your camera READ the manual. Then try every setting...then keep trying them...blow off as many images, it doesn't matter. Remember what works, then read up on techniques.

Answer 3

I would say shoot as many pictures as you can, download them and then analyze them to figure out what you can improve.

Buy (or get from the library) a book from Brian Andersen "Understanding Exposure"

Once you have begun shooting you will figure out what you like better, develop a style and then 'see' what equipment you will need to move to the next level

Good luck!

Answer 4

If you're a beginner, you'll want to learn the basics of exposure and composition first. I don't have a reference handy to point you at, but some things you'll want to look into include the "rule of thirds", and the relationship between shutter speed and aperture.

On the macro side, the 18-55mm lens that comes in the kit with most D40s is pretty adequate for close-ups of flowers and similar subjects. It's not a true macro lens, but before you go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a dedicated macro lens, see whether you like the perspective you get from getting in close.

A final thought - the D40 has a number of automatic and semi-automatic shooting modes. It might be useful to do some shooting in the various modes, then examine the pictures in a photo editor to see what exposure the camera used, based on the mode you used.

For example, let's say you're outside on a sunny day. If you set the camera to "sports" mode, it'll select a shutter speed of about 1/1000 of a second, and an aperture of f/4.0. Under the same conditions, if you set the camera to landscape mode, it'll choose 1/125 and f/11. Understanding why both pictures are properly exposed, but look totally different, is a pretty key concept.