First step into photography, bought Sony A6000

[Todd15Fastback]

Figured it was time to buy a decent entry level camera that I can travel with, take good pictures of my children's sporting activities, cars, nature, etc.

Thought I wanted a DSLR but ended up with this mirrorless setup mainly due to the very small form factor and the ability to shoot sporting events.

I also added this 50mm f18 lens based on all the reviews and feedback. I'll pickup the new toy tomorrow and start messing with it.

Can't wait to get used to shooting with this thing and seeing what kind of photos I can turn out.

I know we have a decent amount of camera and photographers on here. Post up your gear, any recommended forums/sites to visit, tips etc.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-al...lack/4322004.p?id=1219752551467&skuId=4322004


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-50...lack/5638022.p?id=1219144863754&skuId=5638022

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[grue]

congrats! carry it with you EVERYWHERE. i've kicked myself many times for seeing something i thought looked good.

i think that camera has a RAW image mode? if it does, use that when you think you are taking pictures that you'll really like. as opposed to office or birthday parties unless it's your family you'll have to get (unless it comes with, which it should) software to handle raw to jpg conversion...

shoot what you like! zoom in, zoom out, it's all digital so worst case is you delete!

unexpected photos may catch your eye. for example, the typical race car photo is a blurred background and tack sharp car... i got back from a trip and this one stood out to me and i love it! morale: don't get too hung up on what other people say is "right" but rather consider their feedback for yourself.

you might want to get into printing your own photos... that opens up a whole other level of hobby that'll take some time to digest... epson or canon inkjets, types of papers and how long prints will last etc... oh, and it gets into color management! that's a fun one!

but, there's nothing more satisfying than seeing a print come out of your printer and adjusting if needed "your masterpiece"

 

[CompO5.sl0w]

Nice! Honestly, almost 50% of the photo comes from the post processing. So, invest in some kind of photo editing software whether it be Lightroom, Photoshop etc. I use Photoshop CS6 and love it.

Here's a couple examples of some shots pure out of the Camera (Canon T5i) versus Post Processed through Photoshop.

Original:

After:

Original:

After:

Original:

After:

I'm also an amateur so I'm barely scratching the surface of what Photoshop can do, but I'm learning.

Also, a good tip like mentioned earlier. If your camera supports it and you are in "photographer" mode then make sure it's taking the pictures in RAW format. You'll get much better quality photos out of that.

 

[partyelmarty]

Learn the basics of photography before really diving into post processing. Its a lot more than just adding saturation and other things that make colors pop...

 

[Grimace427]

You're gonna be hooked now, Todd!

The best choice you made there was the lens, that 50mm f1.8 will serve you well. I don't know much about Sony cameras other than they make the sensors in my Nikon.

I highly recommend shooting in full manual mode so you can better learn and appreciate your camera/lens's capability as well as your creative abilities.

With photography there are two basic fundamental aspects that create the image, exposure and composition.



Exposure includes the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

• Aperture is how wide the lens opens which determines how much light hits the sensor. IMO adjusting this has one of the most creative effects on the image as a wide aperture will blur the background and make your subject really pop. Use a narrow aperture(f8 and up) to get more of the scene in focus, useful for landscapes.
• Shutter speed determines how long light hits the sensor. For dark scenes you want a slower shutter, and vice versa. Creatively this can be used to freeze motion with a fast shutter speed and make for very sharp images, or can increase the sense of motion and speed with a slower shutter speed by blurring the background of a moving object(like a bird or racecar).
• ISO comes from the film days and determines how sensitive the sensor is to the light hitting it. Higher ISO means for a more sensitive sensor which allows for a faster shutter speed or smaller aperture, however too high an ISO can cause for a grainy image. Bump your ISO a small amount for sports photography so you can run a faster shutter speed. For maximum image quality set the ISO as low as possible.

Composition is all in the eye of the photographer. Things like the Rule of Thirds or guiding lines can help make for more interesting photos but really this is really up to you.

 

[Grimace427]

Something to mention about the 50mm lens, it might make it slightly difficult for car photography since you may have to step back more than you think to fit an entire car in the frame. In a crowded car show it might be nearly impossible to fit an entire car in the frame. In those cases instead focus on details that catch your eye as these can make for very interesting photos in their own right.

 

[Grimace427]

I am a self-taught amateur but it has been so much fun that once you are in the swing of things you'll start picking up more and more tricks and ideas.

Here are a few examples of a wide aperture blurring out the background.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Thanks everyone! Good info and cool pictures above! Especially the difference in post processing.

Grimace - Thanks for the key terms above. I am a total newb to this and have a ton of things to learn, etc.

Do you have any forums that you frequent that are good and you are willing to share?

I am beyond excited in taking pictures. I am sure I will be hooked ASAP. Living in North GA, we have some beautiful places all within 1hr of my house that includes mountains, waterfalls, snow, lakes, etc.

 

[Grimace427]

Here are some shots where I closed the aperture to get more of the image in focus.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

I love those wide aperture shots. They look so cool.

Love the other ones, too! WOW.


Brings me to yet another question. What is your favorite place to host your pictures? I see you are using photobucket.

 

[Grimace427]

Post processing is an entirely different world and requires just as much education as taking the photo to start with. IMO start with getting the image first before you worry about running it through Lightroom or Photoshop.

Here's a few shots I processed through PS and LR.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

I am in no hurry to get photoshop or lightroom. Actually have no desire at the moment, to be honest.

I just want to shoot and learn how to photograph my subjects. Build on that base and keep building.

 

[Grimace427]

I love those wide aperture shots. They look so cool.

Love the other ones, too! WOW.


Brings me to yet another question. What is your favorite place to host your pictures? I see you are using photobucket.

I use photobucket because of how simple it is to use and that it works on my work computer. Flickr is also popular with it being able to host full resolution images, but it is blocked by my work network and can also be frustrating to use. My dad uses it and most of the time when he sends me a link to an album it has a 404 error. Also they sometimes require you to be a member to view images.

Imgur is another simple to use hosting sight.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

I use photobucket because of how simple it is to use and that it works on my work computer. Flickr is also popular with it being able to host full resolution images, but it is blocked by my work network and can also be frustrating to use. My dad uses it and most of the time when he sends me a link to an album it has a 404 error. Also they sometimes require you to be a member to view images.

Imgur is another simple to use hosting sight.

I use Imgur now. I will stay with that or go to photobucket. I also use Flickr but not a ton.

 

[Grimace427]

As far as photography forums go, there isn't one I frequent more than any other. Usually I'll google something and a forum will pop up. Currently I subscribe to a bunch of YouTube channels as they are super helpful in learning pretty much everything you need to learn to get a good start in the photography world and also to learn more about your hardware and potential upgrades.


A few off the top of my head:

• Tony Northrup
• Professional Photography Tips
• Matt Granger
• Phlearn

There's a few more but I'll have to check on my home computron. Any one of those can set you up with damn near everything you would need including techniques and hardware. They can also inspire you to try new things.

For me, I'm usually doing candid photography which is essentially shooting stuff as I see them. Sometimes I'll do landscapes but I don't travel enough for that(wish I could though). I also like nature/wildlife which can have specific techniques to better capture the image. Sports and birds require specific hardware to be able to really capture the speed of the subject at a distance, such as a 200mm f2.8 lens which is very expensive($2,500+ for name brand).

Recently I started doing portraits which is all about lighting. I posted the shot of my cousin above which was shot in natural light, and I have a few others with a model(actually a coworker) which was also shot with natural light but really shows how a proper flash/softbox would have greatly improved the shots.

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