The Best Starter Camera: For Beginners

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You are a beginner photographer, and you are looking to buy a camera. You’ve been searching and searching, but you just can’t make your mind up on which camera to purchase. You hear great reviews on both Nikon and Canon cameras, and you hear great reviews on Sony cameras as well. Which camera do I invest in is the question you are asking yourself. I have narrowed it down to 3 cameras to choose from. There will be one from each brand (Nikon, Canon, and Sony).

 

1.       Nikon D5300 is easily my top camera for beginners. This camera is packed with 24 megapixels, and shoots at 5 frames per second. With its 3.2 inch fully articulated screen (rotating screen), you can shoot from most difficult angles.  The ISO on this camera extends all the way to 25600, which means it performs well in low light settings. The Nikon D5300 has built in GPS to help track your location, and built in wi-fi to help quickly transfer images from your camera to your smartphone and tablet devices. This camera has 39 focal points that helps with capturing sharp images, and has numeral settings such as night portrait, party/indoor, beach/snow, sunset, etc., that will help set your camera settings for the type of environment you are shooting in. The Nikon D5300 is a lightweight camera with 286 available lenses, and most of all, it is affordable with an average price of $470. The Nikon D5300 is ranked #7 in compact cameras.

Nikon D5300 review link: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-d5300 

2.       Canon T6i is my runner-up camera for beginners. It is very closely compared to the Nikon D5300, so you can’t go wrong with either one. The Canon T6i is packed with 24 megapixels, and 5 frames per second. Not only does it have a 3.2 inch fully articulating screen (rotating screen) to help capture images at difficult angles, but it has a touch screen, which gives users an easy control of functions. This camera does great in low-light settings with an ISO that expands up to 25600. The Canon T6i has 19 focal points, which helps with capturing sharp images. It has built-in wi-fi and NFC connectivity to help quickly transfer images from your camera to your smartphones and tablets devices. This camera is semi-affordable with an average price of $650. The Canon T6i is ranked #12 in compact cameras. 

Canon T6i review link: https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/canon-t6i/canon-t6iA.HTM

3.       Sony A-68 is my third choice in entry level cameras. It is powered with 24 megapixels, and shoots at 8 frames per second. With its 2.7 inch tilt screen, it is good for shooting at difficult angles. Its low-light performance is well with an ISO to goes up to 25600. Unlike both the Nikon D5300, and the Canon T6i, it is built with a sensor-shift image stabilizer, which is very helpful in capturing sharp images. The Sony A-68 is also built with an amazing 79 focal points, and has 181 lenses available for this camera. This semi-affordable camera has an average price of $600. The Sony A-68 is ranked #11 in compact cameras.

Sony A-68 review link: https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony-a68/sony-a68DAT.HTM

The Power of Reviews

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Photography is an oversaturated field, and people are choosing between thousands of photographers each day, whether it’s for a family portrait, event, or wedding. If you have an experience with a photographer, I highly recommend you find their webpages, and write them a review. I am going to write about why it is important to write reviews describing your experience with your photographer (good or bad).

1.     A review is beneficial to potential clients. If you did not know the power of a review, I hope this helps you understand what you are doing for potential clients when you write a review. Before a client commits to a photographer, they, obviously can see the quality of their work through their portfolios, but most importantly, they would like to know the experience they will get with that photographer. Potential clients will use reviews to get an idea of how that photographer works.

2.     A review is beneficial to a photographer. When you write a review to describe your experience with a photographer, you are helping that photographer’s business. A review not only helps bring in clients, but it helps with their credibility.

3.     Share your experience. Photoshoots are shared moments created between you, your family, and the photographer. There are a lot of factors that can affect a photoshoot (inconsistent lighting, distractions, bystanders, etc.), and it can be really fulfilling to a photographer to hear your experience. From experience, when I get a review from a client, it makes me smile. Even for me, it amazes me how much clients love their experience with their photoshoot and their images. Photographers see and edit thousands of photos, and each photoshoot, it’s a joy to see how much their clients love their images. It’s what we live for. 

Tips to Help Prepare You for Your Family Photoshoot

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If you are a family that is preparing for either your first family photoshoot with your children that are under the age of 5, or for a photoshoot that includes children under the age of 5, this blog post is for you! I know that you have seen hundreds of family photos on the internet, and is like wow, I want to take pictures like that. Trust me, It’s not as easy as it looks. That may have been their only good shot of the family. Some children are very easy-going, while sometimes, you may get those children that absolutely does not want to take photos, and they will be sure to let you know via whining, and temper tantrums. If you have multiple children under the age 5, you will be lucky to only have one child who gets in that whiny mood.

If you are a family with children under the age 5 that is looking to book a family session, I have some tips to help prepare you for your photoshoot.

1.       Book an early shoot. I say this because the weather is always nice in the morning, and you will avoid extreme lighting. The later you wait; the more people you will see arriving at your photoshoot destination as well. In the morning, children get their first boost of energy, and its usually calmer than in the afternoon (where they get that second boost of energy and they just want to play and be active). When children wake-up and eat breakfast, they are ready to get their day started, and it’s easier to transition them in to a photoshoot before they get in to other things.

2.       Take treats as a bribe. This can make or break your photoshoot. Taking a treat such as candy, or juice can actually get your children to listen for short periods of time. Sometimes, you may have to give them the treat first as a bribe to cooperate during the photoshoot, or use it as a “you will get your treat after the photoshoot” type of bribe.

3.       Be prepared to assist photographer. If you plan on taking photos of the children, be prepared to assist the photographer, especially if you have a toddler. To get the best photos, or to make your toddler feel safe, you will have to be prepared to do things to get the toddlers attention, and to make them laugh. Toddlers usually have a very short attention span, so be prepared to work quickly.

4.       Don’t rush. You want the photoshoot to go as naturally as possible, and you do not want the kids to feel rushed. It’s always good to arrive a little early, and ease in to your session so that your children will feel safe. Always try to start with whole group family photos, so that you get that part out of the way (you never know how the rest of the session will go), then you can ease in to the other shots you want (mom and dad, mom and children, dad and children, children, etc.).

5.       Have fun. The most important part of your session is to have fun. If your children are giving you a hard time, try not to get frustrated, and make the best of it because when you look back at those photos years from now, you can throw it in their face saying; “this is how you use to act at our photoshoots!”