Photography Q&A

Often, I am asked questions about photography. I thought I would post a few of the more frequent ones....

1. What kind of camera should I get? Honestly I have no idea. If you want something to throw in your purse or pocket, many of the point and shoot (P&S) cameras take amazingly good photos. If you want to be able to change lenses, then get a dSLR. However, if you shoot on the "auto" setting, it doesn't really make sense to spend the money on a dSLR. That's just my opinion of course.

2. Should I buy a big camera (a.k.a. dSLR)? It's really up to you. Sometimes I love to just throw my P&S into my purse and go! Other times I love having the ability to change lenses and control my settings. One thing that is really nice about a dSLR is that there is no shutter lag, like a P&S has.

3. Where should I buy a camera? I always like to buy my cameras from Costco because you have 90 days to return them if there is something wrong with them. I use Canon equipment but there are other brands that are just as good. I just don't know much about them.

4. What brand of camera should I buy? I use Canon equipment but there are other brands that are just as good. I just don't know much about them. One site that I always recommend people try out is dpreview. I use that site a lot to compare and research all kinds of camera equipment.

5. How do you get your camera to take such good pictures? I hate to tell you this but it isn't just about having a nice camera. The photographer determines a lot in how the photos turn out. If you let the camera do all the work (i.e. auto setting), many times the camera won't pick the best settings and will overexpose or underexpose an image. Anyone who is serious about photography and getting the best possible images, should read the manual for their camera and slowly learn how to pick the settings themselves.

6. Where should I get my pictures printed? The place I would recommend first is mpix. It is the best place online, in my opinion, to get professional quality that is available to consumers. It is owned by a company called Millers Lab, which produces products for professional photographers. Check out mpix.... you won't be sorry!

That's it for now...