HUMBACK WHALES SPOUTING

I spend a lot of time outdoors chasing nature with a SLR camera, big lens, and various equipment hoping, to get the job done.  I probably spend as much time talking to people about photography because big lens draw people who think you have all the answers.  Well no one does.  That prompted me to think about this subject in great detail and why I wanted to help people trying to get started.  Cameras are like a mechanics tool chest with each tool for a particular job.  You can multi task but there are certain things you need and one of them is great glass.  I often look at the forums and think about just how many different settings being used to achieve great photographs of the same subject.  However, the single most important thing in photography is getting started.  Whether you use the small in your pocket camera or you buy a camera that uses interchangeable lens, buying that first camera is daunting.  I know because I started in March of 2007 with my first real camera because I didn’t want to go to Alaska without one. 

GLACIER RUN OFF

 I didn’t know anything other than using someone’s point and shoot a few times so I researched forever trying to decide which way to go.  I knew I wanted a brand name and basically only looked at the top two because you get what you pay for and the offerings of camera and lens provided the ability to expand without buying another camera (so I thought).  I ended up buying a kit camera like most people with a zoom lens trying to maximize the investment.   Since I didn’t know anything even after reading the manual, off I went to a local nature center Wildwood Parkand basically turned on the camera and clicked away.   After a week of clicking I was hooked hard.  I upgraded my lens which I still have and use.  Of course this isn’t about the lens or the camera it’s about getting started.  I wondered around from March till June shooting some pretty good pictures that others said was great.  I started meeting other photographers who thought they needed to teach me about photography.  That’s when all my problems started.  Not the teachers but me.  Up until this point I had shot in auto setting, letting the camera tell me what I needed.  But all that was about to change when I found out about shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings and each person had their opinion on what I needed to do and how to achieve it.  So I experimented as they suggested but it was too much too fast and I learned enough to be dangerous.  The funny thing was the earlier pictures were much better and my keeper rate plummeted because I kept changing things when I really didn’t know what I was doing.  The biggest problem came when I finally went to Alaska and ruined 85 percent of the landscapes and half of the wildlife photos.

Mountaing goats take care of the Kids

 Between the trip, the camera, my lack of knowledge and forgetfulness when changing from one setting to another I would under or over expose most things.  If it hadn‘t been for gloomy days I probably would have over exposed all the fauna. Had I only left things on auto I would have been much better off since a trip to Alaska isn’t cheap and a redo may not be in the cards.   I have since learned a lot and hardly ever use any auto settings except for the ISO from time to time and yes learning how the camera works has really helped me but this isn’t about being an old hand at photography it’s about getting started and enjoying it without becoming so frustrated you quit before you get started.  I think it’s ok to use auto settings for awhile till you learn enough to understand what the heck that person is telling you. Not only that but I always find it ironic when a Canon person is talking to a Nikon person and the terminology is different, they use different settings and they both get to the same end.  I think it’s ok to continue to use auto settings if you are happy with your results.  There will be sometimes auto settings just won’t get the results you want like stopping a hummingbird’s wing, snow landscapes or whenever you want an artsy look by intentionally blurring moving objects or stopping the action.  You won’t be able to do any of this without first starting. 

Gizzly gives me a last look as the boat leaves.

Taking great photographs is just as much about the subject as it is about exposure.  As I repeated over and over that I think it’s ok to shoot auto however, I sure am glad all those who helped me learn had the patience to keep at it and I sure am glad I did.