Hello from a young photographer :D

[Jooo13]

Hello all!
I'm Jo, aged 14 and I've decided to join this site in order to learn more about photography tips & techniques and get some general feedback on my pictures.
I'm quite new to all the terms and everything on here so I'd be grateful if you take it easy on me for now, I'll learn

My parents, close friends & family say I have a gift for photography and my ambition is to become recognised as one in the near future. I'm only using a small, digital camera for now but looking into buying an SLR quite soon! So any suggestions for which model to go for are appreciated muchly

I have an online portfolio here & a DeviantArt account too. Please take a look and tell me what you think! ​

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Hi Jo, to TP

Some nice work there and you're doing that with just a point and shoot?

I'm sure if you post your question regarding which dslr to go for over on the Talk Equipment section you'll get plenty of helpful advice

 

[Jooo13]

Hi Jo, to TP

Some nice work there and you're doing that with just a point and shoot?

I'm sure if you post your question regarding which dslr to go for over on the Talk Equipment section you'll get plenty of helpful advice

Thank you! And yep, taken with just a considerably cheap digital

 

[Yardbent]

..........................depends on budget

I'd look at Canon or Nikon...you WILL upgrade and these entry level bodies will sell easily

a really good starter would be a Nikon D5000 with a kit lens of 18-70 ...about £500 new
or second-hand.....or drop down to a used D40....lotsa people started with it

add a zoom 55-200 AF-S VR and a prime 35mm AF-S f1.8

notice the lens are AF-S...shows the lens has the focusing motor inside the lens

other Nikon bodies [D80] have the focusing motor in the body - gives a wider selection of available used lenses

only suggested as that's the route I came on ....others will suggest others.....

a Canon user will be able to give you his ideas too.......

 

[Jooo13]

..........................depends on budget

I'd look at Canon or Nikon...you WILL upgrade and these entry level bodies will sell easily

a really good starter would be a Nikon D5000 with a kit lens of 18-70 ...about £500 new
or second-hand.....or drop down to a used D40....lotsa people started with it

add a zoom 55-200 AF-S VR and a prime 35mm AF-S f1.8
notice the lens are AF-S...shows the lens has the focusing motor inside the lens

other Nikon bodies [D80] have the focusing motor in the body - gives a wider selection of available used lenses

only suggested as that's the route I came on ....others will suggest others.....

a Canon user will be able to give you his ideas too.......

Thank you could you just explain those points to me? I'm a total beginner when it comes to lenses

 

[Yardbent]

ok but this is very very very very general

when you buy an entry level camera it usually is supplied with a lens - called a kit lens - and the box will have all the other bits such as batteries and a charger
you will need to buy a storage card such as SDHC [or whatever the camera takes]

you're now ready to go............
if you love landscapes - buy a tripod
most kit lens are a zoom lens about 18-55mm of reasonable quality

if you want to take shots of objects further away you will use a "zoom" with a longer focal length than the kit....example the Nikon 55-200.VR
this will be OK for birds in the Park but not be enough for wildlife which is a highly technical/expensive hobby

the kit lens will not be "fast" which means it will struggle indoors in low light
so people buy a "prime" which has a f1.8 aperture for dim light
a "prime" is a fixed focal length lens such as 35mm or 50mm

however........I suggest you start of with a basic camera with kit lens and learn, learn, learn
you will find you get stuck - ask questions here
sometimes the kit lens will not give you what you want - this means you ARE learning - come back here and ask again ...

where do you live - maybe a trip out with one of the forum regulars would explain all my ramblings in half the time..

 

[Yardbent]

Jo
I suggest you allow people to edit your posted images - a great way to learn

and it allows people to offer constructive thoughts

such as --- I like the paintbrushes
but you have cropped off the bottom tips
and the background [window?] is distracting

John

 

[Jooo13]

Thank you so much, it's appreciated!
I'm from Doncaster, South Yorkshire

I understand about the paintbrushes photo... my window ledge isn't wide enough And, I am willing to let people edit them, so I can learn from my mistakes

 

[sarahpix]

You've made a great start. Loved some of your photos in your online portfolio. Goodluck

 

[Yardbent]

And, I am willing to let people edit them, so I can learn from my mistakes

goto your "Control Panel" and "Edit your Details"

last line..."Image Editing" check box

 

[Grendel]

to TP Jo

 

[ladysue]

Welcome to the forum Jo. I have looked through your online portfolio and am impressed at the variety of shots you have there. My favourite is the water splash shot.

This is a very friendly forum and I'm sure you will get lots of help from the other members.I have learned loads on here. You need to post your photos on the site and ask for critique. Dont be upset if sometimes it sounds negative. It will help you. I think you have a talent but I am just an amateur. I just had a point and shoot camera when I was first on here and, like you , I managed to get some OK pictures with it. I still carry it with me everywhere even though I have a DSLR now.I just bought an entry level Nikon camera ( a D60) with a kit lens which was supplied with it.I think that is the best next step for you so get saving and ask for money towards it for birthdays as I did.

I hope you enjoy it here.
Sue

 

[PSheffield]

Welcome to the site Jo I hope you enjoy it

 

[Lunaticsamurai]

Welcome to the site.

14 and taking photo's like that is an inspiration. I bought my Son's girlfriend a decent point and shoot yesterday as she is much like you and into photography, she is only 16.

The advice i gave to her is learn all you can with a point and shoot and if you feel you want to go further in the world of photography then start looking at DSLR, (Digital, Single, Lens, Reflex).

These camera's have the diversity to match any situation, changable lenses, for different distances, extreme close-up or distant nature, that run/flies off when you get too near.

They have a whole host of features that baffle even the intermediate budding photographer and most of the time never use all the features on the camera.

My advice to you would be to get some books off Amazon or the like about basic photography and learn, learn, learn, terminology is key here as so many people talk in slang, (DSLR, IQ, IS/VR, EV, AF, ISO, bla bla bla) once you know what these mean then life is so much simpler and you can start joining in on the conversations of other people.

You seem to be like me, a general photographer, which means i like taking photo's of everything, nature, landscapes, people, machinery, wildlife, so just get out and take photo's.

A good tip would be to pick a good photographer, pick some images that they ahve taken and try and recreate them yourself, this give you a good understanding into the process that they have taken.

Good luck for the future, the world is not a big place until it comes to photography, and you're only limited to you're imagination.

 

[Wail]

Hi Jo, and to TP.

Very impressive work, especially given your age . You should note that a creative eye has nothing whatsoever to do with the camera, and that's what makes a good picture; hence why you will see the phrase, it's the photographer and not the equipment, pop-up all too often.

Good luck with whatever you decide to buy.