Photography 101, Part I: The Camera

Interested in photography? You’ve come to the right place! The good news is that taking pictures has only gotten easier to do. Since the word was first coined in 1839, the technology of picture-taking has become both more sophisticated and more accessible. As photography has become increasingly popular, and as the number of devices that can take photos have grown exponentially, options can feel overwhelming. This post will guide you through some of the choices you’ll be faced with as you start taking pictures.

Decide What You Value

This is not yet about deciding what you feel is picture-worthy. It’s a little more fundamental, and you should think about it before you even pick out your camera. Ask yourself: what do you value most in terms of your own photo-taking practice – affordability, portability, quality? Do you want to take pictures of your vacations or document your family? Use photos to check in on Facebook or become a professional portrait photographer? Your answer can change later (or you can have multiple answers!), but when you’re just starting out, think about your most basic needs and work to meet those first. It’s easy to be excited by all the bells and whistles of fancy cameras, but be realistic about what will serve you best. Throughout this series of posts, I'll be compiling a list of cameras suitable for a few different purposes. There is some overlap, as well (for instance, many budget cameras--the second area I'll be reviewing--are also good compact/travel cameras).

 Herbert George Ponting and Telephoto Apparatus, Antarctica, January 1912