After our results have come in from our survey we’ve decided to take all the answers into consideration and now we’ll be offering some photography tips for you to get better photos.

What a better start than to answer the question I get the most…….“What kind of camera should I buy?”

First of all I’m a firm believer in not purchasing things above your means.  Now I of course didn’t come to this wise advice magically. I purchased my first camera, a Canon 30D (because I knew I was going to be a professional photographer and wanted to make a good investment), on credit and eventually my husband paid it off for me because it was best for our family but you better believe I paid every penny of it back to him sans interest of course.  From then on I vowed that I would always pay for my camera/lens purchases in cash.  So your first step is to figure out what your budget is.  (In case you didn’t know this should be your first step in anything……yes even in wedding planning!)

Secondly, why do you think you need a new camera?  When I want a new lens or any kind of new equipment I always stop and analyze what makes me want it and if I really need it.  I always ask myself “will this purchase improve my photography or do I want it just because it seems cool”?  After that point sometimes I decide to rent a lens that I’m interested in purchasing.  I can’t explain how important of a step this has been for me, especially when a new lens could be near $2,000!!!  Sometimes I really didn’t need anything new after all just needed a creativity boost, but let’s say I decide I needed something to help me improve.  Usually I’ve already done the research since I know what I want and I’ve got a huge wish list, but that’s your next step…..research.

Next, I would probably figure out what I was wanting out of a new camera.  Are you going to be pretty rough on your camera?  You probably don’t want to buy the cheap plastic cameras or lenses.  If you will be doing a lot of low lighting shooting, such as weddings, then I would recommend cameras that function better at higher ISO levels.

Fourthly, what exactly do you plan on doing with your photos?  Are you just wanting to print them out as 4×6′s for your personal photo albums?  Maybe you plan on just having better pictures for your blog and facebook?  Or are you wanting to display larger artistic prints in a gallery or your home?  Why does this really matter?  Well,  ”how many megapixels does your camera have” is another question I get asked quite frequently.  If you just plan on displaying them online megapixels really don’t matter.  If you are planning to print them unless you are going to be printing 20×30 or larger they don’t matter much here either.  Canon’s cameras right now are all 8 megapixels or more so most everyone should be covered.

Finally, ask for advice.  This is what I did when I first started and why I chose the camera I did.  It was perfect for the stage I was at, at the time.  If you follow someone and love to view their photos ask them what camera they use and how it’s working for them.  But I would recommend taking heed to the first few suggestions on purchasing a new camera before I go and ask a photographer “what kind of camera should I buy?”  You’ll most likely get much more help if you can be more specific and be able to explain what you want a camera for.  Here you can see my equipment.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy!

-erika

A few of my recommendations:

Camera for better family photos and snapshots

Canon Rebel