Growing up in the age of film cameras, there were a surprising amount of pictures taken by my parents. We didn’t have a lot of money, and by that, hardly any, but they always remembered to take pictures. In this day and age of digital cameras, where one can take virtually limitless pictures with very little cost involved, there shouldn’t be an excuse, but there is.
Many people find it cumbersome to lug around a small camera as they go about their vacations and birthday parties, but these same people couldn’t function without their cell phones, many of which are the same size as a digital camera. Why take a camera, or for that matter, even have one, when a cell phone can take a perfectly low quality image instead? Ignore how many megapixels the phone camera has, simply compare the images side by side with the same resolution digital camera and you can see the obvious differences, such as color, depth and sharpness. This isn’t to say not to use your cell phone’s built-in camera, just remember what it is there for… picture messages, on another cell phone. Some take okay pictures outside, but inside in low light situations is a different story, as even the ones with a flash look horrid.
Now compare their lenses. Notice how even a camera the same size has a bigger lens? That means it can let in more light, resulting in crisper, brighter, more true-to-life color images. The same thing is true for megapixels. You can compare a 5 megapixel camera with a small lens to a 2 megapixel camera with a larger lens, and more times than not, the 2 megapixel pictures will look better.
Crap, I’ve gone off topic, again!
Okay, so basically what I am trying to get across is that cell phone cameras are great for taking pictures of small things you want to show someone later or send as a picture message or use as inspiration for a project while at a craft show. But nothing beats the quality of the images you can get from a real camera. Unless you are a professional or semi-pro or have dreams of going pro one day, you don’t need to shell out thousands of dollars for an SLR (single lens reflex) camera that you’ll probably need lessons to figure out how to take a picture. With film developers switching strictly to digital printing, it is becoming increasingly difficult to develop 35mm film, but there are places that will develop it, it just won’t be in your local drug store. And it probably won’t be going anywhere for a while, even though it has been around since 1892, mostly because it is still the format used by a majority of film makers worldwide. Of course, this is 35mm film stock, as opposed to 35mm photographic stock, but they are still relatively similar. If you like your film camera and it isn’t too much of a hassle to get the film processed and pictures developed, that is great. But for most of us, a digital camera is a more convenient option. Just remember to take lots of pictures and bring it with you wherever you go. A small one that will fit into your pocket is easy to carry, but a larger one you can always just slip into a fanny pack, or use the shoulder strap of the camera bag around your waist to act as a fanny pack, which is what I do.
I take pictures of everything: The first flowers in spring; birds in the bird feeder; the dog or cat sleeping; chickens scratching in the yard; nieces and nephews playing together. I really like to capture candid shots of people. Posed images are great, and have their purpose, but a candid shot really feels like you have actually captured the essence of what they are doing at that particular moment in time. Get creative with your camera! Get down on the ground and see what the world looks like at that level. Sometimes its fun to simply focus on an object, and have the people be part of the background. Don’t be afraid to get close, and I mean really close. So many people stand back so far, they leave an awful lot of empty space in the picture, which, unless it is a scenic shot, there simply is no excuse. I don’t know how many times I’ve been told to stand back, but I refuse because I know that getting that close will result in a much better picture. Play around with your camera when you first get it, taking pictures of random objects and people in various situations. No amount of reading in a manual will help you learn how to use your camera more than simply snapping away!
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