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Dedicating oneself to the world of photography at a professional level requires a series of means that we need to take into account in order to develop our activity with the greatest possible freedom.
Here is a small guide that can be very useful when taking our first steps. In successive parts we will reel off the rest of the elements that are part of the professional photographic equipment.
Photo camera
There is a great variety and it is true that the quality of compact cameras is increasing, so in principle one of them could be worth us, but if what we are looking for is to do professional photography and at a commercial level, we should get a camera reflex. It depends on the type of user you are, If you are a lover of photography and you hope to dedicate yourself to it in a constant, serious and deep way, it is the best option. If, on the other hand, you take a look at the world of photography as a hobby and your intention is to take snapshots on special occasions, without going any further, you should opt for a compact digital camera. It all depends on what you want to find.
If you opt for a professional or semi-professional reflex, It is good that you take into account the following:
- Manual focus: The vast majority of reflexes have this option. When we focus we can do it in an automatic way, but I do not recommend it. When we want to take a great snapshot, focus plays a very important role and by doing it manually we can do it in a much more precise way, we control the parameters at all times and this is always appreciated. The automatic mode may be useful, but in my experience it is not as precise or moldable.
- Eyepiece: It is the "small window" through which we frame the image and through this we can see elements such as the photometer, the diaphragm or the focus circle. Although it shows us the image through the lens, what we see through it is quite real and a good guide for taking our images. There is an important point regarding this and that is to make sure that our camera has a cover for the viewfinder. If we take photographs without flash and in automatic exposure, the light that filters through the eyepiece can alter the values and negatively influence our photographs. Covering it in these cases is very important.
- White balance: It is an important option so that we can reproduce the colors in our images as closely as possible to reality. Having this setting in manual mode will help us much more than in automatic mode.
- LiveView: It is not extremely necessary, but it can always help us to see in real time the result that our capture will have.
- Connections: What more advanced photographers usually do is connect the camera to a large external screen or to the computer itself, in this way we can see exactly the result of our shot. If we use this method, it would be advisable to use software from our computer with which to control the parameters of the camera itself.
- Remote control: Through an external button or remote, you can take pictures from a great distance. The remote control fulfills a function similar to that of the timer, but it is much more comfortable and allows us to control the situation more, the exact moment we want to take our picture.
For example, when I started in the world of photography I opted for a Nikon D3100 and I think it is one of the best options for first time users.
Tripod
To know which one suits you best, you must take into account different aspects:
- What type of user are you? If you are a professional (or semi-professional) and you work with Reflex (and its respective accessories, such as objectives of the size of your head) you must bear in mind that the material from which the support is made will be very important and the structure as well. It must be robust and resistant, but at the same time dynamic and smooth, allowing us to make movements in an agile way and with the minimum possible tremors.
- What kind of work are you going to do? Will you continually move through different landscapes, cities and settings or do you plan to do studio photography? Depending on the life plan you have, one type of material or another will be better for you. Tripods built from carbon fiber are much more transportable, manageable and agile (they weigh much less, although they are not less resistant) so if you plan to make a natural route, for example with the equipment in tow, it is important that you stop to think about this. Between the lenses, the camera, the tripod and other accessories, you can die trying. Carbon fiber tripods can be dangerous because with a gust of wind they can cause all the material to fall to the ground, but for that they have a kind of hook in the central area to act as an anchor in these cases. To avoid this, you will only have to hang a bag with stones from this hook (you take the stones from your destination scenario, obviously you will not carry the stones in your backpack from home;)). On the other hand, keep in mind, that it is not the same, a tripod to photograph extreme sports, a wedding or to make a short film there are different designs. One-foot, three-foot, with diagonal, vertical movements… It is best to first look at an extensive catalog.
- What budget do you have? The ideal thing is that if we are going to get serious about wandering through the world of photography, let's not go to the typical "T0do a 100" and buy the typical plastic tripod for € 5. Cheap is expensive and ... remember that nobody gives you anything for free. If that tripod is sooo cheap, it's not because the store owner is disinterestedly giving you a discount, no, it's because that tripod probably isn't that great. A professional tripod can cost around € 120.