Choosing the right photographic equipment for your image-making efforts requires some thinking. You need to decide several things:
• What kinds of images do you like to shoot?
• What is your “shooting style”?
• Do you like to travel? Do you travel often by yourself?
• Are you strong?
• How do you envision using your pictures?
• Do you plan to sell your pictures? Who will buy them?
• If you photograph professionally, who will your clients be?
The kinds of pictures you will make will usually dictate the kinds of equipment you will need. So, let’s take each question one at a time.
1. If you like to shoot action pictures, you will need a camera that lets you control the speed of the shutter.
2. If you like to shoot nature pictures, you will need a camera that has a feature that lets you shoot close-ups as well as distant shots.
3. If you often travel by yourself, you will need a camera that is very light in weight.
4. If you wish to make big prints to hang on your wall, you will need a camera that has great resolution (18MP or better).
5. If you wish to sell your pictures, you will need a camera capable of great resolution and of sufficient quality to produce salable images. This usually means a better-than-beginner camera and maybe one with a full-frame sensor
6. If you wish to be a professional photographer, you need to know the genre of photography in which you will want to concentrate. There are many.
a. Portraits
b. Weddings
c. Still Life
d. Stock
e. Events
f. Photojournalism
g. Advertising
h. Fine Art
i. Medical
j. Sports
k. Studio
How To Choose The Right Photo Gear
by William Lulow