Through The Lens

So recently, I got an entry-level DSLR  and I started to enter the world of digital photography. Point and shoot cameras can be good, same with mobile phone cameras but I wanted to take pictures in detail, explore effects and most of all, see how my eye for colour and detail will translate through the lens.

It took me a while to work out a decision between getting entry-level vs the type of camera that will work out for what I wanted to do. A big shout out to David Morse for the advice. Check out his work here.

So on Boxing Day, we went to Harvey Norman and got a pretty good deal on a Nikon D3400 with 18-55mm kit lens, a 55-200mm DX-VR lens, a camera body strap and 132gb memory card (thank you 12mos interest-free payments!).

So, we went home, assembled the camera – well, if you call attaching the lens, battery, memory card and reading the basics of how the camera works through the manual – assembling, that’s how far I got.

For the life of me, I couldn’t work out when to use which with what. I decided to sleep on it, figured a hobby should not be this stressful, haha.

So, YouTube is not as detailed as I wanted it to be so I signed up for a class, was pretty cheap and I learned a lot AFTER the 1st video. This guy is as detailed as I hope it would be – AKA teaching noobs on how to work out a camera. From scratch. Really.

So I got as far as learning when to use Aperture-Prio and Shutter Speed-Prio and Programmed mode. (I got pretty bored with Auto-mode and the scenes – that’s no different from a point and shoot camera). So far, my favorites are Aperture-Prio and Manual. But, baby steps.

I think I deserve a pat in the back…I overcame the first hurdle – understanding how a DSLR works, well the 1st part, at least. Like I said, baby steps. Hobby is supposed to be not stressful but a stress reliever 😀

These were my first shots, and yes my first subjects were my neighborhood, our food and anything I think interesting within my reach 🙂

This article is a documentation of how I started. Eventually I will target food photography, travel and landscape….who knows, one day I will be good at it, for now – let me practice 🙂

Yes, I’m a nerd and I’m proud of it 😀