content/blog/2021-04-28-photography.org

 1#+date:        <2021-04-28 Wed 00:00:00>
 2#+title:       Photography Fundamentals: Equipment and Technique Instruction
 3#+description: Instructional document covering basic techniques in photography, including equipment selection, operational best practices, and methods for capturing high-quality images.
 4#+slug:        photography
 5#+filetags:    :photography:camera:gear:
 6
 7* Why Photography?
 8
 9I've often wondered why photography is as enticing as it is. You can see
10billions of people around the world taking photographs every single
11moment of the day. New technology often boasts about their photographic
12capabilities, especially smartphones. I would even assume that we live
13in a world where there is never a moment in which a photograph is not
14being taken somewhere on Earth.
15
16As for myself, I would simply say that I enjoy preserving a memory in
17physical (or digital) form. I've never had the best memory when it comes
18to recalling details of places and people gone by, so it helps to have a
19frame of reference lying around.
20
21Regardless of the reason, I think most people would agree that you
22simply cannot have too many hobbies.
23
24* Older Cameras
25
26I started playing around with the idea of photography when my family
27purchased a Fujifilm camera for family-specific events. I don't recall
28the specific model, but I do recall it was a point-and-shoot camera
29without an interchangeable lens. However, it was of great value to
30someone, like myself, who couldn't afford any other camera. I took about
3110,000 shots with that camera over a 3-5 year span. Most notably, all of
32my trips to California were documented through this camera.
33
34When possible, I would borrow my sister's camera, which is a Sony
35SLT-A58. This camera was great and allowed for some of my best early
36shots, especially those taken in Utah's and Nevada's parks.
37
38* My Current Kit
39
40I've finally come to a point in my life where I have the disposable
41income to invest in a solid photography kit. I played around with the
42idea of a lot of different cameras, different types, new vs used, etc.
43Finally, I settled on the
44[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_%CE%B17_III][Sony α7 III]]. This
45camera is mirror-less and uses a full-frame image sensor at 24
46megapixels. I don't create large prints, and I am mostly focused on
47preserving memories in high quality for the next 5-10 years with this
48camera, so the specifications here are just perfect for me.
49
50For lenses, I decided to buy two lenses that could carry me through most
51situations:
52
53- [[https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/lenses/full-frame-e-mount/p/sel2470z][Vario-Tessar
54  T** FE 24-70 mm F4 ZA OSS]]
55- [[https://www.tamron-usa.com/product/lenses/a047.html][Tamron 70-300mm
56  f4.5-6.3 Di III RXD]]
57
58In addition, I grabbed a couple
59[[https://www.promaster.com/Product/6725][HGX Prime 67mm]] protection
60filters for the lenses.
61
62As I delve further into photography and pick up more skills, I will most
63likely go back and grab a lens with a higher f-stop value, such as
64f/1.8. I toyed with the idea of grabbing a 50 mm at =f/1.8=, but decided
65to keep things in a reasonable price range instead.
66
67Finally, I made sure to buy a photography-specific backpack with a rain
68guard, and the zipper on the back panel, to protect the equipment while
69wearing the bag. If you've ever had to haul around a DSLR (or camera of
70similar heft) in a bag that only has a shoulder strap, you'll know the
71pain it can cause. Putting all my equipment in a backpack was an easy
72decision.